#Podfic policy

[dodgerkedavra]

Ministry of Magic

DodgerKedavra's Fanworks Policies

Binding: My fics are available for personal binds and gifts between friends. Don't sell them for money, or you will be forever cursed.

Podficcing: My fics are available for podficcing projects. Please don't use AI to record them. If you have a question about whether a specific story is already being recorded, message me!

Translations: My fics are available for translations on a case-by-case basis—please message me first. Please don't put them into Google Translate or any AI program for translation, and don't repost to websites other than AO3. Please link to the original work when posting,

Fanart: Please do fan art of my fics. I love it so much. I love it so, so much.

[anneapocalypse]

Transformative Works Policies and How to Make One

With the concern flying around about readers plugging fanfics into AI/chatbots/machine learning models, it might be a good time to bring up the concept of a transformative works policy for your blog, your AO3 account, and wherever else you do fandom.

A Transformative Works Policy is a statement of what you are and aren't comfortable with in terms of other fans transforming your fanworks.

Honestly I have no idea how widespread the AI thing actually is and how many people are just trolling, but it doesn't ultimately matter here. Unfortunately, there will always be bad actors who will disregard creators' wishes regardless of what you say, but fortunately, there are also a lot of well-intentioned people who might not know better but will respect your boundaries if you state them clearly. So a clear statement is a good place to start.

There are other benefits to having a transformative works policy! Most podficcers love being able to look and see that an author has permission posted. If an artist feels inspired to draw something from your fic, or a writer wants to gift you a fic about your OC meeting their OC, a posted policy can tell them if that's something you're okay with.

Some things a TWP can cover include:

podfic

fic remixes

art inspired by your work

fic inspired by your work

art of your OCs

fic of your OCs

borrowing your headcanons

translations of your fic or meta

Now's probably a good time to add AI/machine learning tools to that list, if you haven't already.

If you'd like to see an example policy, here's mine. Feel free to borrow and adjust to your preferences.

I do give permission for people to use meta or headcanons I've written about for a fic or other fanwork as long as you credit and link back to me for it. (And please tag me so I can see it!)

I do give permission for transformative works such as podfics, translations, illustrations, etc to be made of my fanworks (OCs included) by humans, under the condition that you give credit, link back to my work, and let me know about it so that I can come appreciate your work!

I do not give permission for any of my works to be reposted in their entirety on sites where I have not chosen to post them myself. 

I do not give permission for any of my fanworks to be fed into AI, machine learning tools, et cetera, in whole or in part, for any reason, under any circumstances.

[end-otw-racism]

End OTW Racism: A Call To Action

A fan protest against the lack of action from the OTW on addressing issues of harassment and racism on AO3 and within the organization

This is a Call To Action for Fans of Color and Allies

AO3 has acknowledged that they have a harassment & racism problem that its parent organization, the Organization for Transformative Works (OTW), needs to address. Currently, people can use AO3 to harass others through fanworks, comments, and tags. Just a few examples include: racist Untamed “spitefic” that used anti-Indigenous slurs and was written specifically to lash out at fans of color; a Transformer fic that used its Black-coded character to reenact George Floyd’s murder in July 2020; someone naming a fandom scholar who criticized their Nazi omegaverse fic in the tags of the fic specifically to incite harassment to the scholar; writers using racial slurs against commenters who pointed out racism in their hockey fic; and so much more.

In June 2020, after the murder of George Floyd, the OTW committed to addressing these issues. It has been nearly three years and they have not yet implemented any of the changes they promised, other than a blocking/muting tool that was already in development before 2020. We need to hold the OTW accountable to their own promises. (See the section further down on “Why Are We Doing This” for even more detail.)

As fans, together, we are powerful. We are organizing to protest the lack of action on promises made by the Organization for Transformative works to deal with issues of racism and harassment on their platform, Archive of Our Own.

We call on fans to do any or all of the following actions any time between May 17 to 31, 2023 to send a message to AO3 and OTW that we will hold them to their promises.

On AO3

Change the title of ten (or more!) of your most recent or most popular fanworks to include ‘End Racism in the OTW’ in the beginning, and provide a link to this post in your summary or first/top creator’s note

Post a new fanwork any time between May 17th to 31st with “End Racism in the OTW” either as the title or at the beginning of the title. The fanwork does not have to be long - it can be a 100-word fic, a quick sketch, a podfic of a ficlet, a 20-second vid/edit, a short piece of meta, etc. In the summary or first/top creator’s note, provide a link to this post

If updating any WIPs with a new chapter, add ‘End Racism in the OTW’ to the title and provide a link back to this post in your summary or first/top author’s note

Update your AO3 icon using the profile pic graphic in our Social Media Toolkit

Plan to maintain these changes until May 31, 2023, or longer if you wish

Send a message to the OTW asking for an update on their 2020 commitments!

For Readers: leave encouraging comments on fanworks with the "End Racism in the OTW" title to show your support of this initiative.

On tumblr

Reblog this Call to Action with the tag #End OTW Racism

Update your profile pics and banners using the graphics in our Social Media Toolkit

Follow this account for updates and signal boost our posts

On Twitter

Follow @/EndOTWRacism (remove the backslash) and signal boost our pinned tweet

Update your profile pics and banners using our graphics, and change your display name to include #EndOTWRacism

Use sample tweets and graphics from our Social Media Toolkit to tweet about your fanworks, and use the hashtag #EndOTWRacism

Help us make this a long-term campaign - sign up to help with other anti-racism projects and future actions!

What Do We Want?

Since their June 2020 statement, OTW has been working on updating their Terms of Service (TOS) to address racist and bigoted harassment, but with little transparency and only the vaguest of updates. It has been three years since their commitment to this update - we want to see the results of their work implemented in the next 6-12 months. Their TOS updates and complementary policies should include:

Harassment policies that can be regularly updated to address both on-site harassment and off-site coordinated harassment of AO3 users, with updated protocols for the Policy & Abuse Team to ensure consistent and informed resolutions of abuse claims

A content policy on abusive (extremely racist and extremely bigoted) content; by abusive, we are talking about fanworks that are intentionally used to spread hate and harassment, not those that accidentally invoke racist or other bigoted stereotypes

These points are not particularly new and are not our own innovation; please refer to Stitch's article written over two years ago, asking for several of these very things.

OTW has also already committed to various process-based actions for longer-term works towards centering antiracism, including hiring a Diversity Consultant. The last update that OTW published said that the consultant would be hired within the next five years (after already having had three years to work on it since their original commitment). That is not soon enough. We want to see the following process-based actions implemented:

Hiring a Diversity Consultant within the next 3-6 months

Committing to a policy of transparency on this topic, with quarterly updates on the progress of these projects including challenges and their plan for overcoming those challenges. These quarterly updates should be published on OTW News page and newsletters, not solely discussed in Board meetings

Why Are We Doing This?

16 years ago, Astolat famously published her manifesto calling for a fandom Archive of One’s Own. In that time, AO3 has grown to be a central pillar of fandom, likely far outstripping its founders’ original vision. It is more than just an archive now; it is a central hub of the modern fannish experience. AO3 and the OTW must continue to grow and evolve with fandom over time to remain a healthy and functioning pillar of fandom. To that end, there are several areas in which the organization, as it admits itself, is lacking.

In June 2020, in the wake of the George Floyd protests and the uprising of the Black Lives Matter Movement, The OTW published a “This Week in Fandom” referencing the works of Dr. Rukmini Pande and Stitch, among others in which they discussed ‘making change for a better society’ through ‘conversations about race and racism’. In response, Dr. Pande and Stitch submitted a letter to the OTW calling for a more formal public statement than an offhand reference in a News Roundup that only served to call for thoughts and discussion without any indication the organization intended to do anything, policy wise, to address the issues being raised.

Eventually, the organization did remove the references to the works of Dr. Pande and Stitch and then made an official statement on the issue of racism within the organization and AO3. In it, they identified several things they would be prioritizing to combat harassment and benefit users. Some of those have been implemented (notably those that were already under development). However as of this writing, little else has been done especially in regards to:

Improving admin tools for the Policy & Abuse team

Reassessing the current mandatory archive warnings with the possibility of implementing others

And, most importantly, reviewing the Terms of Service (TOS) to allow the Policy & Abuse team to address harassment that is currently not covered by the existing TOS

By their own admission, the current tools and policies of the OTW are not sufficient to deal with issues of harassment and racism.

Several people who were involved in the founding of the OTW, including previous OTW Board members and staff on the original OTW Content Policy Committee, acknowledge that the founding of the OTW in 2008 and early board iterations failed us as a fandom by not doing enough, and by not even considering the way racism is perpetuated in fannish spaces, despite a long history of racism in fandom.

It has been nearly three years since the original commitment by the organization with little visible, measurable progress on these three crucial issues and a complete lack of transparency on where they are in regards to even beginning to deal with these issues. In fact, in Q&As, it was heavily implied by a member of the board that those calling for OTW to deal with issues of racism (which OTW had already acknowledged as a problem!) were not really fans but outside agitators.

This has cast significant doubt on the organization's sincerity and commitment to their stated goals, and on their position as leaders of a central fan tent-pole. Fans of color are not outsiders. They are right here, members of our community, and they are being harassed and targeted and driven out while space and platforms are being given to racists.

We, as fans of color and our allies, find the current state of fandom and current actions (and lack thereof) unacceptable. Fandom is our space, all of ours. We, as a fandom, have a right to a racism-free space and have a duty to our fellow fans to create that space. Unlike so much of the world, this is a space we can control and make better. It is a space we must make better. To read even more about this movement, visit our FAQs.

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Fanfic Thieves on Youtube

A collection of youtube channels have been uploading preexisting fanfictions in videos with little to no credit to the original authors. These are not podfics, these channels copy-paste the fics into text-to-speech readers then upload the unaltered audio over static or unrelated backgrounds, either art that is also stolen or mobile game footage. In addition to not naming the authors, they alter the title to make it that much harder for readers to recognize or find the original uploads. Some go so far as to pretend they themselves are creating the fics in question. Many claim that their stealing actually helps give fics "exposure" despite the intentional steps they take to conceal the origins of the fics they profit off of. However, this practice has lead many authors to discontinue fics after the frustration of having their hard work stolen. Many of these channels claim they will remove videos upon request, but will either argue with the author in order to keep it up, or simply unlist the video for a time until they think the author isn't paying attention anymore. And their solution to receiving strikes against their channels in the past has been to further obfuscate the origins of their content instead of even considering asking first.

”I got caught stealing, so instead of not stealing anymore, I’m doubling down on stealing even more so it’s harder for people to find out and prove I’m stealing. Stealing doesn't count if the specific person I stole from didn't call me out. I am the real victim.”

That, plus the incessant tag scumming in all the videos (spamming unrelated tags in order to appear in more search results) proves to me that these are lazy attention seekers who don't want to put in creative effort when they could just leech off of the passion of others.

In order to report them, go to their channel's "About" page and click the flag icon. Said icon might be behind the three dots in the top bar on mobile. Go to "Report User" at the bottom and tick the "spam and scams" button. This will allow you to list multiple videos as offenders instead of reporting them individually. Youtube's policy states that video spam constitutes:

Massively uploading content that you scraped from other creators.

Auto-generated content that computers post without regard for quality or viewer experience.

If you recognize one of your fics among the stolen, say so in the additional comments box, and perhaps call out the channel directly in the video's comments. If you recognize someone else's fic, please let the original author know so they can report the channel as well. Many have been confronted for stealing previously and refuse to admit wrongdoing.

Most of what I've found has been My Hero Academia fics since that's my fandom and those are the ones I can recognize as stolen, but there are many other channels that steal from other fandoms, so I invite anyone and everyone to reblog this with their own findings.

The reality is that this extremely low-effort content and new youtube channels are both very easy to make, so most likely they'll start new channels once the ones on this list are run through. But hopefully, if we all work together and keep whacking these moles, perhaps we can instill that same defeatism they caused so many creators who didn't deserve it, and eventually they'll give up.

My sincerest thanks to everyone who helped bring additional channels to my attention. A special thanks to ao3 user InArduisFidelis who brought the initial attention to the issue, and @owlf45 whose work was stolen.

Links under the cut.

YurikoFanfics - Not only stole content, but acted in comments as though they were the one writing these stories.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@YurikoFanfics

What-IF-Anime - Has the exact same "disclaimer" about not being the original author as the one above. Either they're the same person or the thieves are stealing from each other.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@What-IF-Anime

quirkywhatif7 - Either an alt of the above, or all these people are talking to one another because this one made a community post identical to a comment the one above made in response to being called out (the above screenshots).

https://www.youtube.com/@quirkywhatif7/about

DekuFanfic - It's the same fucking guy again.

https://www.youtube.com/@DekuFanfic/about

InfiniteParadoxfanfics - Nothing notable, same deal as the others.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@InfiniteParadoxfanfics/about

WhatIfAnimeChannel - Admits in their community posts that other people write the fics they post but still doesn't give credit. Migrated to a new channel after issues with youtube, likely being flagged previously.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@WhatIfAnimeChannel/about

WhatIfAnimeAll - Alt of above.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@WhatIfAnimeAll

FWNWorld - Makes sure to tell you that the videogame footage is theirs, but can't bother to credit anyone else.

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@FWNWorld/about

WTFW - Claims to have "[A] team of talented writers, voice actors, and artists work together to create immersive fan fiction stories that are sure to captivate your imagination." Just the same test-to-speech stolen content over videogames. So straight up lying claiming that everything is theirs (and that anything they make is quality).

https://href.li/?https://www.youtube.com/@WTFW

MHA2.0Fanfics - Lots of crossover theft.

https://www.youtube.com/@MHA2.0Fanfics/about

Collerwhatiif - Pretty sure this one is the same guy as the previous 2, also has one for another fandom.

https://www.youtube.com/@Collerwhatiif/about

https://www.youtube.com/@GoJoFanfiction/videos

ko_sensei - Another that claims to have a "team" that makes the stories they steal: " passionate about creating compelling and engaging fanfiction that explores the various "what ifs" in the anime universe."

https://www.youtube.com/@ko_sensei/about

FantasticWhatIf - Multifandom stealing, uses the exact same bs disclaimer as many others.

https://www.youtube.com/@FantasticWhatIf/about

LettuceHeadFanfics - No credit, no acknowledgement of anything. Next one is an alt.

https://www.youtube.com/@LettuceHeadFanfics/about

brocollifanfics - Alt of above, once again admits to stealing with a declaration of "☆If you want to takedown any videos. You can mail us or leave a comment below the video☆"

https://www.youtube.com/@brocollifanfics/about

whatifofficial786 - Focuses on MHA/Naruto crossovers. Identical format.

https://www.youtube.com/@whatifofficial786/about

NotWhatIf - I've lost track of who's an alt of who but yet another identical format, descriptions, and bullshit claims of "enhancing the viewer experience" by putting a robot voice over bootleg fortnite footage.

https://www.youtube.com/@NotWhatIf/about

weebxds - Same again.

https://www.youtube.com/@weebxds/about

ItachiFanfics - Naruto channel, we can at least confirm that this one is run by a human given the rare different descriptions and a real voice at the beginning of videos before the robot comes back.

https://www.youtube.com/@ItachiFanfics/about

WhatIfDN - As if mockingly, a bunch of videos have a "credit" section in their descriptions that is of course blank.

https://www.youtube.com/@WhatIfDN/about

SpiceandBooks and spiceandfiction - Apparently Youtube itself has started picking up on the bullshit, because this multifandom channel is being dinged as ai spam so they started a new one.

https://www.youtube.com/@SpiceandBooks/about

https://www.youtube.com/@spiceandfiction/about

theoriginalastra - Doesn't even bother with disclaimers, the following are multiple alts/potential alts for different fandoms.

https://www.youtube.com/@theoriginalastra/about

SillySenpai12 - Highschool DXD alt.

https://www.youtube.com/@SillySenpai12/about

RosieRealms - Naruto alt.

https://www.youtube.com/@RosieRealms/about

DekuWhatIfs - Potentially another astra alt but not sure, doesn't matter because all these channels do the same thing anyway.

AnimeStark688 - No credits or disclaimers.

https://www.youtube.com/@AnimeStark688/about

Please take the time to report these channels, spread this post around, and reblog with any additional offending channels you find.

[sl-walker]

Other Fandom Archives

At least, other ones running on the otw-archive software!

SquidgeWorld Archive

Open to all fandoms, SqWA is run under the nonprofit squidge.org! In addition to the archive there, Squidge also offers image hosting, podfic hosting and a bunch of other excellent services. Beyond that, it utilizes more extensive archive warnings than AO3 and also accommodates two additional relationship categories! SqWA has a no-AI policy that is both up front legally and implemented behind the scenes through various coding measures.

The TOS is here. The information about the additional warnings can be found here.

--

Ad Astra :: Star Trek Fanfiction Archive

A single-fandom Star Trek fanfiction archive, this one's home for any and all Trek fandom! Using the same warnings as AO3, but a much stricter (and therefore searchable) tagging scheme, Ad Astra's also connected to one of the friendliest and most supportive Trek communities on the internet! We run weekly challenges, monthly review/comment hunts and like the other archives, we take a very hardline stance against AI both in actual terms and in firewalling the site. AI 'bots can't even reach the server before getting sucked into a black hole of 4XX errors and bannination jail!

There's an additional QPR (Queer-platonic relationships) tag accepted in the form of Character A ~ Character B, as well. Two invitations go out once a day, unless you want to contact me directly, then I can send one immediately.

Find the site FAQs here, please pay special attention to the posting rules!!

--

superlove

Run off of a macbook by a very talented young person, superlove is for all fandoms and original fiction and pretty much whatever else melo wants to open the doors for! In addition to the same archive warnings and relationships available to people using AO3, superlove also has a few more warnings that users can use and both QPR and vs. tags for queer-platonic and adversarial relationships. Given this is largely a private project, please make sure you review the rules carefully.

--

Comic Fanfiction Authors Archive

The CFAArchive is an archive built specifically for comic book and comic animation adjacent fandoms, rather than live-action properties! It uses the same archive warnings as AO3 and Ad Astra, but has the two additional tags QPR and vs. for queer-platonic and adversarial relationships! Much like Ad Astra, the tagging scheme on the CFAA is very strict to maximize searchability and minimize tag-spamming. There's also an attached Discord, where we run a bi-weekly writing challenge, the occasional comment/review hunt and a monthly focus feature where everyone reads a book, discusses it and creates based on it! If you love comic books and comic animation properties, this is the place for you!

Much like Ad Astra, the filtering out of AI 'bots is extremely strict; they get 4XX'd into oblivion and so far, none have gotten through since the new firewall rules were implemented, so you actually can leave works unlocked if you like with minimal (though never nonexistent) concern about them being scraped.

Two invitations go out once a day, unless you want to contact me directly, then I can send one immediately.

The TOS is here; please read the rules carefully! The tagging FAQ is here; don't be intimidated, it's not hard once you get into the swing!

[transformativeworks]

The Archive of Our Own Reaches 11 Million Fanworks!

The OTW is pleased to announce that the 11 millionth fanwork has been posted to the Archive of Our Own. From fic to fanart to podfic, every fanwork on AO3 is the result of someone’s love for and dedication to transformative fandom, and we’re grateful for each and every one of your contributions. AO3 wouldn’t be what it is without you!

We’ve hit 11 million fanworks just six months after reaching 10 million fanworks last October. In those six months, Accessibility, Design & Technology has rolled out the ability to mute works, bookmarks, and comments from specific users; Open Doors has imported over 16,000 fanworks from at-risk and offline archives; Tag Wrangling has wrangled over two million tags; and Policy & Abuse and Support have answered approximately 10,000 tickets each. We’re excited to continue to grow and support fans in the coming months, and we look forward to seeing what you create as we do!

[copperbadge]

Hello! I’m writing to ask a permission for making a printed copies of your fanfic “Stealing Harry”. We are a group of individuals who print fanfiction for themselves and a group of fans. We are typesetting and design books for ourselves and then print them all together for personal use. Our project is completely non-profitable and made by fans for fans. Will you be comfortable to give us your permission to add your work to our “Wolfstar” collection book and if so, how many copies do you allow ?

Hi Anon! Sorry for the delay in response!

I do have an inclusive transformative works policy -- as long as my name is credited, you can do podfic, art, and bookbinding (and other stuff, if you desire) with my stories. I love to have links to the end result but that's just because I like seeing how people play in the sandbox.

I'm a little concerned about the "how many copies" question but only because that's not something I've dealt with before -- I'm not sure whether you are binding the books yourselves ala the binding movement in fandom right now, or typesetting them to go on a print-on-demand site. The latter can get dicey, but I'm going to trust you at your word that it's for personal use and non-profit; if you are going through Print On Demand, all I ask is that the purchase link not be made public. Otherwise do with it as you will :) If you have further questions feel free to hit me up at copperbadge@gmail.com and certainly I'd enjoy seeing photos of the finished product!

And thank you very much for asking permission first. I know a number of people whose fanfic has been lifted without permission and NOT kept private (copies for sale on Etsy or Amazon, etc) so even though I have a universal access policy, not everyone does, and it's good manners to check in. Thanks for doing that. :)

[kingsman-fth]

Have you been having a hard time lately?

Were you sliced in half by a bamf lady with wicked legs?

Are you looking at eighteen months in the clink for stealing some wanker’s car?

Doing the world’s most dangerous job interview where the only other woman present drowned on the first night?

Are you a princess who’s been kidnapped and is currently being held hostage?

Did you get shot in the eye by an environmental megalomaniac?

Have you gone bald from the stress of dealing with the people mentioned above?

Then have we got the event for you!

@fandomtrumpshate is an online fanworks auction, designed to raise money for progressive nonprofit organisations that help and support marginalised people.

You can offer any type of fanwork that can be delivered digitally, including:

* written fanworks (fic, poetry, remixes, etc.)

* digital art, which includes but is not limited to gifsets, manips, moodboards, etc.

* podfics

* fanvids (including fancams)

* fan labour, which includes but is not limited to betaing, Brit/Japan/America-picking, or offering specialist expertise.

Want to create something in a physical format? Then stay tuned for the Fan Crafts Bazaar coming soon!

Don’t feel like creating something this time around? That’s totally fine! You can bid on an offering during the bidding period, or simply share the info with your friends.

Important Dates:

Monday, January 20th: creator signups open

Sunday, February 2nd: creator signups close

Friday, February 21st: browsing period begins

Tuesday, February 25th, 8am GMT-5: bidding opens

Saturday, March 1st, 8pm GMT-5: auction bidding closes

Wednesday, March 12: proof of donations due

Hop on over to the FAQ and bidding policies and follow this blog for kingsman-specific updates!

If you have any questions, drop me a line as I have participated as both a creator and bidder!

[etl-echo-audiobooks]

*** defunct - as we are no long on Spotify because their AI policy.

Please consider following us on AO3 for our updates !

Hello everyone new and old! We are ETL Echo Audiobooks! We produce fanfiction audiobooks of the Enemies to Lovers Variety.

There are Dramione Audiobooks, Drarry Audiobooks, Reylo Audiobooks, Darklina Audiobooks, you name it! All Enemies to Lovers (ETL) Pairings!

Here are all of our podfics/audiobooks/audiofics organized into playlists!

This includes the Manacled Audiobook here

Also the Chronological Manacled Audiobook here which we recommend after experiencing the story in the order intended by author @senlinyu

*Dramione Audiobooks: The Fallout Audiobook by everythursday

The Disappearances of Draco Malfoy Audiobook by Speechwriter

Choice and Chance Audiobook by chaosandcrumpets

Remain Nameless Audiobook by @heyjude19-writing

Wait and Hope Audiobook by @mightbewriting

The Auction Audiobook by @lovesbitca8

Bring Him to His Knees Audiobook by musyc (@willhavetheirtrinkets)

Love in a Time of the Zombie Apocalypse by @rizzlewrites

*Reylo Adudiobooks: Proposal by Any Other Name audiobook by @lucidlucy

Conscience and Unconsciousness audiobook by pontmercy44

World in my Eyes by sasstasticmad (@mygrandmathinksimsassy) Audiobook coming Spring 2024!

*All Dramione Audiobook one-shots

*All Drarry Audiobook one-shots

*All Other HP Pairing Fanfic Audiobook one-shots

An ever growing list of Wizarding Podfics/audiobooks/audiofics from different creators can be found here! The listings specify title, creator author, ship, status, and whether or not it has been censored for content.

We are a team of folx from all over the globe who do this for fun in our spare time to make fanfiction more accessible to everyone!

Love from,

ETL Echo Audiobooks

[itpemod]

Assignments FAQ

Assignments start going out now! Please read the following FAQ and confirm that you’ve received your assignment and read the rules (for example, “Got the assignment and confirming I’ve read the rules”) when we DM you! We broke the links to try to avoid setting off spam filters, so simply delete the colons when you copy and paste the URL into the address bar. 

If we get tossed into spambot purgatory partway through assignment delivery, we’ll switch to one of our sideblogs and failing that, we will start emailing you at the addresses we confirmed with you. 

When are gifts due?

Fully edited main podfic gifts are due on December 17th. We’ll make the gift deliveries on December 24th! Remember, no minimums. The treats deadline this year will be December 22nd.

“Fully edited”?

The default expectation is that you will be submitting a “traditional” podfic that you’ve recorded and edited to remove all flubs (at minimum). We understand that in certain fandoms there’s a sub-genre of podfic commonly called a “cold read” which is minimally edited or completely unedited and includes chatty asides and reactions. Please only submit a podfic in this format if your recipient has specifically opted into/requested it in their Dear Podficcer letter. If your recipient doesn’t mention anything about liking cold reads or chatty podfics, then assume that they’re expecting an edited podfic (though if you’d like us as mods to reach out to your recipient to confirm what kind of podfic they’re expecting, we are happy to do so.)

Who can I tell about my assignment?

Keep it secret! (Keep it safe.) Except for your beta–you can tell them. :D

I’m new. How do I find a podfic to record?

Use your recipient’s letter as a guide in terms of story choice. Try to find a story that hits at least one of your recipient’s likes/wants. You must respect your recipient’s Do Not Wants (DNW). Some participants have suggested stories in their letters or bookmarks or have provided information about a close fandom friend who can help with vetting stories. You can also reach out to your participant via anonymous asks or by asking mods to pass on messages if you have further questions!

When finding a gift to record for your recipient, please follow permission norms in your fandom. That means asking for permission if the author doesn’t have a permission statement. Transformative works policies are often found in author’s profiles on AO3.

You can also use the Fanworks Permission Statements list (https://fpslist.org/) as a resource to find authors with blanket permission in your fandom or download the Blanket Permission Highlighter (https://github.com/BrickGrass/Blanket-Permission-Highlighter). The BP highlighter will automatically highlight any author with blanket permission in green when you’re browsing AO3. You will need to have the greasemonkey or tampermonkey extension (if you’re using Firefox or Chrome respectively) installed first 

How do I submit my gift?

To submit your finished podfic, you will use the Google forms that will be posted next month.

What are treats? 

Treats are gifts that you can make for people who aren’t your recipient. We will be publishing a spreadsheet of all requests next week that you can peruse. Anyone can make treats–you do not have to be signed up for the exchange to submit them. You can make as many treats as you want, and you can gift a treat to multiple people. (If you, as a recipient, do not want to receive a multirecipient treat, please DM the mods or add yourself to the Opting Out tab in the treats spreadsheet.)

Please note that you MUST submit your main gift first before you can submit any treats. We will not be accepting treats until you have submitted a main gift for your recipient first. 

Do you have any other advice for the gift making process?

We sure do! If you’re planning a long, ambitious project, consider making & submitting a short gift early on first. Long gifts are great to give and receive, but sometimes life happens and this gives everyone a safety net.

We also recommend prioritizing recording your ENTIRE gift FIRST. We can find you editing help if needed; only you can record. 

If you think you will need an extension to finish your main gift at any point, please DM us as soon as you can. We’re willing to work with you, but would rather hear from you earlier than later if possible. 

Okay, I’m excited! What are my next steps?

1. Wait for our message (please be patient, we have no idea how it’s going to go!)

2. Write back to us to confirm you’ve received your assignment and read these rules.

3. Squee on your own blog (tag it with #itpe or #informal tumblr podfic exchange) or in the Tumblr podfic community. Just remember to keep who you were assigned a secret!

4. Check back next week for more information about treats!

[emilykaldwen]

THE MAIDEN AND THE DROWNING BOY is a House of the Dragon canon divergent fix-it trilogy with a HEA. Meshing both show and book canon, the story asks the question: How do you stop the cycles of abuse and generational trauma? In this universe, Aegon marries the youngest daughter of Lyonel Strong, the Lady Abrogail, who has grown up alongside him and his siblings. The story begins with the run up to their marriage in 125 AC, and follows Aegon and Abrogail as they figure out who they are and who they are together in the Riverlands, along with Aemond and Helaena in King's Landing, and to the dawn of the Dance of Dragons. Except the ending of the song is different this time.

pairings: aegon ii targaryen x oc, eventual jacaerys x helaena, other canon ships mentioned, other pairings to be announced warnings: suicidal ideation, sexual shame and purity pushing, canon typical violence, canon typical attitudes, unpacking of previously stated sexual shame/purity for both male and female characters

This is not an anti/pro team black or green fic. I continue to do my best to approach all sides with nuance. There will be no bashing, nor will I accept any in the comments.

[this fic series will have three separate parts and maintains an 'at least once a month' posting schedule (due to life reasons)]

No Tag List. Follow @emkald-fic and turn on post notifications or subscribe on AO3.

Tumblr: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Twenty-Four | Twenty-Five

AO3: Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five | Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen | Chapter Seventeen | Chapter Eighteen | Chapter Nineteen | Chapter Twenty | Chapter Twenty-One | Chapter Twenty-Two | Chapter Twenty-Three | Twenty-Four | Twenty-Five

AO3

Wattpad (for those who prefer to read there. Updates are not matched to AO3)

Fic Tag

Ship Tag

Abrogail Tag

Spoiler Free Family Tree

Timeline of Events (please note the adjusted ages from the source material)

Abrogail Epithet Gif Set

Arc One Promo Set

Aegon and Abby - A Soft Evening Commission by @winterofherdiscontent

Aegon and Abby - A Lazy Morning by @debustee

Abrogail Commission by @astarionbae

Fanart/Content by others - If you made something for this fic, please @ me and tag #useremka

Abrogail Fanart by @selfproclaimedunicorn

Abrogail Fanart by @murmel-malt

Sunlight Gif Set by @dragonsbone

Vampire!Abby x Aegon fanart by @murmel-malt

Aegon and Abby Dancing by @murmel-malt

Abby Moodboard by @rainwingmarvel7

Abby Dress designs by @chic-beyond-the-wall-oc-acct

Abby Portrait commissioned by a follower and art by @shripscapi

Aegon and Abby as Eros and Psyche by @murmel-malt

Transformative Works Policy below the cut

Transformative Works Policy: I do not give my permission to have this work put into generative AI or cross-posted somewhere else under your name. If you are looking to translate my work, please contact me first. Translations are ONLY allowed on AO3 following their translation policy, or Ficbook. Podfic is also allowed as long as I am contacted first to discuss.

As of right now, @vampire-exgirlfriend, @selfproclaimedunicorn, @darkwolf76, and @queen--kenobi only have permission to utilize Abrogail Strong in their works. If you want to write something inspired by or utilize my OCs in any way, please reach out to me first.

[snarryauctoberfest]

For Auctoberfest this year we received:

1 podfic

7 fan art pieces (though some are multiple pieces of art! and two come with fic!)

25 different creators

and 33 new Snarry fanfics, totaling 480,121 words of Snarry added during the fest for a total of 39 new works this fest.

For the first time we had one person contribute five fics! Incredible! We had two collaborations, one on art, one on a fic with art.

The above is a word cloud incorporating all the fics in this year's fest. As ever, it appears as a ship we're all about those eyes and hands, looking and feelings!

Now creator reveals have happened, I just wanted to take the time to say thank you to the two amazing co-mods who helped me @likelightinglass and Armassy. To Armassy, who came in and did me such a huge favour, and has been amazing throughout.

To all those who followed the fest along the way, thank you for the encouragement and support to each of the contributors.

Just as a reminder: we have a no work left behind policy. This means if you've started but could not finish a piece in time, our fest collection will remain open into the next year for any works that couldn't make it in time for the October anon period.

If you also fancy turning your hand to a Snarry AU piece, you're very welcome to join in too! The more the merrier! All prompts past and present are open to adoption. Past prompts can be found here. Prompts from this year will be added to the list soon.

I hope the ship and the community we've built can be a place of love and rest in these times when we need it most.

And lastly! The contributors for this year helped us put together a little Snarry AUctoberfest 2024 playlist, if you fancy listening along to their picks to celebrate this year's fest.

🧡 2024 Snarry AUctoberfest Entries || HOS Tumblr || Discord 🧡

[sapphoshands]

i have had a small influx of followers due to my descent into more queer witch bullshit soooo i thought i probably ought to say hi? hi! i am so delighted to have people join me as i become 90% agatha thoughts by volume, and to have people engaging with my meta and fic (including COMMENTS, YAY) is always a joy. so hi and thanks!

i don't automatically follow back because (although i know it's currently hard to believe) i do TRY to limit my tumblr time. ha. hahahaaaaa. yeah. i try to stay fairly responsive in asks or messages, but i have a job, a gym habit, and a lot of fic to write. so. it's not you, it's me. i am somewhat more likely to eventually follow back if we get to chatting, if we have mutuals in common, or if i am being capricious.

i tag agatha spoilers for about 48 hours, but i do aim to tag the show consistently on all posts. my other main fandom is wheel of time (and if you like agatha but haven't tried wot, MAY I RECOMMEND. more queer milf witches!) and i float through other stories about women as they come to me.

fic is under the fic tag or on ao3. only two three a few agatha fics so far but definitely more to come. i always love comments, questions, screaming, critical engagement, whatever. i also welcome podfic, art, works inspired by, etc in accordance with my fanworks policy.

down the road, witches!

[fandomtrumpshate]

FTH 2024 - By the Numbers

With just a few days to go (signups close on MONDAY!), we have an incredible 524 creators signed up to offer 720 auctions in 260 fandoms! We're counting 107 listed and 153 unlisted fandoms, plus 90 folks offering to work in ANY fandom.

The breakdown of offers by type looks like this:

473 Written fanwork (fic, fan poetry, etc)

102 Fan art

80 Fan labor (beta services, translation, Brit-picking, typesetting, etc)

43 Podfic

14 Other Digital Fanwork

7 Video

When it comes to choosing orgs, creators are overwhelmingly leaving the choice up to their bidders. For those that have selected specific orgs, the numbers look like this:

173 Middle East Children's Alliance

119 Sherlock's Homes Foundation

102 Never Again Action

99 In Our Own Voice

89 National Network to End Domestic Violence

87 Any/All Environmental

76 Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center

74 Life After Hate

61 Violence Policy Center

56 Razom

55 Spread the Vote

44 VoteRiders

43 Coral Restoration Foundation

37 Pollinator Partnership

35 Bellingcat

20 Wildlands Restoration Volunteers

14 Deploy/Us

10 Together Bay Area

And the most unique category, 'other digital fanwork', currently includes offers of:

Discord server creation & starter management

Playlist

Icons

Digitally produced orchestral music min 5 minutes long

Webpage template

Moodboards

Calligraphy

Animation

Conlang basics

Complete song based on supplied lyrics

Stay tuned for updates on both listed and unlisted fandoms later today!

Signups are OPEN!

[cacodaemonia]

I've seen a lot of people panicking, getting really angry, and sharing blatant misinformation about this upcoming lore.fm app, so I wanted to share this update I found from the creator.

I'm not defending it because I haven't seen exactly how it works yet, but from what I can tell, it's similar to a desktop program such as Calibre, which is what I (and many other people) often use for text-to-speech to read fics.

Calibre downloads the fic (just like ANYONE can download fics from AO3, mind you) into the computer from a URL provided by the user, and reads it from that file with the wonky robotic voice. I don't know if the lore.fm app even downloads the pages users provide for it to read, or if it just accesses them on a case-by-case basis, but I suspect it's the latter because otherwise, they would need to pay for a LOT of cloud storage.

Maybe the app is totally shady, but it could also be an attempt to make an accessibility tool for mobile screen reading that doesn't suck. The project definitely seems clumsily-executed, and they should really be providing more information beyond their TOS, privacy policy, and tiktok videos, but that doesn't automatically make them nefarious. It's also unclear to me if they are simply 'marketing' this as a better way to listen to fics that haven't been podficced, or if it can be used on any website, but I think it's the latter? I don't have a tiktok account and I don't feel like sifting through a bunch of videos, so. 🤷

Anyway, before you send them angry emails or messages on social media or share rumors, please consider looking into this on your own rather than relying on wild speculation.

Oh, and here's a reddit post from someone who emailed @ao3org and got a reply from them regarding the legality.

EDIT: looks like the app is shutting down. I'm still not sure what their goal was, exactly. Such a weird situation.

[wilfriede]

Have you heard of podfic? That's fanfiction read out loud and recorded by fans and to me it sounds like that might be precisely what you're looking for. On the other hand, I know that there isn't a ton of podfic for supercorp. As a podficcer who ADORES many sc stories and would like to make more podfic for them I say to that:

Please, please go encourage your favorite authors to give permission for podfic. (Here's the fanlore article on such permsission statements for all types of transformative works.) If as an author you're unsure about your options and what to write, you can use the fanwork permission builder. A great to place to put such a statment is the AO3 user profile page. If you want to go step further, add authors with such permission statements to the fps database. That way interested podficcers will easily know about it.

I can't guarantee that there wlll instantly be more podfic. But it will increase the likelihood. Reaching out to authors and asking for permission can be quite stressful. Many podficcers just don't bother with it and only record from authors with blanket permission.

I want really badly audiofic versions of supercorp fics in the style of my favorite audiobook narrator.