#podfic themes: coming out

[andreil-fic-stash]

[Podfic] The Name Game

Author: permets; [original fic]

Read by: frecklebombfic (frecklebomb)

Rating: G

Listen Time: 21:14

Time Period: Pro Exy

Summary:

What happens when Andrew and Neil change the names on their jerseys.

Comments: I always like listening to frecklebomb. They have a very soothing voice, and the audio quality is super clear.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Andrew, 38 by hippocrates460 Pairing: Harry/Severus Rating: E Word Count: 25k Podfic available here Read by: JocundaSykes Length: 3-4 hours Harry is divorced, two-thirds of his children are at Hogwarts, and he's ready to start dating again. Ideally, someone who has no idea who he is. Lily suggests he should try Tinder and Harry is not a coward. This is the story of how Severus and Harry meet again after 20 years.

find the full podfic library here

[hd-fan-fair]

H/D Muggle Fair 2024 is coming to you! [Rules & Guidelines at AO3 Collection | Discord]

Fest Timeline: Prompting: June 16 – June 30 Claiming: July 1 Submissions due: September 30 Posting starts: October Big Reveal: November

Our Theme: Muggle For this year's Fair we'd love for you to come up with prompts, write stories, create artworks and read podfics that heavily feature * any Muggle-related occupation - e.g. Construction Worker, Electrician, Auto Mechanic * any Muggle-related hobby - e.g. Muggle board game night, video games, Netflix and chill * any Muggle-related tropes - e.g. Draco Living in the Muggle World, Harry losing his magic, Harry and Draco being forced to go undercover as Muggles

Prompt examples:

Harry wins a trip to a Muggle resort and, feeling lonely, invites Draco to join him. They must pretend to be a couple to get the most out of their vacation package.

In their eighth year at Hogwarts, Harry and Draco are paired up for a Muggle Studies cultural exchange project.

[mcytblraufest]

As the dust settles on Aufest 2024, we start to look forward to what's happening next year. Because three years of aufest just sounds like a great precursor to four years of aufest: barring disaster, we'll be back next year.

But in what FORM will we be back next year?

One thing has been consistent so far with our event. We've done a new thing every year. So the decision is, do we go back to something we've done before, or do we try something new? And that's where you come in. Yes this is a post about a poll.

The Options

Option 1 - Fandom Exchange: We do what we did Aufest 2022 and we do a Fandom Exchange. Similar to the Holiday Exchange that runs in the winter, everyone will sign up and be paired with another person, and they'll have a month to make that person a gift. People will have a chance to opt into art, fic, web weaves, playlists, podfic, or other, and the basic expectation will be 1k or a clean finished art piece in a month, all on the theme of aus. This would be a one-month event.

Option 2 - Big Bang: We do what we did Aufest 2023, and we do a Big Bang. Writers sign up with an au that's halfway done, and they get matched with artists who draw art based on their fic while they finish their au. The basic expectation is 5k in two months for writers, or a clean finished art piece in one month for artists. This would be a two-month event.

Option 3 - Reverse Big Bang: We do what we did this year, and we do a Reverse Big Bang. Artists sign up with completed au art, and then writers write a fic based on the art. The basic expectation is a clean finished art piece in one month for artists, or 5k in two months for writers. This would be a three-month event.

Option 4 - Battleship. (Though we'll probably call it Dungeon Crawl.) This is the new option, if you want to try something new. This is a competitive fic and art game, heavily based on the multifandom exchange Battleship. Participants are divided into teams, and each team is assigned a board, a 10*10 grid. Each square on the grid is assigned with two tags, things like "space au" or "divorce" or "tooth-rotting fluff" or "cannibalism", and a number between 10 and 20. Participants write a fic or draw an art that can be tagged with the one of the tags on a square, gifting it to a request made by someone in the event, and once a square is "hit" the number of times indicated on it, it clears that square, and the mods will tell you if you hit a trap or a treasure. Teams race to disarm all the traps on their board before moving on to the next stage. The basic expectations for this one would be a clean sketch on unlined paper or a 300 word fic, literally as fast as you can turn it out, but most participants in battleship write multiple fics/draw multiple arts before all boards are cleared. Battleship runs until all boards are cleared, but generally people expect to see a 3-week event.

Which of these do you want to see next year?

[codywancomfort]

Codywan Comfort Flash Event!

What is this?

Given the state of, uh, everything, a lot of us are seeking comfort, hope, and escapism right now. This is a way for us as a community of codywan lovers to come together and offer some support to one another through fan works.

I'm calling this a "flash event" because there's no lead up. It starts now and goes until whenever we're done with it.

How do I participate?

Post or re-reblog a fan work you've made and tag it #codywan comfort and tag @codywancomfort so I can reblog it.

Fan works can be anything! Including:

New work, existing work, WIPs

Fanfic

Art

Podfic

Playlists

Rec lists

Headcanon posts

Are there any rules?

Be nice to everyone. No judgement, no criticism.

Works should fit the theme of hopeful/comforting, whatever that means to you.

As this is a codywan event, it should in some way probably involve Cody and Obi-Wan.

All are welcome and all types of works are welcome. If you don't like a type of work or explicitly rated works or whatever, scroll by and don't partake in it.

Do you have prompts?

You absolutely don't have to use any of these and can post anything (including old works!) but you can find some here if you'd like. If you have any prompt suggestions, let me know.

Please reach out if you have any questions!

[deadcrowdonoteat-week]

☠ DBDA EVENT ☠

A Monty-centric event called Dead Crow: Do Not Eat

As some fannish people may be aware of, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat has been a time-honored tag, mostly of our beloved Whump.

☠ What is this event? ☠

Dead Crow: Do Not Eat (DCDNE) is a fan event which encourages any fan creators to put their blood, sweat, tears, heart and soul into fanworks all about putting Monty into the most intense, Whumpy, warning-worthy situations imaginable. All mediums are welcome!

We are starting with a weekend, each day will have 3 prompts central to Monty's story and Dead Dove: Do Not Eat themes. Then we will host an entire week! Fans will submit prompts and the moderators will release a prompt list after votes!

☠ What are our goals? ☠

We would like the tag Dead Crow: Do Not Eat to canonize on Ao3.

And also Whump the everloving hell out of Monty.

☠ When is it? ☠

The weekend will be hosted from the 4th of October to the 6th of October.

☠ How do I participate? ☠

Creating and tagging Monty fanworks! Be that fanfic, podfic, fanart, edits, playlists, or anything you can think of!

The tags we will follow are Dead Crow: Do Not Eat Weekend on Tumblr and just Dead Crow: Do Not Eat on Ao3. Feel free to post your creations to other sites, and please use the Save Dead Boy Detectives tag <3

☠ Rules/guidelines and prompt list to come soon! Stay tuned! ☠

[aziraphales-library]

Hi! Thank you so much for all the work you put into this archive. I've spent so many hours reading fics lately and enjoying every second thanks to you all!

I wonder if you have any recs for human!au fics where Crowley and Azi meet either online, as penpals or some other way that's anonymous, but maybe they don't know each other in real life or they don't know the other is their online friend/penpal. I really like the build-up towards meeting each other and things like that! I hope it's not too confusing. Any suggestions with those themes would be wonderful ❤️

We have loads of fics along these lines on our #social media tag, a specific pen pals post here, and you'll find similar kinds of fics our our #mistaken identity tag. I've got a bunch now, but I'm sure these'll all be on the tags mentioned, because there are only so many (unfortunately; I too love this trope!)...

Texts from an Unknown Number by GaryOldman (T)

The human wrong number AU I have been craving. Trapped at a boring Halloween party, Aziraphale tries to get in touch with Gabriel but his text ends up in the wrong place.

Press L in the Chat (for Love) by Phoenix_Soar (E)

Bickering fan-content creators Aziraphale and Crowley only have three things in common — they are both avid fans of a new revolutionary TV series about pirates, they are popular for their fantastic fanfiction and fanart… and they are members of the same discord server. Neither of them likes the other, but across the chaotic virtual world of a discord chatroom, who knows what can happen when these two unlikely fans are paired up for an exciting collaboration? Us. We know ;) Discord Server AU — a collaboration between Phoenix_Soar (fic) and Djapchan (multivoice podfic organization & editing) for Pod-Together 2022

A Tricky Situation (Entirely of his own making) by sixbynine (E)

"Crowley stood up and went to leave, he turned back just as he opened the door and took a deep breath. “You know I was quite excited to come here and work with you. I enjoyed reading your work. I disagree with a lot of it, but your writing style is lovely and every so often you’d let that privileged rich white boy mask drop and it was fantastic. I was hoping to meet that Professor Fell, but I’m beginning to think maybe he doesn’t exist and I’m going to be stuck with a rude stuck up arsehole for the next five years.” He slammed the door behind him before Aziraphale could respond. Aziraphale gaped, open mouthed, at the shut door." -- Aziraphale is teaching at Kings College London. He's been teaching at King College London for a long time now thank you very much and he does not take kindly to new Professors being sprung on him suddenly. Especially when this one has quite publically made his opinon of Aziraphale's work known. Luckily Aziraphale has an understanding penpal...

Readings From the Books of Ashtoreth by Quefish (E)

Vicar Aziraphale Bookman has a comfortable life. He lives in and serves the small village community of Tadfield. He enjoys contributing to local businesses, taking walks, and of course reading. His 'guilty pleasure', which gives him no guilt and all pleasure, is a series of novels by one AJ Ashtoreth. But what happens when he reaches out with an innocent bit of fanmail?

The Anon Before Christmas by foolishlovers (E)

When Crowley’s friend, blogging buddy and business partner Anathema announces her annual Secret Santa Exchange on Tumblr, she is very adamant Crowley should join this year. The old-fashioned (but admittedly compassionate) man he gets assigned to send anonymous messages to every day until Christmas sounds awfully similar to the fussy bookseller that his friends adore, yet Crowley tries to avoid at all costs. But surely his friends would have mentioned if Aziraphale had taken an interest in the Bad Omens fandom as well… right? Or: An Enemies to Lovers Secret Santa Tumblr AU.

I Knew I Loved You by AppleSeeds (E)

In September 1999, when his family gets connected to the internet, prospective Marine Biology student Crowley discovers an online forum where he can actually talk to people who share his passion for saving the whales. He begins corresponding with a kind stranger he knows only as Ocean_Angel, and is incredibly excited when the opportunity arises to meet this mysterious person in real life. As their friendship develops, Crowley shares things with Angel that he can't talk about with anyone else, and Angel's insights help him to explore and embrace his own identity. As Crowley works towards finding a place in this world where he feels like he really belongs, he realises that a big part of the answer to that question might actually be right in front of him. What if where he belongs is with Angel?

Big Name Feelings by ghostrat (E)

FANDOM AU! • Crowley is a BNF fic writer, and Aziraphale is a lurking artist who might be just a little parasocially in love with him. How they ever became friends is beyond him, but here they are: One month out from Prophet Con, and Crowley is asking him to be his boyfriend. Just for the weekend, of course.

- Mod D

[sits-bound]

Bound: The Man Who Lived by sebastianL

Well, this was a labor of love!

I have so much to say about this bind.

I had the idea to incorporate two themes visually in this bind - watercolor flowers (for Draco's tattoos) and New York (where he lives). I bought a set of graphics off etsy (much like I did for Grounds for Divorce and lemons) and went to town with them.

There are 42 chapters in this fic, and each chapter page has one more flower, so by the last chapter, well, there are a lot of flowers.

I wanted these pages to be more vibrant, but when I printed them, the color was bleeding through to the other side, so I had to lower the opacity on them. If this had been a shorter fic, I would have just used 26lb paper instead of 20lb, but at 685 pages, that was not an option. 😅

As it was, it baaaaarely fit under the blade of my guillotine. I definitely won't be able to trim text blocks longer than this.

The skyline was also used a lot, even though it's the Manhattan skyline and technically Draco lives in Brooklyn but let's just call it artistic license.

The end papers are a collage of the flowers, which I then printed the skyline over with my laser printer, then foiled that.

(And let me say that my insistence on printing color pages on my inkjet and b/w pages on my laser printer meant this took forever to print and resulted in many messed up pages. I should just print the whole dang thing in inkjet. But it would take 10,000 years.)

I had a really hard time coming up with a concept for the cover. Or, rather, figuring out how to execute the concept I had in mind. Finally I remembered I had some iron on printable paper, so I printed the flower design, then cut the skyline out of it. But the paper wasn't wide enough to cover the whole front and back of the book, so on the back I had it transition into just the flowers.

Overall, I'm very very happy with how this bind came out. I love it.

Body Font: Garamond Premier Inside title page: Fino Cover: Capitol Capitals

P.S. Draco and I have similar tattoos (watercolor flowers) so that might be why I went in this direction. Who can say?

P.S.S. Honestly, as much as I love this bind, the best way to experience this fic is via the incredible podfic (25 hours!) by @thirdeye1234.

[ofmdrecaps]

07/05-06/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; Rhys Darby; David Jenkins; Nathan Foad & Con O'Neill; Leslie Jones; Nat Torres; Darby Family Foster Kittens; Articles; Fiber Arts Brigade: Auction/Fundraiser Updates/Bronson Pinchot Cameo; Uproar in the UK; Fan Spotlight: Cast Cards; OurFlagMeansFanfiction/BabyKrakenPodfics; OFMD Themed Earrings; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika

== Rhys Darby ==

More coverage of Rhys' new show The Hungry Games! This time on Today.com.

Source: Rhys Darby's Twitter

Annnd more shots of Rhys and Bonus Rosie & Finn at the Great Big Cow Band Concert on July 4!

Source: Rosie Carnahan Darby's Instagram

Annnnd yet another Tural Commercial for FFXIV!

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by FINAL FANTASY XIV (@ffxiv)

Source: FFXIV's Instagram

== David Jenkins ==

Well the last two days were big clowning days for everyone! Early Friday we had Chaos Dad commenting on a tweet from March.

Source: David Jenkins Twitter Next, fans noticed that the "Got a really good feeling about 2024" post that David took down from Instagram was re-added. Our friend cremeishere noticed that the post had been removed from David's Instagram after one of the cancellations (around March 22). Today however, it was noticed that it was back. Do we know exactly when it came back? No idea-- but Honking ensues!

Source: CremeIsHere's Twitter

And if that wasn't enough honking, our friend Jules mentioned the following from Kinga's recent post about Simone LeBone, "When dad is working we're napping" and asked "what is he working on"? Good question.

Source: TheRevengeBoys Twitter

== Nathan + Con ==

Nathan posted some more about his spotlight in the Hot Shots publication, and our dear Con wrote him a lovely love note <3

Source: Nathan Foad's Instagram

== Leslie Jones ==

Leslie's been out to the LA Sparks game!

Source: misterjt319 Instagram

== Nat Torres ==

One of our awesome writers, Nat Torres, is making a rare appearance on Instagram.

Source: Natalie Torres Instagram

== Darby Family Foster Kittens ==

As we all know, I'm a sucker for kittens! Here's new Darby Family Foster Kitten content!

Source: Rosie Carnahan Darby's Instagram

== Articles ==

@adoptourcrew Found some very interesting articles regarding the cancellation of OFMD. In addition-- the #1 from Collider is adding to the Honkfest going on!

10 Canceled TV Shows That Deserve to Be Revived

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

"I Tear Up Every Time I See It": Here Are 23 Romantic Movie And TV Moments Without The Words "I Love You"

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Fiber Arts Brigade ==

The Fiber Arts Brigade reached their next tiered goal! They've raised $1750 with the #ThriveAsACrew campaign to support SageUSA! Thank you to everyone who's donated!

An anonymous donor was kind enough to pay for another cameo in honor of FAB reaching the fourth tier goal! Below is a video from Bronson Pinchot on his (and Ned Low's) advise on how we can ThriveAsACrew!

The Fiber Arts Brigade Ebay Auctions are ALMOST DONE! If you were bummed to miss out on Moosh's cross stitch commission from the AOC raffle, here's another chance! Check out the ebay listing here! Thank you to all the artists and patrons of this auction!

Source: Fiber Arts Brigade Twitter

== Uproar In The UK ==

Thank you @adoptourcrew for keeping us apprised of the UK Release of Uproar on Prime video! Check it out UK Crew!

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

= Cast Cards =

Tonight's cast cards from @melvisik are Nathanial Goodman who's "another submission for ‘Outstanding Cinematography in a Comedy Series for Impossible Birds’ -AdoptOurCrew"! And Jaden McLeod -- "Soldier #1 in Mermen, no doubt someone who came across Ed and/or the crew of the Revenge..."

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Our Flag Means Fanfiction ==

Our dear friends over at Our Flag Means Fanfiction are moving up the charts on spotify!

Annnd coming up this Monday, a New Episode - The Silly Voices Episode, this time joined by BabyKraken Podfics!

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction / BabyKraken Podfics

== OFMD Themed Earrings ==

I would just like to say I love all of the beautiful and creative ways everyone continues to honour our favourite show! The darling @paleoleigh has been making OFMD Themed Earrings and she was kind enough to allow me to share some of her work! You can learn more on PaleoLeigh's Tumblr Post and if you're interested, order them on her Etsy Store!

Source: PaleoLeigh's Tumblr Post

== Love Notes ==

Hey there Lovelies! I hope you all are getting some much needed rest this weekend! It's been a lot lately, huh? The world, elections, so many different countries struggling, online -- everywhere's been pretty crazy lately. I know a lot of you have so much on your minds, and rightly so. When so much is happening all at once, seeing struggles go on in your safe spaces too can make things so much harder to cope with. It is okay to feel sad or upset if your safe space doesn't feel the same way it did right now. It doesn't mean it won't feel safe again one day. Life and situations ebb and flow, and circumstances change, as much as we always want good things to stay the same. Good things can come from change too. Our magnificent and kind friend @xray-vex shared a screenshot on twitter the other day of this tumblr post and I thought it was incredibly appropriate to how a lot of people have been expressing they've been feeling lately.

I know sometimes it feels like you have to respond to that tweet, or get into that discourse, but if you don't have the energy, just remember you don't owe anything to anyone. You are wonderful the way you are, and you deserve to enjoy your space too. If it feels like too much, take a break, watch a new show, read a new book, step away if you need to. Or if re-watching our pirate show would help-- feel absolutely welcome to do that too. Whatever YOU need for YOU. It will be different for everyone, and there is no shame in wanting to do something different to make you feel better. There will always be folks here for you if you decide to step away and come back, so don't be afraid to if you need to okay? We love you crew, we care so much about you, and your health. Be well <3

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Some BTS gif tonight for the discerning gif lover. Git courtesy of @dallonismysavior!

[captainkirkk]

✩ WEEKLY FIC ROUND-UP ✩

All the fics I’ve read and really enjoyed in the past week-ish. Reminder: This list features any and all ratings and themes. Please look at tags and warnings on ao3 before reading.

Marvel

Dumb, Dumber and Dumbass by tempestaurora

As Coach Wilson peered out the window in the living room, May said, very quietly, “You didn’t realise your brother worked at Peter’s school?”

“We all make mistakes!” Sam hissed.

Then Coach Wilson was leaning back and a figure in a hoodie and jeans stepped through the window and into the living room, and Peter’s heart sank into his stomach like a rock. Sam’s brother was, true to story, scarred from head to toe. He could see the puckered skin on his hands, the burns across his bald head. But that wasn’t the shocking part—the shocking part was that he’d already seen it before: he’d seen it when a certain vigilante’s suit had been destroyed three nights before, and Peter had walked with him back to his backpack to loan him some clothes.

“This is Wade,” Sam introduced.

Sam Wilson had two brothers: one was Peter’s gym teacher, and the other was fucking Deadpool.

OR: A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Family Dinner, during which Peter and May meet Sam's family. Meanwhile, Tony sends constant text updates about his search for whoever graffiti-ed Avengers Tower.

Death Before Inaction by hppjmxrgosg

"Fuck off, Nicky.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Hasn’t anyone ever told you spider-napping is illegal?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “You can’t hold me here, I know my spider-rights.” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “God, you guys are so old. What are you? Like 27?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Scale of 1 to 10, how upset would you be if I told you I banged your mom?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or, I got my grubby little hands on the spider-man time line and fucked around a little bit. Not much (everything) changes.

DC / Star Wars (Crossover)

Obi-Wan in Gotham by hoebiwan (+ podfic)

Obi-Wan falls through a hole in the universe and ends up in the Batcave.

Clone Wars

the war has just begun by unintentionalgenius

The first problem was that the Supreme Commander didn’t give them enough warning about what they were stumbling into, when they were ordered out into it. Someone above General Kenobi’s head sent the men planetside in standard-issue gear, without thermal clothing or heat packs or sleeping kit or enough food for more than a single day. They had no extra ammo, no tents, no heavy artillery. They had barely any warning.

The second problem was that Supreme Command underestimated the strength of the enemy; it was supposed to be an easy enough job, holding the planet long enough to route the Seppies and then right back to the ship, leaving a contingent of troopers stationed there to retain what they’d won.

The third problem - the real problem - came when they let themselves become surrounded and the Separatists cut their supply line. Cody’s partially at fault for that one; a better Commander would’ve seen it coming. A better Commander would’ve had more backup plans, been prepared for more contingencies.

Being cut off from re-supply would’ve been a problem before the snow started.

Then the snow started.

I've never made it with moderation by Trixree (+ podfic)

He’d known how some of the men are with younglings—known from Waxer and Boil how sharply those attachments can form with little ones. Hell, the men were raised to be protective, so much so that Obi-Wan has often wondered if their protective drive was not written into their very atoms, some intrinsic part of their DNA.

It wasn’t something Obi-Wan had ever questioned. He’d thought he had understood the scope of it. In reality, he hadn’t understood a thing.

Not until Kamino.

Or: Not all that dive from cliffs make a running head start. Sometimes, the Fall is only a natural progression.

Standards of Professionality by Trixree

"Are we going to pretend I didn’t just find you fucking your General, vod?” Rex hisses over private-comm.

Cody doesn’t even turn his head to look at him. Rex can hear the smile in Cody’s voice when he replies, “No, because I am not fucking my General, Rex’ika. I am fucking Obi-Wan. We are professionals.”

5 times Cody and Obi-Wan struggled to maintain plausible deniability regarding their affections for one another + 1 time they decidedly Did Not.

The Hunger Games

Lover & Loner by amateurwordbender

Haymitch once told him that he’s a survivor. It hadn’t been a compliment; he’d slurred out the words in pity after finding Finnick shaking apart from a panic attack.

Jo’s a survivor, too.

(Finnick and Johanna, from the moment they meet to the bitter end)

Original Works

for the want of a jewel by FormlessVoidbeast

With his country fallen to the unstoppable tide of the Dread Warlord, a terrified king sends a peace offering of his own flesh and blood in the hopes of buying leniency.

When Prince Damian of Miska is accepted as the symbol of his country's surrender and immediately wedded to the Warlord, he expects his fate to be both painful and humiliating, and his death inevitable. To his confusion, the Warlord and his terrible Warlock seem to have no interest in abusing that which they have claimed as their own. As Damian finds his feet and gains friends in a new land, he begins to question everything he once thought was true.

But some jewels were never meant to be sold, and the consequences of Damian's sacrifice are more far-reaching than anyone expected.

[gentlebeardsbarngrill]

06/17/2024 Daily OFMD Recap

TLDR; TellTaleTVAwards; Cast & Crew Sightings; David Jenkins; Taika Waititi; Vico Ortiz; Con O'Neill; Guz Khan; Samba Schutte; Lindsey Cantrell; Zine Fundraisers; Articles; Fan Spotlight; Cast Cards; Our Flag Means Fanfiction; NeverLeft Podcast; Love Notes; Daily Darby/Today's Taika;

== Tell Tale TV Awards ==

You did it!!! Congrats everyone! Thank you so much for voting over the past weeks! Both OFMD and Rhys won!

Source: Tell Tale TV Awards

== Cast & Crew Sightings ==

== David Jenkins ==

June 17th is the anniversary of Flight of the Conchords episode 1! Dad was sending some love out to Bret, Jemaine, and of course our captain Rhys.

Source: David Jenkins Twitter

== Taika Waititi ==

Taika and Rita are in another silly tiktok video-- good news, you dont need a login to see it, just mark yourself as guest!

Source: RIta Ora's TikTok

== Vico Ortiz ==

This Friday, Vico is back with Them Fatale PRIDE edition. June 21st at the First Congregational Church of LA. Doors open at 6 PM and show starts at 7:30! In the area? Stop on by! Tickets available here.

Source: Vico Ortiz' Instagram Story

== Con O'Neill ==

Con's got some new merch up on Stands! Please visit ShopStands for some awesome OFMD Shirts, and pins, and to help a good cause!

Source: Con O'Neill's Instagram

== Guz Khan ==

For those of our Muslim friends celebrating the end of Ramadan, Guz is sending out a loving Eid Mubarak <3

Source: Guz Khan's Instagram

== Samba Schutte ==

Samba is also sending out a lovely Eid Mubarak! As well as sending some more family photos with Aria and the little one.

Source: Samba Schutte's Instagram Stories

== Lindsey Cantrell ==

Our fabulous Set Designer Lindsey Cantrell has been working on this short film Watching Walter, if you're so inclined, please check it out when it's out! CW: Holocaust/Nazi's/Violence

Source: Lindsey Cantrell's Instagram

== Zine Fundraisers ==

There's a new OFMD Fan-Led fundraiser to benefit Gaza out! Please follow @ofmdaction on tumblr for more information! Artist and Writer sign ups are now live! Carrd | Twitter | AO3 Collection | Daily Click for UNRWA

Source: OFMDAction Tumblr

== Articles ==

Source: Adopt Our Crew's Twitter

== Fan Spotlight ==

== Cast Cards ==

Some fun new cast cards from @melvisik today! "As fate would have it (did not plan this, it just happened in sequence) OFMD writer Simone Nathan" had her second season of Kid Sister just drop in the last few days! The previous night's cast card was Don A! aka "Swampy Town Folk"!

Source: @melvisik's Twitter

== Our Flag Means Fanfiction ==

New episode of Our Flag Means Fanfiction! This time a mini-sode read by Baby Kraken Podfics! Listen on your favorite platform here!https://linktr.ee/ofmff

Source: Our Flag Means Fanfiction Instagram

== Never Left Podcast ==

"This week is discussing Violence in OFMD! "Episode 22 is OUT! This week we’re continuing our discussion on physical and emotional violence!" CW: Gun and knife violence Listen on your favorite platforms here: https://linktr.ee/neverleftpodcast

Source: NeverLeftPodcast's Instagram

== Love Notes ==

Hey there Lovelies! I hope the week hasn't started too crazy or you! I know sometimes it's hard to see our impact, but take a look at those Tell-Tale TV results! Sure, it's a silly TV awards, but it 100% happened because you all were steadfast in voting! Just remember that while all our efforts don't always come to fruition in the way we want, you do make an impact <3

Img Source: PositivelyPresent Tumblr

== Daily Darby / Today's Taika ==

Today's theme is Flight of the Conchords since it's the 17 year anniversary of the first episode airing!

Gifs courtesy of the absolute legends @celluloidbroomcloset and @fandomsmeantheworldtome <3

[andreil-fic-stash]

[Podfic] The Crooked Kind

Author: youreyestheyglow; [original fic]

Read by: youhaveahomeinmyheart

Listen Time: 1:00:58

Rating: Teen

Time Period: Pro Exy

Summary:

Neil went pro a year ago--and not on Andrew's team. The problem: they're private people, and when the press takes their declarations of hate at face value, Andrew and Neil find themselves unwilling to end the rumors.

[hp-fanfic-archive]

Blue Roses and Other Impossible Things by Cassiara Pairing: Harry/Draco Rating: E Word Count: 40k Podfic available here Read by: Sandstripe Length: 2-3 hours After Harry saved Draco from the Room of Requirement there was a moment when Draco gave Harry a look. Harry didn’t know what to make of it, and he had a war to fight so he ignored it. Now though, they’re back at Hogwarts sharing a dorm and Harry is obsessed with seeing that look again.

find the full podfic library here

[hd-hurtcomfort-fest]

HD HURT/COMFORT FEST RULES & GUIDELINES 

Below are the rules and guidelines for HD Hurt/Comfort Fest participants. Please direct any questions or concerns to our ask box, or via hdhcfestmod@gmail.com.

HD Hurt/Comfort is an 18+ anonymous prompt-based fest that welcomes creations from both the angsty and fluffy ends of the trope spectrum. Accepted works include fic, art, craft, and podfic categorized as one of these three main tropes:

Angst

Fluff

Hurt/Comfort

Interested in supporting fellow participants? Need to engage the services of a cheerleader? Want to lament about your difficult muse? Join our HD/HC fest discord community! Open to 18+ only. 

Timeline Prompting: Apr 2 - 30 Claiming: May 4 - July 1 Submissions due: Aug 2 Posting begins: Aug 23 Reveals: September

Your HD/HC Mods, @orangepellets, @peachpety, @vukovich banner art by @basiatlu

Rules & Guidelines below the cut.

PROMPTING

The prompting period is April 2 - 30. 

You may submit as many prompts as you like. You do not have to create for the fest in order to post a prompt.

All prompts must be identified as one of the three accepted fest tropes: angst, fluff, or hurt/comfort combination. Any extra details are welcome. Please note, however, that these additional details are for inspiration only and creators are not obligated to adhere to them fully.

Self-prompts are allowed. There will be a space on the claiming form to add details for self prompts.

Prompts will be available for browsing as soon as prompting opens on April 2.

CLAIMING

The claiming period is May 4 - July 1.

Due to the nature of potential content, this fest is for participants aged 18 and over. Please do not sign up if you are not 18 by the time of claiming.

Upon signing up, you agree to the Rules and Guidelines of the fest.

Only one prompt may be claimed at a time. Prompts are assigned on a first come first serve basis. As such, should you have your eye on a specific prompt but are unable to claim it once claiming opens, a proxy is allowed to claim on your behalf.

If you fulfill your prompt with enough time before submissions, you're welcome to claim an additional prompt. We only ask that you submit your first work as per submission guidelines before claiming another.

Collaborations are welcome! Please only submit one claim form per collaboration and include the details of all participants.

Writer sign-up cap is set at 60. There is no cap for art, craft, or podfic.

If you wish to create art, craft, or podfic based on an existing fanwork, please submit it as a self prompt during the claiming period.

CREATING

All creations must fit into the ‘angst’, ‘fluff’, or ‘hurt/comfort’ categories. There are many themes that fall in line for fluff and angst, but below is a short list of suggestions to help inspire. If you have any doubts or questions about your theme(s), please reach out!

Angst Depression Addiction (alcohol, other drugs) Abuse (emotional, physical, sexual, etc) Infidelity Death Grief

Fluff Domesticity Slice of life Getting Together Meet Cute Found family Friends to Lovers

The main pairing for all creations is Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter. Participants may include any side-pairings, threesomes, and/or original characters, as long as the final submission is still a Drarry-centric piece. All ratings and archive warnings are accepted.

As this is an anonymous fest, please do not discuss your creations with anyone in a public forum outside the HD/HC Fest Discord, except for your alpha/beta readers and the fest mods until the reveals have been announced in September. Come join in our Discord fun here!

Ratings suggestions and additional details included for each prompt should be considered inspiration. Feel free to incorporate or ignore them as you see fit! Should you choose to gift your creation to the promptee, however, we ask that you honor any dislikes mentioned. 

Please tag your works appropriately. Due to the nature of this fest, we want to ensure that everyone is informed of potentially triggering content. Please note, however, that all fluff entries must be HEA (Happily Ever After) and must not contain content that merits an archive warning.

If you’re unsure about tagging your work, please let the mods know, and we are happy to help. Please also note that we reserve the right to review your tags and warnings in relation to your content and may contact you to request additions and/or changes. While we can’t dictate consumption of our creations, we will strive to empower our readers/viewers with appropriate information to make an informed choice.

Author and Artist Guidelines

We will not accept works created with AI.

For fics, the minimum word count is 1000. We have elected to implement a cap on fics of 60k. 

All fics must be proofread and follow generally accepted SPaG guidelines. If you are unable to find a beta to assist, please reach out to the mods, and we can provide further guidance.

All fics are posted anonymously, however for art we allow artists to include watermarks on their creations if they so wish.

Podfic Guidelines

Podfics are most certainly welcome, as long as they fit into the 'angst', 'fluff', or 'hurt/comfort' categories! If you intend to podfic a work that you did not originally create, please make sure you get permission from the original author to record it.

For podfics, the minimum word count of the recorded story is 1000, maximum 60k.

All podfics must be proofed. If you are unable to find a beta to assist, please reach out to the mods and we can provide further guidance.

Podfics will be posted anonymously, but podficcers are allowed to state their name in the podfic recording itself (not within their notes on the post).

Drop Outs/Extensions 

Throughout the creation period, we'll send a couple of check-in emails—one month and one week before submissions are due. You're welcome to ask for an extension at that time. You're also welcome to contact the mods outside of the check-in period via email or Discord at any point to request one.

We know life likes to surprise us with the unexpected, so please know that if you need to drop out for any reason, that's ok! Just please let us know as early as possible.

SUBMITTING

Once you have completed your work, it’s time to submit! 

Submissions are due August 2. If you finish before this date, you are welcome to submit early.

All works must be posted directly [HERE] to the HD Hurt/Comfort Fest 2024 AO3 collection. Podfics should be linked to the original work using the AO3 ‘Inspired By’ function, i.e: “This work is a remix, a translation, a podfic, or was inspired by another work” and pasting the URL of the original fic. Please contact the mods if you have any issues submitting your work.

Submissions must be complete works created for this fest. Please do not submit incomplete works or works that are a part of a series or a prequel/sequel to an existing work.

Due to the nature of content present in angsty creations in particular, we want to emphasize the importance of tagging. Please take care to tag for potentially triggering themes present in your work. If you have questions or need clarification on anything, please reach out to the mods, and we'll be happy to help!

Mods will also read through entries prior to posting to help ensure proper tagging. Should we believe any changes are necessary, we will reach out to you and ask you to make those.

Following successful upload of your work to the collection, please submit the completed submission header form below to hdhcfestmod@gmail.com to confirm you have posted to the collection. We will respond with a confirmation email in a timely manner.

Submission header:

For Art and/or Fic: Title: Creator(s): Pairing(s): Harry Potter/Draco Malfoy, <any additional pairings> Rating: Word count/Art Medium: Warnings/Tags: Summary: Author's note: Link to work:

For Podfic: Title: Podficcer: Rating: Length: Warnings/Tags: Summary: Podficcer’s note: Link to podfic: Link to original work:

POSTING

Entries will be posted starting August 23. 

In an effort to provide comfort to the hurt, a balm to soothe the pain, we will strive to post creations as pairs—one angst and one fluff per day. Each paired creation will have a stand-alone posting, but will include a link to its contrasting creation. 

Of course, it's difficult to ensure we've got exactly equal numbers of angst and fluff pieces, and we don't want to limit creators, so we recognize things will in all likelihood be a little unbalanced.

This is ok though! As mods, we'll do our best to arrange the posting schedule to ensure an even distribution of excellent content. 

Additionally, while we will not release a public posting schedule, we will inform participants prior to their anticipated post date.

Once your creation has been posted please be mindful not to reveal yourself as the creator through the duration of anon postings. After the mod reveals posting in September, you are free to claim your creation in personal posts to your heart’s content. Tag us @hd-hurtcomfort-fest in your posts on tumblr and we will reblog from the HD/HC Fest account!

While we hope that it will not happen, sometimes creations receive negative comments. If you receive a nasty or critical comment, please contact the mods asap. We are happy to work with you to address the situation, and will only step in to deal with it if that is your wish.

GENERAL/FAQ

Is this an 18+ fest? Yes, this fest is only open to creators over the age of 18 by the time of claiming (May 4 - July 15).

I want to submit a MCD prompt, is that allowed? Yes! Major Character Death certainly counts as angsty content. Our list of suggested themes is only a small handful of ideas. So feel free to submit away! Also, be sure to select the ‘angst’ option when you submit your prompt.

I don’t want any hurt, only fluffy happy endings. Can my prompt be fluff only? Yes! Just be sure to select the ‘fluff’ option when you submit your prompt.

I love content that features both angst and fluff. Can my prompt be a combination of both? Of course! Just be sure to select the ‘hurt/comfort’ option when you submit your prompt.

Does my angst fic/art have to have comfort? No! You can write/create 100% angst, such as MCD, or pain & anguish without a happy ending if that's where your muse leads you.

What if I want to write hurt & comfort? Go for it! 

I want to write/draw/create only cute & fluffy content, is that allowed? YES! We encourage creations of 100% fluff in this fest! Bring on all the meet cutes & sweet happy endings.

What if I don't want my entry to post with a corresponding [fluff||angst] piece? The entire premise of this fest is that angst and fluff pieces will get posted together. Although there will inevitably be an excess of one type of entry, resulting in slight augmentations to posting, there's no way we can make a fair commitment to post specific entries without a corresponding creation on the opposite side of the spectrum. We are happy to discuss your hesitation with you, but if you still have reservations, this particular fest might not be for you, and that's ok!

[mcytblraufest]

MCYTBLR AU Fest: General Rules and FAQ

TIMELINE: May 13: Writer creation starts, Discord opens. May 13-15: Writers seeking Beta Readers can sign up (having a Beta Reader is optional) May 17: Beta Readers can claim stories and be assigned to Teams (having a Beta Reader is optional) May 29-30: Team Check-in #1 June 12-15: Writer seeking Artists can sign up June 17-18: Artists can claim stories and be assigned to Teams July 1-2: Team Check-in #2 July 10: Podficcer creation start. If you are working with a podficcer, this is your creation end date, and their start date. July 17: Main creation end. Unless you have an extension, you should both be ready to post at this point. July 17-23: Posting Week

MCYTBLR AU Fest is a mini big-bang event where artists and writers work together in teams to make stories and art inspired by MCYT and set in an Alternate Universe.

Expectation: Writers must deliver a story of at least 5k words. Artists must deliver a finished piece of art inspired by the story they signed up for. Dark or triggering topics or themes must be tagged for.

Rules:

You must be a member of the discord, for team matching.

Because of Tumblr, Ao3 and Discord TOS, you must be 13 to participate.

Make a good-faith effort to respect streamer boundaries

You agree to work together with your teammate(s) to make a piece of art and a fic together.

All works must be MCYT-centric and set in an AU— no canon-compliance.

No AI-Generated content.

Links:

Discord: Here

FAQ:

What is MCYTBLR AU Fest? MCYTBLR AU Fest is a minibang-type event where writers and artists come together to create fanworks centred on MCYT and set in an alternate universe from canon.

How does it work? Writers will have a month to start work on a draft. After a month, at the half-way mark of their draft, they create a short summary/synopsis of their fic, which is posted anonymously for artists to view and claim. Teams are assigned by mods, and then teams will then have another month of creation time. Artists will create art based on the story they chose, and writers will finish their fic (minimum 5k words).

What type of MCYT is included? We welcome creations based on any SMP, whether or not they have a canon tag on Ao3. Mianite, DSMP, Hermitcraft, 3rd Life, Lifesteal, Witchcraft SMP— it's all welcome.

Can I join if my Art is a Playlist/Web Weave? You can particpate as an artist if your art is:

Digital/Traditional Art

Podfic

Playlist

Web Weave

What are the requirements for art? The requirements for different forms of art are:

Digital or Traditional art: a minimum of one piece, finished, inspired by the author's work.

Podfic: a podfic of the author's work, edited to whatever a baseline level of editing is for you.

Playlists: a minimum of one playlist inspired by the author's work per 5k, rounding up, to a limit of three required playlists. Playlists must be a minimum of an hour each.

Web Weaves: a minimum of one web weave inspired by the author's work per 5 k, rounding up, to a limit of two required web weaves, with at least ten elements each.

Other Art Form: other art forms such as fan games, original songs, would fall under this category. If you wanted to sign up with an Other art form, you need to contact the mod team and work out what minimum expectations would be for your art.

If I want to make more web weaves, can I? You can make as many pieces of art as you wish, the limit is just on what is required/expected by the mod team. For example, if your writer wrote a 10k work, you would be required to make two web weaves– but you could do as many as you want. If your writer wrote a 50k work, you would still only be required to make two web weaves, but you can do as many as you want.

Is anything required from me if I'm working with a particular type of artist? In general the requirement is just to be collaborative and communicative with your artist, but the one exception is if you are working with a podficcer. A podficcer can't start work until your work is complete (including editing), so to make sure they actually have time to record, anyone working with a podficcer will be required to finish a week early (so your writing completion deadline would be to finish by the 10th of July, instead of the 17th). In addition, podficcers will be generally expected to post near the end of posting week, so that they have two weeks to do the recording.

I heard there was web weaves, can I sign up for web weaves only? To increase matching opportunities, as a creator you must opt in to at least two types of art.

Is shipping allowed? Yes. For the comfort of the greatest number of participants, we ask that participants make a good-faith effort to ensure that any shipping is boundary-respecting, but because there is no broad fandom-wide consensus about how that is defined in specific cases (whether it's okay to write beeduo as /r or /p is an obvious case) or between specific fandoms (lifesteal approach to shipping is different from HBG is different from DSMP), the mods will not be policing any specific understanding of boundaries across the event. The event will operate on Don't Like Don't Read, in that everyone will have the chance to pick for themself if they are comfortable working with any specific ship, romantic or platonic, and it will not be permitted to change the nature of a relationship to /r after teams are assigned.

Is NSFW allowed? Yes, nsfw is permitted as long as it respects creator boundaries. When pitching a work, it must be clearly stated that the work contains NSFW content. To sign up to create an NSFW work everyone on the team must be 18+, and adding NSFW to a work after teams have been assigned is not permitted, even if everyone on the team is 18+. For the comfort of the greatest number of people in the exchange and the mod team, nothing that would warrant the tags Underage, Rape/Noncon, Dubcon, or Incest would be permitted.

If noncon isn't permitted, is non-consentual touching (platonic) allowed? As technically a punch in the face counts as non-consensual touching, and pvp is a classic part of most MCYT canons, we find banning all nonconsensual contact to be unnecessarily restrictive. As long as nonconsensual contact is not sexual in nature, it is permitted, however, it must be tagged for adequately along with any other potentially triggering content.

Do you allow dark or violent content? Yes. The lore of many mcyt servers includes death games, abuse, cannibalism, murder-for-hire, and other dark or violent themes. However, all potentially triggering content must be tagged for and those tags must be part of the sign-up, so collaboraters can make an informed choice to get infolved or not. Moreover, if your fic is rated E for any reason (including violence or gore), your team must be 18+.

How can I get involved? You can participate in this event as a:

Author

Artist

Pinch Hitter (Artist)

Pinch Hitter (Writer)

Beta Reader

You can even sign up for multiple roles, as long as you're very sure you can make your deadlines!

What is a Pinch Hitter? A pinch hitter is a person who saves the day and steps in when the original creator is unable to deliver their work for whatever reason, making a new work on an accelerated timeline. In case of pinch hitting a fanfic, you will will be asked to either write using the original writer's outline, or pitch a new story for the artist to pick among. If you are an artist, you will step in to make a new piece of art for a writer whose original artist dropped out.

Can I participate as a beta reader? Yes! Matching with a Beta Reader will be optional, but creators will have the opportunity to sign up to have a Beta Reader join their team for brainstorming, accountability, spellcheck, editing, or whatever else they need. Matching beta readers will be first come first serve.

What kind of a summary will I provide as a writer? How long or detailed? We ask that you keep your summary to two paragraphs or shorter, about as long as the AO3 Summary + Author's Note boxes. When you write out this summary, you should be about halfway through your draft, so you will have a general sense of how the story goes. In addition to a description of your fic, we'll ask that you list out the Server it takes place on, what type of AU it is, any ships (romantic or platonic), the expected word count, what age group of people you are okay working with, and any trigger tags that you expect to take place in the story.

When do I have to join the discord? You have the option to join the dicord and hang out as soon as creation starts on May 13, and if you are signing up either as a Beta Reader or wanting to be matched with a Beta Reader, you need to join the discord before signups close on May 15. If you don't need a beta reader or you already have someone you normally work with, you only have to join the discord before author sign ups close for artist matching, which is June 15.

Why do authors have to be halfway through their draft to sign up? How are you checking this? This is both to decrease the number of people who drop out halfway through, and to make sure that the artist definitely has something to work with. If you write your entire fic in the weekend before the posting deadline, that means the artist has a matter of days or hours for them to do their work, which isn't fair. Writers will be expected to submit a google doc with their half-draft in it at sign-up, for mods to verify word count.

How does team assignment work? We will release a document with all the summaries in it, and shortly afterwards we will release a sign-up form. Artists will be expected to list out out a top-five of stories they want to work with, and mods will match artists with stories on a first-come-first-served basis.

What happens if there are more artists than authors, or more authors than artists? If there are more artists, some fics will be assigned multiple artists. If there are more authors, we will put in place a question where artists can specify that they'd be willing to make multiple pieces, and a (hopefully small) number of artists would be assigned multiple teams.

What if all the fics I list have already been assigned? If artists outnumber authors, mods will set your list aside for later. Once every fic has one artist, we will assign you as a secondary artist to one of your chosen fics. If authors outnumber artists, you will need to submit another claim. While mods will update the form throughout the claiming period and remove fully claimed fics, there may be some delay with removing fics if we are unavailable.

I’m in [insert time zone here]. What if I’m not awake when claims open? There will be a spot to input your time zone in the discord. Mods will try to open the claims at a time that works for as many artists as possible. The fic summaries will also be available for 24 hours before claims so that everyone can read the summaries and pick out the ones that sound most interesting to them. We will aim for claims to open between 7 a.m. and 1 a.m. for as many artists as possible across all time zones. If claims fall outside that zone for you, you'll be able to contact a mod and we'll work out an alternative method for claims for you.

I don't know what time zone I'm in? Go to timeanddate.com and enter the nearest major city, and it will tell you your current time zone.

What's a check-in and how do they work? Check-ins are there to make sure everyone is on track to finish their piece in time, and to communicate any issues with the mods! If you know that you won’t be able to check in on a specific date (lack of internet, etc), please contact the mods in advance.

How long should my fic be? The minimum word count is 5,000 words! There is no maximum word count, but we ask you to be mindful of how much you can actually create in these two months.

If I wrote a multi-chapter work, do I have to have it all posted by the end of Posting Week? You must complete your work by the end of posting week, but in the cases of longer works, you may want to stretch out posting. In cases where you want to extend posting, you will be able to send in your draft to be verified by the mods, and then post just 40% of the draft during posting week.

What does AU mean in this context? AU stands for Alternate Universe and in this case means anything that would make the work not able to be tagged as canon compliant. Alternate endings, role reversals, complete setting or plot swaps, and crossovers all count. As this is a fest specifically to celebrate AUs, we ask that the AU be a significant and celebrated part of the work, not something that could be skipped if you aren't paying attention.

Can I create two pieces of art? Absolutely! There is no maximum for number of pieces you want to create, but again, be mindful of not biting off more than you can chew in a month of creation time.

Can I sign up with two fics? You are welcome to sign up as part of the fest with multiple fics, especially given that the word count is reasonably achievable for many people. However, if you do so, we will ask that you prioritize which fic you want to be matched on first, and you will only receive a match to your secondary fic after everyone else has an artist. We're going to proritize every particpant getting a team before we prioritize every story getting a team.

Can I sign up with a writing buddy— as part of a collab team? You are welcome to sign up as a collaborative team! We ask that you make sure you work together well, and when you sign up for an artist, you must declare that you're a team, so people know that they'll be getting multiple writers and not one.

Can I submit a fic that is part of a larger story? All stories must stand alone, you can't have it so that your artist has to read other works to understand your existing work. The fic also must be written specifically for the event. We ask that you not submit a summary for a fic that was already written prior to the start of the event. Brainstorming or outlining starting early is fine.

What if I need to drop out? It is your responsibility to communicate with us if you need to drop out of the event for any reason, and we do need that communication. We know that life is no respecter of fic and art deadlines, so no hard feelings if something happens. However, we would hate for any writer to end up having no art for their fic, so please think about this if you are thinking of dropping out close to reveals. Likewise, it would suck if an artist put a lot of effort into creating art for a fic that ends up not being written, so authors, please inform us in advance if you must drop out or think you will not be able to complete your fic on time. Dropping out after the last check-in without informing the mods will result in not being permitted to take part in further events run by this mod team.

I have a question not answered here? Send us an ask on tumblr, contact @antimony-medusa on tumblr or discord!

[aftgtandn]

T&N is a canon divergence fest for the All For The Game fandom, accepting fic, art (any medium!) and podfic. 

Important Links: 💚 Prompt form & gallery 💚 Our Twitter 🧡 Then & NOW (2023) AO3 Collection

Our 2024 theme is Then & Never: Canon Divergence, which means all your creations must exist within the canon universe, but you can go off-course when it comes to the narrative.

The concept of Canon Divergence and Alternative Universe coexist in a lot of situations. Fanlore’s definition of Canon Divergence refers to it as “a term used in some fandoms for fanfiction set in a universe that diverges relatively narrowly from canon, with a point of departure in a character's backstory or during canon.”

Keeping the integrity of the universe is essential to keep it CD instead of a full AU, which means the majority of canon and the universe as we know it has to remain the same. Essentially: change one thing but leave the rest untouched. For example: the tag No Exy is an Alternative Universe because Exy is vital to the canon universe and for the canon narrative to develop, but Mary Hatford Lives would be Canon Divergence. Other examples could include ideas such as: Andrew and Aaron don’t renew their deal for college, Erik moves back to the US with Nicky, Neil grows up in the Nest, Kevin brings Jean along when he escapes. 

Everyone Lives and Different First Meeting are common subtropes of Canon Divergence. This idea usually answers “what if” questions about the original narrative, like “what if X never died,” “what if X and Y met earlier,” “what if a villain was a good guy all along,” “what if Z happened earlier in the narrative,” etc. We’re looking for slight changes to canon rather than a complete overhaul of the universe as we know it. 

The fest’s only real requirement is that your creations focus on canon divergence. It’s entirely up to you what pairing or pairings (or none at all — your creations don’t have to feature romantic/sexual pairings) you want to feature, what length/medium and what rating you want to go for. We trust you to tell whatever story you want to tell and make the right choices for it. As long as it’s canon divergence, the world is your oyster. Have fun!

TIMELINE

The prompting period will be from September 8th to September 14th.

The sign up period will be from September 15th until the 21st and you’ll be able to either claim a prompt from the list or sign-up with your own idea.

Artists, writers and podficcers will then have until the deadline on October 19th to finish and post their creations.

Posting will start on October 27th and we will stagger the posting of your creations so that everyone has time to read, enjoy, and hype up every creation. 

Reveals will happen on the 15th of November.

Let’s go through what every step entails:

PROMPTING

Prompting will open on September 8th, and will end on September 14th. Anyone can prompt and you can prompt as many ideas as you’d like using our form.

Once you open the form, you’ll be asked for the following info:

- pairing (if applicable)

- your prompt (this can be as detailed or as vague as you want it to be)

- if your prompt is nsfw (so that creators browsing the prompts can filter those out if they want)

- your ao3 username (optional)

This fest isn’t an exchange so all prompts are there for inspiration in the first place. Creators do not have to include every single detail of a prompt if they pick it, but do have to use the main idea as a starting point for their works. If you leave your ao3 username when prompting, the creators can choose to gift the fic to you, though this isn’t at all a requirement.

Note that if you’re wanting to write your own idea, you don’t have to prompt it and then claim it later. There will be an option for self-prompting once sign-ups open!

SIGN-UPS/CLAIMING

The prompt list with all the available prompts will be live from the moment prompting opens. Prompts might take a few hours to pop up after being added via the prompting form but you’ll be able to check the list every day during the prompting period, so you can start gathering potential picks to claim.

Sign-ups will open on September 15th. Please note that while claiming was open until the deadline last year, you only have until the 21st to sign up this time around.

The sign-up form will ask you for your name, ao3 username and an email we can use to contact you. Email will be the main form of contact between the mods and the creators so please keep this in mind when signing up.

You’ll be asked to specify if you’re creating art or fic, and if you’re claiming a prompt or self-prompting.

You can then pick a prompt from the list to claim it if that’s what you’re doing, or leave a short description of your idea if you’re self-prompting.

For the sake of the form, podfics count as art. If you’re podficcing, please leave the link to the original fic in the prompt box.

There will also be a box for any questions/comments.

The prompts left during the prompting period will only be available for claiming once for art and once for fic. 

The option to sign-up as a team (either co-writers, co-artists or a writer+artist team) will be available. Co-writers will be asked to sign-up only once, and leave the information that you’re co-writing in the questions/comments/concerns box. Writer and artist teams will be asked to each sign-up individually, but let us know that you are collaborating in the questions/comments box, too.

Creators will be limited to one prompt.

CREATING

Submissions must be completely new and finished works. Unfortunately, this means no sequels for previous fics or comics you may have, and no finishing WIPs you’ve already started posting.

Even though this is an anonymous fest, we understand the rampant issue that is reposting and art stealing, so all artists are allowed to submit watermarked/signed works. You will also be given the option to take part in the fest and post your work to the collection, but for it to be posted after reveals, so it’s never anonymous.

There is no minimum word count for fics. We trust that you know the best way to tell your story, and only ask that your works are tagged appropriately and follow the prompt (if applicable) and theme.

Having your fics beta-read isn’t a requirement, but if you’d like yours beta-read and don’t know how to reach out to a beta reader feel free to ask the modding team and we can get you in touch with someone! 

Podficcers are welcome to choose any fic previously posted on Ao3 that fits the Then & Never theme to read/record, as long as the original poster allows for podfics of their work to be made. 

As you know, the fest will be posting anonymously so we ask you to be creative when sharing wip snippets. We trust you to know what would easily identify your fic once it posts and what is vague enough to slip through the cracks ;) 

We will NOT be accepting AI-generated art or fic.

DEADLINE; CHECK-INS, EXTENSIONS AND POSTING

We will be emailing every participant during the creation period, but your final deadline for posting is October 19th. You can submit your work as soon as you have it done, though.

You’ll get detailed instructions for posting to the collection via email, and we’ll post those on both tumblr and twitter closer to the posting date. Following these instructions is crucial so that your work ends up in the collection and remains hidden until we post it and anonymous until reveals.

We’ll be sending every participant a check-in email during the creation period, but we promise that isn’t as scary as it sounds! We won’t be asking you to show us what you’re working on, or how much you have already. We just want to make sure you’re having a good time :)

If you need to drop out, please don’t hesitate and do not feel guilty. Shit happens, we get it. We only ask that you do it as early as possible, so we can adjust the posting schedule accordingly. If you need a few days past the deadline to finish, we should be able to give some people extensions too, just keep us in the loop.

There’s a lot of behind the scenes invisible work put into this by your modding team so we’d rather be told “hey, I’m really sorry but I’m not going to meet the deadline” than being ghosted. We’re all adults here, let’s respect each other’s time and efforts.

It is our priority above all that everyone enjoys taking part, so we’re here to minimise stress and worries. 

When posting, don’t forget to add AFTG Then & Never 2024 as one of your tags and post your work to the collection — this will make sure it remains anonymous and hidden until we release it out into the world. Please don’t leave any references that reveal who you are before the anon period is over. You can add all your usual social media links and other potentially-revealing info when reveals happen.

You can find the collection here, and you’ll be able to find it when posting if you type AFTG_thenandnever on the “Post to Collections / Challenges” section.

There will also be a form to fill in with your name, the title of the work you submitted and the link to the work, that you can fill once you’ve posted. The link to this will be shared with you in the posting instructions email :)

(A little note: after you hit 'post' the work will be hidden in the collection until we reveal it, so the easiest way to get to it should you want to edit or just to copy the link is to go through your stats page.)

But don’t worry, we will be reinforcing all of this as we go along!! This is just so you have all the information in one place!

Once your work is posted by us, remember to change the date to the day it’s posted so it appears on top of the list for your pairing/the fandom, instead of the date you submitted it into the collection.

The whole point of this is for it to be a fun and enjoyable experience both for the participants and the readers so we’ll be running lots of activities and hyping up every work as we go along! Please keep an eye on our twitter and tumblr and join in :)

If you have any issues at any point, we’re here to help and to answer any doubts or questions. Do keep in mind we all live in different timezones and are unfortunate victims to the capitalist grindset. If you DM/ask/email us, we promise to get back to you ASAP.

We hope you have lots and lots of fun!!

💚 Your mods,

Marion, Róisín and Rory