FAQ

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

How do I determine if a fandom has no fics? Must I look absolutely everywhere, including old personal websites and zines?

The general guideline is to check AO3 and fanfiction.net, and doing some quick googling. The latter is just to make sure there isn't a fandom-specific archive hiding in plain sight. If none of those bring up any results, then you're in the clear. I don't expect you to spend hours digging through the dark corners of the net, don't worry!

All in all, we're operating under the honor system here. I trust your judgment when it comes to your chosen fandom, and will not go double-checking anything. If there's a mistake made and a couple of fics do exist after all, well, it's not the end of the world :)

What is the minimum/maximum word length?

There is none! Your story can be however long or short it needs to be.

Where should I post my completed fic?

Anywhere you want! I'll create a collection here on AO3 where you can post your fics. Said collection will be hidden until the deadline/reveal date, and is totally optional. I'll also post a list on the DW community with all the fics, regardless of where they're hosted.

How much time will I have to write?

Two months. The AO3 collection will close at 23.59 GMT on the 20th of April. It'll go live — and I'll round up links for all fics in the community — at 00.01 GMT on the 22nd of April.

When is the deadline for signing up?

There won't really be one, actually. I'm sure we've all been bummed out over discovering some awesome exchange or challenge just days after sign-ups closed. I wanted to avoid that here, by simply not having a cut-off date. So if you stumble upon this challenge the day before the reveal, and still want to take part? Write like the wind, buddy!

I can't decide what fandom to write for!

Then pick two! Which is to say, you can submit up to two fics for this challenge — just as long as they're for different fandoms (since otherwise one of them wouldn't be the first, y'know?). ETA: As per requests and subsequent voting, this limit has now been raised to four!

What if someone else writes a fic for my chosen fandom in the interim between signing up and the deadline?

Then that doesn't count. So even if there are suddenly ten fics posted after you've signed up, they won't affect you. Just keep working on your story and don't worry about it.

Can I write for a franchise, where some parts have fics and others don't?

That depends a bit... If the parts are separate enough to basically be different series, then yes, that's perfectly fine. But if they're very closely connected — with the same set of characters and continuing plot — then it's not really suitable for this challenge, sorry.

There are fics for my fandom, but only in Japanese/German/some other language.

For this challenge only fics written in English count, so go right ahead and ignore those.

I have an old WIP that I started writing ages ago, but never finished or posted anywhere. Is it okay to continue working on that for this challenge?

Yup! :Db

The fandom I'm thinking about has fanfiction, but not for the particular characters/pairing I'd like to write about. Is that okay?

I'm sorry, but no. This challenge is specifically to write the first fic for a rare fandom.

Can I combine this with another writing challenge, such as Yuletide's NYR?

Sure thing!

Fanfic exists for my chosen fandom, but it's a crossover. Does that mean I can't write for it?

That depends on a lot of different things (like which fandom is in focus), and as such the answer is on a case-by-case basis. Please ask and we'll talk about it.

Can I write a crossover?

If none of the fandoms have any fics, then yes (it'll be a double win in terms of you being the first!). Otherwise, for now, the answer is no.

Can I write RPF?

By definition that would be more about people, than a specific series. So it's the same as wanting to write for rare characters — and the answer is the same, too. Sorry. ETA: It turns out that a few people had their hearts set on writing RPF, and felt that my view on it was wrong. I don't want to disappoint anyone, so I'll rescind the rule and trust your judgment when it comes to this.

I don't have a DW account, can I still take part in the community?

Oh yes, absolutely. You can either post anonymously, or with OpenID. The latter enables you to use some other social-media account you may have, such as Twitter.

I'd like to post my finished fic to the AO3 collection, but I don't have an account.

Let me know and I'll do my best to get you an invite.

I have another question/problem/suggestion/comment.

Please comment on the FAQ post or drop me an email at galerian.ash@gmail.com, and I'll get back to you as soon as I can!

Comments

[tree]

i wanted to clarify: you use the word 'series'. is this exclusively for extended/ongoing fandoms or are one-offs included?

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Any type of fandom is welcome! For me, series is basically just a synonym for fandom. I guess I wanted to switch it up a bit, and not use the same word a million times, you know? Sorry for the confusion!

[tree]

oh, great! thanks. :)

[(Anonymous)]

Can I write Anthropomorphic fic/ antoropomorfic? Like anthropomorphizing the english alphabet or flowers?

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Sure! Just as long as nobody's beaten you to it, of course.

[daria234.livejournal.com]

There's a fandom where I wrote a short little fic and I'm pretty sure it's the only fic for this show. Does that disqualify it if I wanted to write? I would still be the only writer of fanfic for this show. Like I could delete that little fic, but I feel like I shouldn't.

[livejournal.livejournal.com]

Hello! Your entry got to top-25 of the most popular entries in LiveJournal!
Learn more about LiveJournal Ratings in FAQ (https://www.dreamwidth.org/support/faqbrowse?faqid=303).

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Nn, that's a tough one. I mean, it would no longer be the first since a fic does exist, but at the same time you wrote it, so... I definitely wouldn't want you to delete your old fic, that's for sure! Ah, what the hell, I think an exception can be made in this particular case -- so if there are no other fandoms you have in mind, go right ahead and write for this one.

[meatball42.livejournal.com]

Hello! I have a fic-less fandom, a BBC miniseries from 2006, and I started a fic for it ages ago. Thing is, it's a crossover with another show which does have a lot of fic written. Would this still qualify?

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Hm... I'd say it depends on whether or not the focus is on the eligible fandom. It's alright if, say, the popular fandom's characters are mainly relegated to cameo appearances. But if it's the other way around, and your fic is centered around the popular one, then it's not really suitable for this exchange, sorry.

[meatball42.livejournal.com]

It's a shipp story between Mani, one of the four main characters on Sinchronicty, the BBC miniseries (or maybe like primary supporting character, idk) and Toshiko, one of the five main characters on Torchwood. It's Tosh's POV and has two other Torchwood characters, but it's mainly her and Mani and a few OC aliens.

If it helps, no one's going to read it anyway, but it's like 2/3 done and I'd like to try to get it out of my files.

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Thanks for explaining. I looked up Torchwood since I'm not familiar with it, and there are roughly 12000 fics on AO3. That's... a really huge fandom. It'd be a bit easier to be lenient if it was a matter of ten fics or so, you know? To me it sounds like the focus is more on the Torchwood side of the crossover, due to the POV and the other two characters.

I get the feeling of wanting to get a story out of your WIP folder, I really do. But it's not a question of whether or not anyone's gonna read it -- and honestly, since you'd be writing for a very popular fandom, chances are you'd get more readers than anyone else (which I worry would be unfair to the other participants).

[(Anonymous)]

The fandom I'd like to write for has 5 fics on Ao3, but they're all written in Spanish. Can I submit a fic as the first fic for the English-speaking fandom?

[karrenia-rune.livejournal.com]

Just a quick question: If a fandom has a couple of stories, two of which are mine and the other was written for me as part of an exchange, would that mean it would not qualify for this challenge.
Also, ditto on the previous question, because another book fandom has four fics in it but they're all in Spanish. So if were to write a fic for said book in English than would it be the first? Please advise. Thanks and take care, Karrenia

[knowmefirst.livejournal.com]

I have a question:

I found some related kind of fics to the comic, but none that are the actual characters of the comic. There is one on Tumblr but I don't know if it's base on the comic, the others are only inspirations of the comic for other fandoms. If I write something for the comic will it qualify? The comic doesn't have a fandom tag on ao3 or ff.net.

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

*snaps fingers* Damn, I knew I'd forgotten something. That question was supposed to have been in the FAQ -- thanks for reminding me!

For this challenge only fics written in English count. So yup, you're in the clear.

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

That means the fandom has three fics, so yeah, it's definitely out. Sorry! (For what it's worth, I know how you feel; I have tons of fandoms where I either wrote a fic myself, or requested it in an exchange.) But your other fandom passes with flying colors -- I forgot to write this in the FAQ, but fics written in English are the only ones that count for this challenge.

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

That sounds as if the writers mainly used the plot for vague inspiration; not to write for the actual fandom itself. Like, for example, using the time loop from Groundhog Day in a Captain America fic. So I think the comic you're talking about qualifies, yes :)

[knowmefirst.livejournal.com]

Okay, I see what you mean. I went to check the fic on Tumblr and the one that is on ff.net that I needed to check closer. The one from ff.net is exactly like the comic with the person only changing the names of the comic with others. However, on closer inspection of the Tumblr fic, I found out that its a bit of continuation of the comic from the point of view of one of the main characters. So, according to the rules, it doesn't qualify for the fest. Or can it still qualify?

[daria234.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[thedevilchicken.livejournal.com]

Bit of an odd question but how about a movie fandom where there's no fic on AO3 and two on ff.net, but one of those two is for the sequel that's related in name only, and the other isn't so much a fic as just a mindbendlingly horrific bad-on-purpose summary of the movie's plot? I'm looking at you, Bloodsport.

No problem if not - I've got a backup! - but I thought I'd ask just in case.

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Not an odd question at all! I... have actually gone looking for Bloodsport fic in the past, so I know exactly which "fic" you're talking about. And no, it definitely doesn't count -- and neither does the one for the sequel, if you're writing for the first movie. So go for it! I'm super-excited to read your story :Db

[galerian-ash.livejournal.com]

Okay, now I'm totally confused as to just what the fanfiction.net fic was, haha. I'm just gonna assume it was a case of "I'll put these characters from a popular fandom into the plot of this obscure comic" and not an actual fic for the latter.

As for the fic on Tumblr... Technically it does disqualify the fandom, yeah. But then again it's on Tumblr, where 90% of people are never even going to be able to find it... I can see both sides of the argument here, and since I've been lenient with others in similar situations I don't want to turn you down either. So, if this is the only fandom you'd like to write for, then go ahead and do so.

[thedevilchicken.livejournal.com]

Fantastic! I'm most definitely writing for the first movie, so it looks like I'm good to go. And I'm so, so sorry that you've also run into that, err, "fic", horrifyingly hilarious as it is.

[candyflosskillr.livejournal.com]

Hi, is the AO3 collection set up yet? I was trying to find it but maybe it's not there to be found yet.