Archive of Our Own

[vldtropesfest_mod]

We'll be crossposting this fest to Archive of Our Own. This post is here to explain how it all works and why this is how this fest is run.

Will everything be crossposted to AO3?

AO3 is not the best place for art; therefore, we won't be using it to crosspost art unless the artist specifically requests it. Art submissions will be posted to Dreamwidth. On Tumblr we will share an art submission header with a preview image linking to the post on Dreamwidth.

However, all fics will be posted to AO3, and Dreamwidth/Tumblr posts will contain only fic headers and links.

Does this mean I have to have an AO3 account?

If you're an author, or an artist who wants us to crosspost your art to AO3, then yes.

If you have one, that's wonderful. If you don't yet have it and need an invite, you'll need to state that in your sign-up form. In that case, after the sign-ups close, we will send you an invite. If you don't want to wait that long, you can request a membership to AO3 on your own - the wait list takes roughly 2 weeks at any given time to get your sign up code.

How will this affect my comment count? Will I just get kudos?

Each AO3 fic/art post will encourage readers to leave comments and will contain a link to the Dreamwidth post (and vice versa). Readers can comment wherever they like and anonymous commenting will be on, on both sites. Since participants are posting their works to the collection and are listed as co-authors, they retain all control over the comments. Mods will also be closely watching the comments on each AO3 work to ensure there are no flame/troll comments.

But I want to post my fic/art to AO3 under my username after the reveals.

Your fic/art will be posted under your username from day one, but the creator of the work will appear as Anonymous until after reveals.

All submissions will be posted with users vldtropesmod and you as co-authors, as a part of the vldtropesfest collection.

After the reveals, the work will be listed in your Dashboard/Works page, as any other piece you have posted on AO3, and you'll keep all comments and kudos you've received during the fest.

Can I track comments on AO3? How will I know someone commented on my anon submission?

Since you'll be listed as co-author, you'll get email alerts when someone comments or leaves kudos on your anonymous AO3 fic post. We recommend holding off on responding to comments you receive until after reveals so that you don't accidentally give away your identity!

If I'm listed as the co-author, does this mean I have access to my unrevealed/anonymous submission?

Yes, you as well as we will have access to your work from the moment it's posted. Participants will be uploading their works directly to the collection, unless they require assistance from the mods to upload their piece for them.

Does this mean I can edit my entry at any point?

Yes, it does. AO3 will allow you to edit your AO3 fic post as you see fit.

HOWEVER, please use this power sensibly. We ask that you keep revisions to minor edits, such as spelling/grammar or small details, rather than add large sections of content or re-work your fic once it has been posted. That's what the beta and revision process is for. We read through each submission to act as a final proofread as well as organize the posting schedule, so please refrain from making major changes to your work once it has been posted to the collection.

What happens after the fest is over?

Once our final submission has posted we will post a masterlist of all submissions to reveal the creators a week later! Once that masterlist goes up the mods will also be working through AO3, Tumblr, and Dreamwidth posts to add authors/artists to their revealed pieces and remove the vldtropesmod account as a co-author to any AO3 posts. After the big reveal creators are welcome to shout from the rooftops about their submission! We encourage you to post it on your own accounts and share what you have created! When posting from your own accounts on Tumblr,
be sure to send us your post with the message feature or use the fest tag (#vldtropesfest and #vldtropesfest2017) so that we can reblog your post as well, especially you artists!

Basically:

• All fics will be posted to AO3 with links back to DW for comments on both platforms.


• All art will be posted directly to DW with a link to the post from Tumblr.


• All fic headers will be posted to DW and Tumblr with links to AO3 posts.


• You'll receive AO3 notification emails for comments and kudos left on your anon work.


• You'll have access to your submission and have the ability to edit them while they're still in the posting queue and/or anon. Whenever you want. All the embarrassing typos - you can fix them! Just please don't make major changes!


• After reveals, your submitted work will show up on your AO3 dashboard with you listed as the author, and with all comments and kudos preserved. The vldtropesfest mod account will also be removed as a co-author so that you show up as the sole creator of your work.

FAQ

[vldtropesfest_mod]

What's a fest? What are tropes?

A fest is a fun fandom event where writers and artists sign up to create a new work based on the theme of the fest. This fest is all about popular fandom and writing tropes (or better known as cliches). We challenge participants to create a fresh new spin on a time-honored trope, whether they are subverting their trope assignment and turning it on its head or just creating a fun new work featuring their assigned trope!

Participants are encouraged to interpret these tropes however they would like. The trope assigned to the creator needs to be the main trope featured in the fic or art, but tropes can sometimes bleed into each other, and we realize that more than one might subtly make an appearance. Just keep this in mind: the main trope in the fic/art is the plot device that keeps the story going, brings two characters of a ship together, or is the main issue the character(s) face.

So it's like an exchange? What's the deal with the anonymous part?

Yes, although this fest does not have exchange gifts/giftees involved. Participants who sign up will be assigned a trope from the list provided and will create a piece to be posted anonymously during the duration of the fest. While this is not a gift exchange, this is still an event and the final work should be a completely unknown for the duration of the fest posting schedule. All participants will be revealed at the end of the fest with a big masterlist full of all of the revealed creators! For more information on this, please visit the post about our AO3 Fest Collection!

Who can sign up?

@vldtropesfest is open to ALL authors, artists, ships, characters, content, and ratings! We welcome veteran creators as well as those who are newer to writing/drawing who would like to participate in a fun fandom event.

How do I sign up?

Writer and artist sign up posts will open up on September 25, 2017 and will remain open until October 2, 2017. There will be two separate posts for writers and artists. Sign ups will be on a first come, first served basis, and we will have a writer participant cap of 50 participants. There will be no cap on artist participants. Pinch hitters and beta readers will also be welcomed to sign up at a later date. Proxy sign-ups and 24 hour placeholder sign-ups will be accepted.

Can I sign up to do art and fic?

Go for it! We love your enthusiasm! Be sure to submit separate sign up forms on the writer and artist sign up posts. We recommending signing up on the writer sign ups first, since there is a cap for writer participants.

Can I sign up with a partner to collaborate with?

Absolutely! Writing partners, artist-writer collaboration teams, and RP groups are more than welcome to sign up together! We just ask that you only submit ONE sign up form filled in with information for each person participating in your group (ie: usernames, AO3 accounts, emails).

How will assignments work if there are a lot of participants?

No more than 3 authors/artists will be assigned to each trope (unless we end up with a ton of sign ups, and then we may allow more creators per trope).

What about different character/ship variety with the list of tropes available to choose from?

Because this fest is open to all ships, we will do our best to not have more than one of the same ship assigned to each trope. (ie: Secret Relationship assignments: 1 Klance fic, 1 Hidge art, 1 Shallura fic)

In the event that we receive a large number of sign ups there may be some repeat ships, but we will try to keep that to a minimum for the sake of variety in the tropes represented.

How will check-ins work?

Check-ins will either be through a google form or a post with screened comments on our DW community where participants can let us know about their progress.

If any content and ratings are allowed, does that mean NSFW content/ratings are ok?

NSFW is welcomed! NSFW content for this fest will only be accepted if you are over the age of 18. Attempting to submit NSFW content if you are under the age of 18 will result in a ban from this fest as well as any future fests hosted by the mods. NSFW content must be tagged appropriately and contain any relevant warnings for squicks and/or triggers.

Are there any content restrictions?

No, we allow for any content in works submitted. The only requirement is that everything is tagged/warned for appropriately to ensure that readers who would like to avoid specific content are able to safely do so. We highly encourage all characters to be depicted as 18 or older if they are involved in sexual content, but will allow characters depicted as 17 or older with the stipulation that creators tag their work with the AO3 "underage" tag and any relevant warnings. If you’re unsure if something’s okay, feel free to ask!

What counts for a submission? Can I create anything I want?

Only Fic and Art submissions are eligible for tropes fest. We will not accept graphics/edits/playlists/moodboards/etc as a submission. We will only count traditional or digital art mediums for artists. However, you are more than welcome to include cover art with your fic submission.

Is there a minimum requirement for fic/art submissions?

For fic: 1500 word minimum, no upper word count limit.

For art: We ask for the equivalent effort level of the minimum word count for writers. This just means that we ask for artists to submit something more thought out than very rough sketches.

Can I submit a WIP, sequel/prequel, or something part of a series I've already started?

No. Works cannot be a WIP or part of a series, submissions must be a newly created stand alone work for the fest.

Do submissions need to be beta read?

Yes, all fic submissions must be beta read. We encourage writers to utilize the @vldbetareaders tumblr directory to find a beta. We will also have sign ups for beta readers.

Artists are not required to have a beta, however we encourage you to have a friend look over your work anyway when it's still in the progress stages!

What if I can't think of anything to do for my submission?

We're going to have optional prompt claiming for participants that would like to work from a prompt. We'll be opening up the prompting post and will collect prompts throughout the weeks leading up to the fest. You do not need to sign up for the fest in order to leave a prompt, and you do not need to leave a prompt in order to sign up. Once sign ups are over and assignments are sent out, we will post a claiming post with a compilation of the prompts collected for participants to claim a prompt if they would like to. Prompt claiming will be on a first come, first served basis.

What if I need a little longer to work on my submission? What if I have to drop out?

We understand how life gets. It’s ok to request an extension, or even to drop out from the fest if you need to. We hope if you do need to drop out that you’ll come back for the next round!

Extension requests will be granted on a case-by-case basis. Email the mods at vldtropesfest@gmail.com with the subject line "Extension Request; yourusername". When making your request, include your draft and a timeframe for how long you think you’ll need to complete it. If you think you’ll need an extension please let the mods know ASAP so that we can work out the posting schedule accordingly.

Can I share excerpts or sneak peeks of my WIP for my submission before the fest deadline like I can with Big Bangs and Zines?

No, don’t post your entry anywhere else on the Internet for the duration of the fest until after reveals, then you are free to post it wherever you’d like. We know you're going to be super excited to share your work with your friends + followers, but because this is an anonymous fest we ask that you do not share your work with anyone except your alpha/beta readers or your collaboration team until reveals.

How will submissions and posting work?

We will have two separate posts that will explain the submission and posting process closer to the deadline.

To give a brief overview of both processes, participants will submit their filled out art/fic header (which we will provide in the submission post) in an email to vldtropesfest@gmail.com with the following subject line:
"SUBMISSION; yourusername; your assigned trope" along with a link to their work already posted to the AO3 collection or with their attached art file.

All submissions will be cross-posted to Tumblr and Dreamwidth with a fic/art header and a link to the work on AO3 or the art embedded in the post.

Got a question for something not answered?

Send an email to vldtropesfest@gmail.com with your question! Please do not PM the mod account on Tumblr or Dreamwidth, as mods will only be checking the email account for questions and we will not receive your question otherwise.

This FAQ will be updated with more information in an effort to keep the blog feed free of extra clutter.