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innumerable_stars2022-07-24 12:00 am
grundyscribbling) wrote in innumerable_stars2022-07-24 12:00 am
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Innumerable Stars Guidelines & Rules 2022
People Who Participate in Innumerable Stars:
★ Are interested in and excited about multiple Tolkien-based canons.
☆ Are interested in their fellow fans’ creativity in fanfiction and fanart, and excited to explore their own.
★ Are open to creating and receiving any one of a number of different prompts or ideas.
☆ Will create their fanwork following their recipient’s prompts in good faith, and will receive the fanwork(s) that have been given to them in good faith also.
★ Generally read, draw, and/or write a variety of slash, gen, het, adventures, fluff, dark, erotica, worldbuilding, etc, etc. You do not have to be open to or interested in every type of story. However, this is not the place for those who are really interested in just one character, pairing, or scenario. Nor is it a place for people who find stories or art containing material they are not interested in offensive because it exists.
☆ Are happy to read and comment on the fanwork(s) they receive with thanks first of all, but also to read and comment on other fanworks in the exchange.
★ Will, if their own time and inspiration permits after they have completed their assignment, also write or draw “treats” for others in the exchange. These are not required but they add to the fun and excitement of the exchange!
Nominations are how we assemble the tagset for the exchange. The only requirement to nominate is that you have an AO3 account. Whether you’re firmly planning on participating, not sure if you’ll sign up, or just lurking but hoping to see particular elements in fanworks in the collection, you are eligible to nominate!
You may nominate up to five fandoms from the list below, with a maximum of 20 characters or character groups and 10 worldbuilding tags per fandom.
When nominating, please copy and paste the fandom names from the list given below - we use several fandoms that are not canonical in the AO3 sense, and AO3 is very precise about tags. (Extra spaces and en-dash vs em-dash have been issues in past rounds.)
Please read the sections below on Character and Worldbuilding before nominating to ensure your nominations are accepted. We also recommend you check the tagset before nominating to be sure your character or group has not already been nominated (including under a different name or order)! We do our best to approve tags quickly, so the tag list should be reasonably up to date.
Character field: All characters AND character groups must be nominated using the character field. Any character group nomination must begin with “Group:”
For groups, / will be interpreted as a relationship that is romantic and/or sexual, & is familial or platonic, and + is QPR (queerplatonic relationships). You may nominate &, +, and / relationships as well as groups that include a combination of relationships. (Ex: Feanor/Nerdanel & Finwe, Aredhel+Celegorm & Maeglin.)
Many characters appear in more than one fandom, so unless your character is only present in one fandom, please use the abbreviations in the fandom list table to differentiate fandoms. AO3 will not allow nomination of the same character in two different fandoms if you do not differentiate. Please note that The Book of Lost Tales is considered a separate fandom from The Silmarillion & Histories of Middle Earth for this exchange.
If two characters do not appear in the same fandom, they must be nominated as a crossover. In this case, please use fandom disambiguations as necessary.
Only one nomination for each character or character group in a fandom will be accepted. Please do NOT use piped tags. If a character has multiple names, the most widely used name should be used, generally the Sindarin name. (For example, Maedhros rather than Maitimo, Russandol, or Nelyafinwë.). Please alphabetize within pairings, triads, etc – this makes it easier for the mods to check the tagset for duplicates. No implications should be read into the order of a grouping, for example Maedhros/Fingon vs Fingon/Maedhros – only one will be accepted.
| Examples of characters present in multiple fandoms: | Glorfindel (LOTR books), Glorfindel (Silm) |
| Examples of characters present in only one fandom: | Beowulf, Niggle, Farmer Giles |
| Examples of character groups: | Group: Fëanor & Gandalf (Silm) Group: Fëanor & Gandalf (LOTR books) Group: Faramir (LOTR books) & Fëanor (Silm) Group: Gandalf (LOTR books) & Niggle Group: Anairë/Fingolfin & Aredhel |
Relationships field: This field should be used for worldbuilding tags. You may nominate up to 10 per fandom. Please begin all worldbuilding tags with “Worldbuilding:”.
Previous tagsets are listed below if you would like to browse for inspiration or to see examples:
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
Note that the Silmarillion fandom includes the Histories of Middle-earth.
| Fandom | Abbreviation |
|---|---|
| The Adventures of Tom Bombadil | ATB |
| The Book of Lost Tales - J.R.R. Tolkien | BoLT |
| Born of Hope (2009) | Hope |
| The Fall of Arthur - J.R.R. Tolkien | Arthur |
| Farmer Giles of Ham - J.R.R. Tolkien | Giles |
| The Father Christmas Letters - J. R. R. Tolkien | TFCL |
| The Hobbit (Jackson Movies) | Hobbit movies |
| The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien | Hobbit books |
| The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm's Son - J. R. R. Tolkien | HBBS |
| The Hunt for Gollum (2009) | Hunt |
| The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun - J. R. R. Tolkien | LAI |
| Leaf by Niggle - J. R. R. Tolkien | Niggle |
| The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún - J. R. R. Tolkien | LSG |
| The Lord of the Rings (Movies) | LotR movies |
| The Lord of the Rings - J. R. R. Tolkien | LotR books |
| The Lord of the Rings Online | LotR online |
| The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power | RoP |
| Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor (Video Games) | SoM |
| Mr. Bliss - J. R. R. Tolkien | Bliss |
| Roverandom - J. R. R. Tolkien | Rover |
| Sellic Spell - J. R. R. Tolkien | Sellic |
| The Silmarillion - J. R. R. Tolkien | Silm |
| Sir Gawain and the Green Knight - J.R.R. Tolkien | SGGK |
| Smith of Wootton Major - J. R. R. Tolkien | Smith |
| The Story of Kullervo - J.R.R. Tolkien | Kullervo |
| Tolkien (2019) | Tolkien 2019 |
Requests: You must make at least 3 (three) requests in 2 different fandoms, up to a maximum of 10 requests. You may request the same fandom more than once, but each request must use different character tags. Worldbuilding tags are optional and will not be matched on. They can be used to provide information to creators about what you are interested in seeing in a fanwork.
Offers: You must make a minimum of 4 (four) offers. Make sure to state if your offer is fic, art, or both. You may offer the same fandom more than once, but you must use different character tags in each offer.
All requests and offers must contain at least 3 Character tags. The only exception is offers using “Any Character”.
“Any Character” means any character tag in the tagset for that fandom. In the larger fandoms, that may be a couple hundred characters/character groups. You will not be rematched if an “Any Character” offer results in an assignment not to your liking. In fandoms with more than 20 character tags, “Any Character” requires mod approval.
Do not offer or request characters, pairings, or groups not found in the tagset. There is no way to match on tags not in the tagset. Similarly, do not use multiple individual character tags to mean a relationship between those characters. Matching treats them as separate characters. (For example, if your request lists Fingon, Maedhros, your creator is not bound to write Fingon/Maedhros or even Fingon & Maedhros. If you offer Fingon, Maedhros wanting to create for Fingon/Maedhros, you may find your recipient has that ship in their DNW list.)
It is not unusual for the exchange tagset to be large. Having only a few matchable requests or offers is not to your advantage. Rare characters or groups can be difficult to match. Only making a few highly specific requests/offers increases the odds that you will not match. Please give us as many options as you can – the more options you give us, the easier it becomes to find a good match for you!
All DNWs (“do not wants”) must be entered on the AO3 sign-up form – DNWs in “Dear Creator” letters cannot be considered binding, as letters hosted elsewhere can be changed after creators begin their process. If it is a DNW, it needs to be in your sign-up.
You have the option to fill in a URL for a “Dear Creator” letter to add optional details or prompts. We encourage you to list things you DO want to see in both your signup and any letter. If you choose to write a letter, it can be hosted in the location of your choice as long as it is available until the assignment deadline. Dear Creator letters should be available no later than three days after assignments are sent out. The first thing many creators do after getting their assignment is check for a Dear Creator letter, so delaying more than a few days beyond assignments means your creator will either not be able to start, or may start without seeing your letter because they assume you have chosen not to post one.
If you choose to list likes and dislikes in either your sign-up or in a “Dear Creator” letter, please do so as clearly as possible, particularly for dislikes. Do not state why you dislike or do not want something.
Sign-ups are not private – you can see other people’s requests and others will be able to see your requests. However, there is no guarantee you will match with any particular participant.
If there is information the mods should be aware of to produce a good match for you, include that in your sign-up. This should be listed in the Offers section, as only mods see the details of offers. Examples include “cannot write smut but otherwise ok with mature themes”, “I have many trans headcanons”, “I am incapable of writing Maedhros without dropping references to Maedhros/Fingon even when I didn’t mean to and didn’t realize I was doing it”. (If you are unsure if what you have in mind is relevant/necessary, ask the mods.) Please bear in mind that matching cannot be redone after assignments are sent out. Please also see the Matching section below.
The mods do their best to review sign-ups as they come in. If we find an issue, we will contact you. Any modification to your sign-up must be made prior to the close of sign-ups – once sign-ups close, no further editing of sign-ups is possible. Please note the mods cannot guarantee we will be able to review every single one before sign-ups close - you should check your sign-up to be sure it meets requirements.
Any participant who does not have at least three valid requests and four valid offers at the close of sign-ups will be removed from the exchange prior to matching. We will NOT contact anyone to correct invalid requests/offers once sign-ups have closed, nor will we attempt to match any sign–up with less than the required number of requests and offers.
Matching is done on an OR basis, meaning that you need only match one character or character group in a request. While we try to match people on multiple tags if possible, sometimes there will only be a one tag match.
The mods make every effort to take your preferences into account during matching, but we cannot guarantee what you will match on. Please do not offer anything you are not enthusiastic to create for or request anything you would be disappointed to receive.
If you offer “any character”, you are indicating that you are willing to create for any character or group in the tagset for that fandom. You will not be re-matched if you offer “any character” and discover the characters or groups in your assignment are not to your liking. This year mod approval is required for “any character” offers in fandoms with more than 20 character tags. The mods will contact you to confirm you understand what you are offering before making a decision to approve.
In the event someone does not match:
If they do not match on requests (meaning no one else is offering their requests): the mods will put a call out for pinch hitters. No other action from the person who did not match is necessary.
If they do not match on offers (meaning none of their offers match anyone else’s requests): the mods will pause matching while we attempt to contact the person to request additional offers. Contact will be made through AO3, so keep an eye on the email associated with your AO3 account after sign-ups close – we know fairly quickly if someone is not matchable. The mods will allow no more than 3 hours for a response. If there is no response in that time, the mods will remove the person who did not match from the exchange.
Not matching is uncommon, but it has happened before, so we are setting out clear guidelines this year for how it will be handled. (We do not like having to remove anyone from the exchange, and hope to avoid it. But we also cannot wait indefinitely for a response.)
No one can be re-matched after assignments go out. Matching is not an individual thing where changing one person’s assignment affects no one else – it’s more like shuffling a deck of cards. If there is someone signed up for the exchange you absolutely cannot work with, to the point that you will drop out if matched with them, this is information the mods need before matching.
You will be matched with another participant. Your recipient will have requested one or more characters or groups that you offered. (We try for “or more” if possible, but can’t guarantee that – it depends on the particular mix of requests and offers.)
You should write at least 500 words / draw a nice sketch on clean unlined paper of one character or character group of your choice from any of your recipient’s requests to fulfill your assignment. If you matched on multiple characters or groups, you are not required to include all of them or even more than one of them. You may also decide to create for one of your recipient’s requested characters or groups that you did not offer – once you have your assignment, it is up to you which request to fulfill, regardless of whether it was one you offered.
You must abide by any DNWs expressed in the signup. Please be aware of your recipient’s likes and dislikes (if provided) and stick to them. Also, please note that you should not write a requested pairing in a way that negates the request – unless your recipient has expressly requested it, do not write a requested ship as taking place in the past only, “all love between them had died”, or a hate ship.
Your assignment must be completed by the “assignments due” deadline. If you know in advance that this will be a problem, please discuss it with the mods as soon as possible. If your assignment is not completed by the deadline and you have not made prior arrangements with the mods, you will be barred from the next round of the exchange.
- Do I have to create for only the character(s) or group(s) I matched on? One of the other tags looks more interesting, but it isn’t one I offered!
- No! Once you have your assignment, you are free to pick any of your recipient’s characters or groups to write or draw, whether it’s one you offered or not.
- What if I want to write/draw more than one character or group in a single work?
- There is no rule against including other requested characters or groups as long as it’s not against your recipient’s DNWs. (Some requests are mutually exclusive!) However, please be aware that you cannot mix and match characters from within requested groups to create unrequested groups. (For example, if your recipient requested Group: Fingolfin/Fëanor and Group: Anairë/Nerdanel, you should not create for Fingolfin/Nerdanel or Anairë/Fëanor.)
- What if I want to write/draw more than one character or group in separate works?
- That’s what treats are for! (We love treats!)
- I’m under 18. Can I still participate in Innumerable Stars?
- Yes. However, if you are below the age of consent in your state or country of residence at the time signups close, you may not prompt or create adult fanworks for this exchange. (To be clear, that means nothing rated M or E in AO3’s rating system – minors should limit themselves to ratings G and T only.) Anyone found in breach of this rule will not be permitted to participate in future iterations of this exchange.
- How is Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power on the list of fandoms? The series won’t be out before nominations close!
- It is true that the September 2 release date for the first episode is after the nominations period. However, there are fans who have been looking forward to the series for a while. What’s more, we said last year that we expected to include it in this year’s exchange. So we are including it, with the following caveats:
- Anyone requesting or offering this fandom understands they are doing so more on speculation than on knowledge of the series. (And if they somehow got hold of the series ahead of time, they are NOT spoiling it for anyone else!) They recognize that the full series will not be available until nearly the end of the assignments period, so creators will be working with what is available to them.
- It is possible that some of the names released to date may be placeholders to avoid spoilers. Any nominated character tag that turns out to be a placeholder name should be treated as the character they turn out to be. (Provided the reveal is in time. As the final episodes of the series will only be available at the end of the assignments period, any reveals in the last few episodes may come after a creator has largely completed their work. In this case, the requester will be understanding that the creator had insufficient time to take the reveal into account.)
- If you are aware in advance that it will be difficult or impossible for you to access the series with adequate time to familiarize yourself with the source material before creating something for it, please do not offer it.
- Anyone requesting or offering this fandom understands they are doing so more on speculation than on knowledge of the series. (And if they somehow got hold of the series ahead of time, they are NOT spoiling it for anyone else!) They recognize that the full series will not be available until nearly the end of the assignments period, so creators will be working with what is available to them.
- It is true that the September 2 release date for the first episode is after the nominations period. However, there are fans who have been looking forward to the series for a while. What’s more, we said last year that we expected to include it in this year’s exchange. So we are including it, with the following caveats:
- Dear Creator letters and request details are optional. But if you choose not to use them, your creator will not know anything more than what is included in your sign-up. If you have particular preferences or prompts, please be sure you’ve given your writer/artist some indication of what you like!
- Having your story beta read is encouraged, but not required. Encouraging writers, particularly new writers and non-native English speaker writers, is more beneficial in the long run to their improvement and the good of the fandom than unsolicited criticism.
As a writer, you should try to polish your story to the best of your ability; make it as good as something you would like to receive. If you need a beta and are unsure how to find one, contact the mods.
As a recipient, if a gift isn’t up to your standards for SPAG or readability, you should not say that the story needs a beta. You are expected to thank your writer for writing for you at the very least, and find at least one thing you enjoyed about the story to comment on. (If you truly cannot do this, contact the mods.) Be gracious - all authors have to start somewhere.
- Contact us! You can comment on this post, drop us an ask on Tumblr, or find us on Discord.
no subject
(Anonymous) 2022-08-07 07:47 am (UTC)(link)Does this mean that a single request can't just be for, say, "Arwen," but would need to be for "Arwen OR Frodo OR Gandalf"? If so, does a group count as 2+ characters? (So if a request for "Arwen" alone is disallowed, is Group:Arwen/Frodo/Boromir allowed? Or do groups count as one character tag?)
no subject
Each character OR character group - meaning the tag begins with "Group:" - is a separate character tag. (If you look at previous years' tagsets, this may be a little clearer. Any tag that doesn't begin "Worldbuilding:" is a character tag!) Whoever matches with you does NOT have to include all character tags in the sign-up request in the fanwork they create for you; they only need to create for one of them.
So using your example, a request listing Arwen, Frodo, Gandalf in the Characters field is fine - that's three tags. (The request would be interpreted as Arwen OR Frodo OR Gandalf.) But a request for Group: Arwen/Frodo/Boromir is only one tag, and would need two more character tags to be accepted. (Group:Arwen/Frodo/Boromir means that the fanwork must contain a sexual or romantic relationship between the three characters to satisfy the request; Arwen OR Frodo OR Boromir on their own would not be sufficient.)
no subject
(Anonymous) 2022-08-11 12:11 am (UTC)(link)Can I ask why the change was made? I admit I'm confused about why it would be necessary? It would also make my signup (and other's) more difficult. While I wouldn't have any trouble meeting a nine character/group minimum for the entire signup, I'm concerned that it would make each single request less tailored and potentially cause problems for both the writer and the recipient.
For example, if I want to request Maedhros/Maglor, I wouldn't be able to make a standalone request with just that this year, but if I added Maglor and Maedhros as individual characters (to make three), I could easily match to a writer for whom Maedhros/Maglor is their NOTP; I might match to a writer who ships Fingon/Maedhros, which might be my NOTP, which could make for a bad match on both sides. Alternatively, if I don't want Maedhros or Maglor as individual characters, would that mean putting Maedhros/Maglor in with, say, Turin and Beleg/Turin in a single request? That lacks a certain cohesion and also means that the prompts would vary wildly. Whereas if I can request one or two characters/groups per request, I can tailor each request.
In addition, I'm curious about how DNWs will be enforced. Using the 'Maedhros/Maglor, Maedhros, Maglor' request from above, would a writer be bound by "DNW requested ships portrayed as not mutually sexually and romantically attracted to each other" if they matched on one of the characters, not the ship?
no subject
Requests (and offers) in the AO3 signup sense do not need "cohesion". Each character tag is considered separately for matching, so do not consider them related! Looking at previous years' signups, you will find plenty of signups with Requests that have a mix of characters or pairings. (Usually these requests give prompts for the individual tags either in the signup or their "Dear Creator" letter.) So if Maedhros/Maglor, Turin, and Beleg/Turin are all things you're interested in, a signup requesting "Group: Beleg/Turin, Group: Maedhros/Maglor, Turin" is a good request.
If you only want Maedhros/Maglor, you should not request Maedhros or Maglor as individual characters. We will not consider a request valid that lists "Maedhros, Maglor, Group: Maedhros/Maglor" with a DNW that makes clear you expect Maedhros/Maglor even if you match on an individual character tag. Individual character tags are just that - the character, with no requirement about any ship. To request a ship, you must use the appropriate Group: tag. If you are interested in a particular pairing, make sure it's nominated. (All requested pairings are assumed to be mutual unless the requestor specifically states otherwise.)