WHAT IS THIS EVENT?

The MINSUNG FICATHON is a prompt based fic fest centered around Stray Kids’ Han & Lee Know. That is to say, it has two main components: PROMPTING & WRITING.

PROMPTING GUIDELINES

Prompting will take place over the span of two (2) weeks. This part will be done anonymously, and anyone can participate in sending prompts.


There are three types of prompts, 1) PLOT PROMPTS, 2) AU PROMPTS and 3) LEGACY PROMPTS:• PLOT PROMPTS come in the form of Person A/B, or Minho/Jisung statements, i.e.

• AU PROMPTS are requests for specific Alternate Universes coupled with a supplementary prompt that come in the form of images/songs/quotes/etc. i.e.

• LEGACY PROMPTS are carryover plot prompts from the previous round.

DO NOT BE TOO SPECIFIC WHEN PROMPTING. Which is to say, don’t ask for specific endings or specific plot twists. Make sure to leave room for interpretation by the author. Please remember that prompts (especially plot based ones) are just jumping points, and not actual storyboards.

NOTE: We will be flagging prompts with the help of everyone. That is to say, if a prompt fits an already existing story, it will be removed. We will have a list of flagged prompts and the stories they correspond to. If the existing story isn’t what you have in mind, feel free to tweak your prompt to reflect what you want to see.We understand that different authors may have different interpretations of the same prompt, but we want to encourage picking and writing more unique prompts.

MAKE SURE TO FILL OUT THE FORMS ACCORDINGLY, especially the parts asking for Ratings and Content Warnings.Prompts that contain any of the following themes will be deleted: rape, pedophilia, incest, CSAM and anything else deemed too inappropriate.

NOTE: The prompting form will be available starting November 10, 12:00 AM Korean Standard Time, and will close on November 23, 11:59 PM Pago Pago Time.

WRITING GUIDELINES

The writing part of this event will take place over the course of roughly 16 weeks, so if you're a participating writer please plan accordingly.As this is an event centered around them, the main ship focus should be Minho/Jisung. For stories set in an alternate universe, Minho and Jisung's names should be used clearly to avoid confusion.Open/ambiguous endings are allowed, but neither Minho nor Jisung should explicitly end up with anyone else by the end of the story.The finished story should at least be 2,500 words.All ratings are allowed. However, content involving a graphic depiction and/or the romanticization of any of the following themes will not be accepted: rape, pedophilia, incest, CSAM, and anything else deemed too inappropriate. There are other events for these kinds of content.This event will initially have anonymous reveals so please do not talk about your story in public spaces. Private DMs are fine, and feel free to talk about it in private accounts, but do try not to reveal too much even on your private timeline.

NOTE: The prompt list will be accessible starting November 18, 12:00 Korean Standard Time. The claiming form will be open starting November 25, 12:00 AM Korean Standard Time. Claims will close on December 15, 11:59 PM Pago Pago Time. The form will be available for a second round of claiming starting on January 4, 2025 12:00 AM Korean Standard Time, until March 15, 2025 11:59 PM Pago Pago Time.

BETA GUIDELINES

Betas who sign up to help in this event choose to provide one or more of the following services:

FOR THE READER:

FIND OUT WHAT YOUR WRITER WANTS. Everyone's ideas of what a beta reader should do will be shaped by their experiences. It's alright if you and your writer have different expectations, but it's helpful to talk about those throughout the beta reading process. Try to address the writer's concerns in your feedback, even if you spend less time on things you might have preferred to focus on.ARTICULATE YOUR REACTIONS AS YOU READ. One of the most helpful things a beta can do is give reading reactions. This is not only encouraging to the writer, but can also show them places where they might want to make edits. Note the spots in the story that confuse you as well as the ones that delight you. Keep in mind the writer's goals here.ASK GOOD QUESTIONS ABOUT THE STORY. Another thing you can do, especially if the story is unfinished, is ask questions about the plot, character motivations, etc. This type of conversation often leads to great revelations about characterization and other aspects of the storytelling!TRY TO CENTER YOUR CONVERSATION ON EFFECT OVER "RULES." Keep in mind that the goal is to tell a story. There's no right or wrong way to tell a story, but there are options that may have a better effect on the reader than others. Framing your conversation this way can be productive, even if your writer really just wants a grammar check, because even something like punctuation can have a number of correct options, all with different effects on the reader.

FOR THE WRITER:

BE A GOOD COMMUNICATOR. Your beta reader is not going to be a mind reader. Make sure to communicate what kind of feedback you want from them. If you only want help with grammar, tell them as much. If you want their help ironing out the plot, let them know! Ask each other questions (and provide clear answers) to make sure your collaboration is a healthy and effective one.UNDERSTAND LIMITATIONS. A beta reader is not a paid professional editor. They are there to help make your fic better but overall, your story, especially its final form, is not their responsibility.BE GRACIOUS. Try to let them know that you are grateful for their help, especially if they are helpful. Everyone works better when they feel appreciated.

NOTE: Beta sign-ups will open on December 1, 12:00 Korean Standard Time, while Beta claiming will start on December 7, 12:00 Korean Standard Time.

ARTIST GUIDELINES

The art/ist portion for this event is currently in an experimental phase, so we are trying to figure out how to best run it, and accommodate what works for as many participants as possible. That means depending on artist feedback, some rules or parameters are subject to change while we are holding the event.

HOW TO CLAIM:

Artists are free to claim a prompt from our list, however there are THREE TYPES OF CLAIMS:

A. Claiming a Plot-Based Prompt
B. Claiming an AU Prompt
C. Claiming a Prompt to Work With A WriterNote that under Options A & B, the artist can work on their pieces independently, but their claimed prompt will remain up for grabs for writers to claim as well. TL;DR: ARTIST AND WRITER CLAIMS ARE SEPARATE.For Option C, both artist and writer slots for the prompt will be claimed.• For Plot-Based Prompts, here are the required parameters:

NOTE: Not all Plot-Based Prompts are available for artist claiming. Also, please make sure that you will be able to tell a story with your submission.

• For AU Prompts, here are the required parameters:

NOTE: All AU Prompts are available for artist claiming.

• To Claim a Prompt to Work with An Author, just pick any already claimed prompt, and we will connect you with the writer who has that prompt. Book covers, Illustrations, and Comics format are all allowed.

HOW TO POST:

Art posting will NOT be anonymous. You can all post on your respective Twitter accounts, and already with your watermark/signature on your work. Posting schedule will be AFTER fic posting, during the free week before Author reveals.

NOTE: Artist sign-ups will go on from 25th November 2024, 12:00AM Korean Standard Time until 15th March 2025, 11:59PM Pago-Pago Time. Check-in dates are the same as for writers.

EVENT CALENDAR

Writers are free to claim a second prompt on top of their first one if they check-in with a draft that is AT LEAST 1,000 WORDS long.

NOTE: If a writer finishes their first story and wants to claim a second prompt, they can do this any time outside the second round claiming. They only have to submit their finished story, and contact us about it through Twitter DM or e-mail: [email protected].

REGARDING POSTING: Regardless of the amount of submissions, we will be spreading out posting over the course of a MAXIMUM OF FOUR WEEKS, with reading breaks every weekend. There will be an extra week for reading and catching up at the end, before author reveals. We hope you understand.

TIME LEFT UNTIL: FINAL SUBMISSION DEADLINE

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

CAN WE CLAIM MORE THAN ONE (1) PROMPT?
Initially, all writers can only claim one prompt. To get a second prompt, one of the following conditions must be observed:

CAN WE CLAIM DROPPED PROMPTS?
After the first check-in, there’s a second round of claiming where all dropped prompts will be put back on the table for claiming.CAN WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE’RE WRITING IN PUBLIC?
This event will initially have anonymous reveals so please do not talk about your story in public spaces. Private DMs are fine, and feel free to talk about it in private accounts, but do try not to reveal too much even on your private timeline.HOW DO WE DROP OUT?
While we would prefer that you don't, we understand that life gets in the way at times, and if it cannot be helped, please send us an e-mail to inform us so that we can properly update our prompts sheet.WHAT HAPPENS TO PROMPTS THAT DON’T GET WRITTEN?
Typically, all prompts that don’t get claimed and/or written are released for adoption during ficathon off-season, which is the time in between ficathon rounds. All Plot-Type Prompts that still don’t get written during that time get carried over to the next round as Legacy Prompts.ARE THERE REQUIREMENTS TO SIGN UP AS A BETA READER?
A willingness to help is the most basic requirement. A basic grasp on English grammar and good communication skills are also very helpful qualities to have.CAN WE SELF-PROMPT?
There is now a checkbox in the prompting form that you can tick if you plan on claiming a prompt you submit. If you check this box, make sure to leave your e-mail address/username, otherwise we won’t be able to reserve the prompt for you. Also note that we will only be allowing one self-prompt per user.ARE WIPS ALLOWED? DO WE HAVE TO SUBMIT ALL CHAPTERS OF A CHAPTERED WORK AT ONCE?
As per the rules, all stories for this event must be FINISHED and COMPLETED by the time they are submitted on the deadline. That also means that all chapters must be uploaded by the deadline.

CAN THE PAIRING FOCUS BE MINSUNG BUT THE STORY POLY?
This is a MINSUNG event, so we’d prefer that the relationship between Minho and Jisung are largely between Minho and Jisung ONLY.CAN WE SWITCH PROMPTS HALFWAY THROUGH THE EVENT?
Yes. If you find your original prompt choice suddenly uninspiring, you are free to drop it and ask for another one. Just contact us, through Twitter DM or e-mail, and we’ll help you out.IS THERE A MAX WORD COUNT?
No. There is only a minimum word count. Otherwise, feel free to go ham!ARE CROSS-CHALLENGES ALLOWED?
Technically, yes it is allowed as long as the other event/challenge allows it as well. However, remember that this is an ANONYMOUS event, so you can’t submit your fic to other challenges until after reveals, when your name is attached to your fic.CAN ARTISTS JOIN?
Good news! For Round 5, we're holding an experimental round with artists. Check here for more information.IF YOU HAVE MORE QUESTIONS, CONTACT US THROUGH:

IMPORTANT LINKS

HOW TO POST TO
THE AO3 FICATHON COLLECTION

Navigate to the MINSUNG FICATHON Round Five AO3 Collection, and click the button that says 'Post to Collection.' That should take you to the regular AO3 New Post page, from where you simply post your story accordingly.

Under the ‘Associations’ section, make sure that you see msficathon_round_five next to the 'Post to collections/challenges' field.

DO NOT FORGET: Tag accordingly and appropriately. Make sure that your story is rated and that all applicable content warnings are tagged and/or warned for, however please also try NOT to overtag. Some content warnings are better noted in the author's section instead of tagged. Remember that AO3 is an archive, which means ONLY tag the things that your story would be relevant for as a search result. Also be reminded that this is initially an anonymous event, so don't link your socials in the notes before reveals are up!IN THE BEGINNING NOTES OF YOUR FIC: place a link to the event twitter (@minsungmod), and mention the prompt code that your story is fulfilling. (If you can also include the entire prompt, that will be better.) For example:

HERE is HTML code you can C+P in the notes section if you don't know how to link. Make sure to edit the Prompt Code!