Rules, FAQ and Timeline
May. 23rd, 2019 01:56 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
Welcome to Wolfstar Games 2019! WSG is a prompt-based fest where participants are split into teams to engage in some fun-spirited competition as they create.
General Overview:
If this looks slightly familiar that’s because it is. A tribute fest to the original, amazing, RS Games is now happening. If you haven’t heard of the original RS Games please check out some of the past years works here on AO3.
For those of you who do remember the RS Games, please be aware that as a tribute fest a lot of things will be very similar, but since this is, in fact, a new fest, a lot of things will also be different. A new batch of mods and a new fest will inevitably lead to some changes.
Theme: Travel
The theme for this year is travel. That act of starting in one location and ending up in another, be it physical or metaphysical. And remember, the theme is a guideline, not a hard and fast rule. This means that your travel can be a large act of travelling, a vacation or move, or something as simple as focusing on a walk through the neighborhood, or a train ride to Hogwarts. It simply needs to involve travel in some tangible way to the theme of your work.
Teams:
The teams this year, to go with our theme of Travel, will be Team Embarkment, Team Journey, and Team Destination.
Please keep in mind that not only will your creations need to fit the theme, but they will, in some way, need to focus on your teams specific alignment within the theme.
The Basic Rundown:
There will be three teams based upon the fest theme. Participants will be given the chance to request a team upon sign up, but we make no guarantees that you will receive the team you requested, as teams need to be at least relatively even for voting purposes. This is, in fact, a competition, but only in the spirit of pushing each other further to create better works for this ship we all love so much.
Each participant will create a work, fic or art, based upon not only the theme but a prompt. Details on the prompts as well as how to claim them will be revealed after the teams are solidified. Then, those works will be revealed and voted upon in a blind vote to determine how each team did.
During the creation time there will be both team and inter-team activities. These will all be low key and completely optional. They’re just a way to spend some time with your team/fest participants and have a little fun to keep tensions low and promote a friendly sort of competition.
Once posting begins there will be a poll attached to each work, which will be posted anonymously, for readers/viewers to vote on how well the piece fit the theme of the fest as well as how well it fit the prompt. Those votes will be averaged for a total team score at the end of posting. Please keep in mind that these works are not in direct competition with each other. The voting is not meant to compare works. There will simply be a representative work from each team. Please be aware that team participants and mods will not be allowed to vote, for fairness purposes!
As this is a scored fest please keep in mind that all works are to be anonymous. We understand that this is slightly difficult for artists as style may be recognizable, but please do your best. This means that you may not share any snippets, anything more than very vague ideas, or any pieces or bits of your creations until after the reveals when the work is wholly yours to do with as you wish. We do understand the concern about posting unsigned art, so we will be providing a Wolfstar Games watermark for any artist that wishes to use it. And if you have any concerns about this please contact a mod and we will see what we can do for you.
Just remember, Wolfstar Games is about having fun and creating more content for our favorite boys, not about winning or losing. And most importantly, it’s about having fun!
Time Line:
Sign-ups begin on Wednesday, June 5th and last through Sunday, June 16th, ending at 11:59pm Eastern time (GMT-5) Sign-ups will happen via google form, so please watch this space for that to go live.
Teams will be announced on Wednesday, June 19th. so please watch this space for more info.
Promps will be available for viewing only on Wednesday, June 19th.
Prompts will be available for claiming on Monday, June 24th and will close at 11:59PM EST (GMT-5) on Friday, June 28th. Prompts will fall into three categories: Word based, Image based, and Audio based. Each prompt will be available only one time per team, so the sooner you make your selections the more likely you are to get the prompt you want. If, for any reason, you are not available during any of the claiming period please contact a mod and we will make accommodations for you.
Works are due by 11:59 PM on Sunday, October 13th EST (GMT-5). As always we want this to be fun and low stress, so if there are any problems with finishing please just contact a mod and we will work with you to see what we can do. As this is a team competition there may be a small points penalty incurred for late works, however, so please contact a mod as soon as you can if there are any difficulties. There will be check ins along the way to see how everyone is doing and make sure there are no issues, but if something arises please don’t feel the need to wait for a check in to talk with a mod. That’s what we’re here for.
Posting begins Monday, October 21st and runs until we run out of works.
The winning team will be revealed once posting is complete and the mods have had a chance to tally the votes. Keep watch on this space for more information on that further into the fest.
Rule & FAQ
What sort of content am I committing to if I sign up?
For fic, the minimum word count will be 1000 words. There is no maximum, however, please keep in mind that ease of reading, which unfortunately sometimes includes length, will have an impact on how the voting goes. We would never dare to stifle anyone’s muse, so please write as the whim takes you, just keep that in mind when you’re creating.
There is no minimum size for art, but we would request that the maximum size be something that is easily viewable on a single screen. Again, we don’t want to cramp anyone’s creativity, but for voting purposes it’s helpful to be able to see the entire work at one time.
What sort of artwork is acceptable?
All art must be visual, original art. By original art, we mean that the final product must be an original product of the artist. Using photos for reference is fine, and you can use whatever traditional or digital medium you require, so long as the art starts and finishes as your own product. Photo manips are not allowed. Hit up the mods if you need clarity on an idea.
Can I use a work that I’ve published previously, or that’s been sitting in my drafts?
For this fest, we need all original content, none of which has been published previously. Since this is a theme and prompt-based fest, all creators should plan on starting new projects so they can be fully inspired by their chosen prompt.
Is there an age requirement to participate?
All ages are welcome! However, if you are under 18, your creation must be rated G or T on AO3.
Are there any other restrictions on creations?
This is a Wolfstar-centric fest, so we do ask that your creation focuses on Remus and Sirius’ relationship, though other pairings are welcome. All fics must be properly tagged with the appropriate content and trigger warnings on AO3. All fics must be edited, beta read, and legible.
Will I need to be signed up for any specific platforms to participate?
You will need an AO3 account for posting purposes. All fest info will be shared on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, and Twitter. A Discord chat system will be set up as well. All of these platforms, other than AO3, are optional.
Can I share snippets of my work on my social media?
Since this is an anonymous fest, we ask that absolutely no snippets or hints be shared during the run of the fest. Once the fest has concluded, you may post whatever you like to social media.
I can’t sign up, but I still want to participate, what can I do?
No worries, there are lots of ways for you to help support WSG! Follow us on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, and Twitter; reblog, comment, and share our posts to spread the word. We’ll also be asking for help with beta reading, pinch hitting, and other cool ways for you to get involved!
I’ve got more questions, help!
No problem, we’re happy to hear from you! Ping us on one of the social media sites above, or email wolfstargamesmods at gmail dot com.