Unlike some other, weaker events where participants are handed an assignment just because they signed up, Auctions, As Threatened is different! This event is all auctions, all the time, and instead of using something as useless as money we're betting with wordcount (or wordcount equivalent, for some mediums).
To participate in the event you can:
- Request gifts in 1-20 fandoms!
- Join us on Discord to bid on the recipient(s) you'd like to create for!
- Win big!! Or maybe lose everything!!!
Posting a gift without winning an auction for your recipient is illegal, though we haven't found any way to stop it from happening again and again.
Click here for a short FAQ!
FAQ
Do I need to request if I want to bid? Do I need to bid if I want to request?
No, submitting requests isn't directly linked to assignments in this event; you can do either or both and participants who only want to request or only want to create are very welcome!
If you want to be guaranteed a gift then you will need to make a 500+ word (or wordcount equivalent) gift (plus meet some other requirements) but this event will benefit from having more requesters than bidders, so feel free to treat it like a prompt meme.
How many requests can I make?
You can make up to 20 requests, across 1-20 fandoms, repeating fandoms if you'd like. The first 10 requests you make should go into the Main Collection, and any beyond that should go into the Request Overflow Collection.
What can I do to ensure someone bids on me?
Beyond just diversifying your request, you could also try telling friends or fandom groups about the event! (Please only share our event in comms/Discord servers/etc that welcome event advertisements, and please note that this is an 18+ event.)
Wait so are treats (gifts with no assignment attached) allowed or not? Can I create stuff without bidding?
Treats are allowed and even encouraged! They're illegal in a silly lore way because we like joking around, but they're definitely not against the rules.
Will requests have DNWs? Can I write a Dear Creator letter?
Yes and yes! You should treat requests for AAT like they're a normal exchange sign up...except there are no offers.
Is there an anonymous period? Do I need to be secretive about what I'm creating?
No and no. Auctions will be public and the winners will be obvious, plus we don't have an anon period. You can be secretive about what you're making if you want, but you don't have to be.
When were auctions threatened? What is the history of this event?
In 2020, the flash exchange We Die Like Fen ran a round where there were no matching criteria and this auction format had to be spontaneously invented. It was a lot of fun (and people made a lot of words!) but it was also a ton of work. It inspired ficinabox, but we all vowed never to run auctions again......except fence kept being tempted to revisit the idea with better planning and technology. They'd muse on it and ponder and make little plans and everyone around them (especially the people who knew they'd be roped into helping run this thing) did feel pretty threatened, but ultimately safe. After all, what could justify doing that much work again?
...well, the greatest motivator in the world, of course: friendship! tuesday has said that the WDLF auctions were their favorite over and over for years, while getting more and more busy. Now tuesday has free time again for fandom things, and the rest of you are going to profit—we're going to have auctions, as threatened, because there's no greater gift we could give to tuesday.
Click here for an event overview!
Event Overview
Nominations
Participants will submit (nominate!) fandom, relationship, character, and freeform tags to the tagset. Participants will also have the opportunity to request additional mediums.
Requesting
Participants will submit requests to the AO3 collections, using tags from the tagset.
Auctions
Each requester will be put up for auction on Discord over the course of a week — auctions are done by username, not by individual request. Creators will bid via wordcount (or equivalent) using a bot. Auctions will last most of a day. Bids and winners will be public. Minimum and maximum bids are TBD.
Creation Period
The collection will open as soon as auctions start. Creators are not required to be anonymous and can directly ask their recipient(s) questions.
Penny Auctions
A second round of auctions in which the minimum bid is 1 word. These auctions will be a mixture of defaults, partial defaults, and second-chance auctions for anyone who wasn't bid on in the first round of auctions.
Pinch Hits
Conventional pinch hits will be posted for anyone who meet the following requirements: 1) requested at least 3 fandoms, 2) had at least one bid on their requests, 3) turned in gift(s) of at least 500 words total (or equivalent), and 4) does not have gift(s) totalling 500 words. Pinch hits will be 500 words (or equivalent) minimum.
Reveals
Works and creators will reveal at the same time! We will not reveal if all pinch hits have not been filled.
Links
Non-Dreamwidth links:
Dreamwidth posts:
- Festival of Very Short Canons (recs for 60 canons under 45 minutes)
- General Rec post
- Medium nominations
- Tagset Cleanup
Schedule
- April 1st-April 30th: Festival of Very Short Canons
- April 27th-May 9th: Nominations
- May 1st-10th: Requesting
- May 15th-24th: Auctions
- June 8th-June 14th: Penny Auctions
- June 28th: Assignments due
- June 29th-July 5th: Pinch hit period (Pinch hits due July 5th)
- July 6th: Reveals
Requesting and all due date times will be 10:00PM EDT. Auction times and schedules will be announced later.
Communication
( Communication )
Rules
This section explains the specific requirements and expectations for participation in AAT. Please read this section carefully even if you participate in a lot of multifandom events and/or participated in the 2020 We Die Like Fen auction round.
( Requirements for participation )
( General Participant Conduct )
( Participant Conduct: Special Auction Edition )
Event Logistics
( Fandom/Ship/Freeform Nominations )
( Requesting )
( Assignments, Wordcount Equivalents, Posting, and Pinch Hits )
( Crimes )