Alice (not Alice)

What is MCYTBLR AU Fest? MCYTBLR AU Fest is a minibang-type event where writers and artists come together to create fanworks centred on MCYT and set in an alternate universe from canon.

How does it work? Writers will have a month to start work on a draft. After a month, at the half-way mark of their draft, they create a short summary/synopsis of their fic, which is posted anonymously for artists to view and claim. Teams are assigned by mods, and then teams will then have another month of creation time. Artists will create art based on the story they chose, and writers will finish their fic (minimum 5k words). This is followed by a two-week posting period, when creations are posted and we showcase everyone's work.

What type of MCYT is included? We welcome creations based on any MCYT media, whether or not they have a canon tag on Ao3. Yogscast, SFAWTDE, DSMP, Hermitcraft, Fuga Impossivel, Vampires, Unstable Universe, Empires SMP, VBRPF— it's all welcome.

Can I join if my Art is a Playlist/Web Weave/Crochet? You can participate as an artist if your art is:

Digital/Traditional Art

Podfic

Web Weave

Other Art Form*

*must be checked with the mods before signing up to a team.

What are the requirements for art? The requirements for different forms of art are:

Digital or Traditional art: a minimum of one piece, finished, inspired by the author's work.

Podfic: a podfic of the author's work, edited to whatever a baseline level of editing is for you.

Web Weaves: a minimum of one web weave inspired by the author's work per 5 k, rounding up, to a limit of two required web weaves, with at least ten elements each. Web weave elements must be sourced to an original source, and pinterest or png blogs are not accepted as sources.

Other Art Form: other art forms such as fan games, original songs, playlists, sculpture, etc. would fall under this category. If you want to sign up with an Other art form, you need to contact the mod team and work out what minimum expectations would be for your art.

If I want to make more web weaves, can I? You can make as many pieces of art as you wish, the requirements is just what is required/expected by the mod team. For example, if your writer wrote a 10k work, you would be required to make two web weaves– but you could do as many as you want. If your writer wrote a 50k work, you would still only be required to make two web weaves, but you can do as many as you want.

Is anything required from me if I'm working with a particular type of artist? In general the requirement is just to be collaborative and communicative with your artist, but the one exception is if you are working with a podficcer. A podficcer can't start work until your work is complete (including editing), so to make sure they actually have time to record, any writer working with a podficcer will be required to finish a week early— so your writing completion deadline would be to finish by the 12th of July, instead of the 19th. In addition, podficcers are generally expected to post near the end of the posting period, so that they have maximum time to do the recording and editing.

I heard there were going to be web weaves, can I sign up for web weaves only? To increase matching opportunities, as a creator you must opt in to at least two types of art.

Is shipping allowed? Yes. Because there is no broad fandom-wide consensus about how Creator boundaries are to be enforced in specific cases (whether it's okay to write beeduo as /r or /p is an obvious one, or whether it’s permitted to ship Joel Smallishbeans, or if writing Philza in dad content is okay) or between specific fandoms (SBK approach to shipping and boundaries is different from MCSR is different from DSMP is different from Life Series), the mods will not be policing any specific understanding of boundaries across the event. The event's motivating ethos is Don't Like Don't Read, in that participants will be able to indicate through tags in signups if they are interested in a given relationship being interpreted as romantic or platonic, and what subject matter they're interested in, and this must be respected when gifts are given. NSFW will have to be opted into and is only able to be produced if all members of a team are adults.

Is RPF allowed? Yes, RPF is permitted. Within certain canons the line between RPF and something set in-world can be hard to define, and RPF has been part of the umbrella of MCYT fandoms from the beginning. RPF must be declared at time of signup by marking the fandom as Video Blogging RPF, so that artists or betas can make an informed choice about whether to join the team.

Is NSFW allowed? Yes, NSFW is permitted. When pitching a work, it must be clearly stated that the work contains or will contain NSFW content. To sign up to work on a team with NSFW content everyone on the team must be 18+, and changing a work to be NSFW after teams have been assigned is not permitted. (This does not mean that all NSFW content must have been completed at the time of signup, just that if NSFW is intended, it was declared at the time of signup so your artist (and possibly beta) can make an informed choice to join your team). To conform with Tumblr and Discord TOS, anything with the tags Underage Sex or Adult/Minor Relationship will not be permitted to be part of the event. 

How are Minors defined for the purposes of those warnings? We are primarily using the age within the work— so if the fic itself would require the tags. With recent server epilogues setting a "canon age" has become increasingly difficult across servers, and this is further complicated because of the fandom's tendency to both age up or age down their characters within AUs. It is no longer tenable to make a list of characters who are always minors (and by extension, those who are not), especially when we are taking about aus that frequently modify their ages anyways. As such, we are asking people to make sure that the work they create has all necessary characters being of-age in the work. In cases of ambiguity the mods will be interpreting with an attempt at good faith, but note that clear attempt to circumvent the content rules will fall under the "do not be an asshole" provision and could also result in a ban.

Note: the exception to this rule is if the streamer themselves is currently a minor. Minor streamers are not allowed to be shipped or written in NSFW content, even if aged up.

Are major archive warnings (noncon/graphic depictions of violence/MCD) allowed? Aside from content rules about underage, major archive warnings are allowed. Depictions of real life horrors such as genocide, torture, and slavery are not-uncommon motifs in MCYT fics, and the mod team is not interested in legislating which types of horrors, griefs or abuses are inherently worse than others and are therefore off-limits. The three mentioned major archive warnings (MCD, Graphic Depictions of Violence, Noncon), are permitted to be included, however Major Archive Warnings must be declared during signups, so that people can make an informed choice about whether or not to join your team. The major archive warning rape/non-con is only able to be included if everyone on your team is an adult.

Do you allow dark or violent content? Yes. The lore of many mcyt servers includes death games, abuse, cannibalism, murder-for-hire, and other dark or violent themes. However, all potentially triggering content must be tagged for and those tags must be part of the sign-up, so collaborators can make an informed choice to get infolved or not. Moreover, if your fic is rated E for any reason (including violence or gore), your team must be 18+.

How can I get involved? You can participate in this event as a:

Author

Artist

Pinch Hitter (Artist)

Pinch Hitter (Writer)

Beta Reader

You can even sign up for multiple roles, as long as you're very sure you can make your deadlines!

What is a Pinch Hitter? A pinch hitter is a person who saves the day and steps in when the original creator is unable to deliver their work for whatever reason, making a new work on an accelerated timeline. In case of pinch hitting a fanfic, you will will be asked to either write using the original writer's outline, or pitch and then deliver a new story for the artist based on the art. If you are an artist, you will step in to make a new piece of art for a writer whose original artist dropped out.

Can I participate as a beta reader? Yes! Matching with a Beta Reader will be optional, but creators will have the opportunity to sign up to have a Beta Reader join their team for brainstorming, accountability, spellcheck, editing, or whatever else they need.

What kind of a summary will I provide as a writer? How long or detailed? We ask that you keep your summary to two paragraphs or shorter, about as long as the AO3 Summary + Author's Note boxes. In addition to a description of your fic, we'll ask that you list out the server it takes place on, what type of AU it is, any ships (romantic or platonic), the expected word count, what age group of people you are okay working with, any major archive warnings, what kind of art you are open to, and any trigger tags that you expect to take place in the story.

When do I have to join the discord? You have the option to join the dicord and hang out as soon as creation starts on May 13, and if you are signing up either as a Beta Reader or wanting to be matched with a Beta Reader, you need to join the discord before signups close on May 15. If you don't need a beta reader or you already have someone you normally work with, you only have to join the discord before author sign ups close for artist matching, which is June 17.

Why do authors have to be halfway through their draft to sign up to be assigned an artist? How are you checking this? This is both to decrease the number of people who drop out halfway through, and to make sure that the artist has something to work with for the entirety of their creation periot. If you write your entire fic in the weekend before the posting deadline, that means the artist has a matter of days or hours for them to do their work, which isn't fair. Writers will be expected to submit a document with their half-draft in it at sign-up, for mods to verify word count.

How does team assignment work? We are working on a method that hopefully will work smoother with variable time zones and schedules, but it involves custom coding and is still in the development phase. If it falls through we will do the same thing we did last time, which is we will release a document with all the summaries in it, and 24 hours later we will release a sign-up form. Artists and/or Betas will be expected to list out out a top-five of stories they want to work with, and mods will match people with stories on a first-come-first-served basis.

What happens if there are more artists than authors, or more authors than artists? If there are more artists, some fics will be assigned multiple artists. If there are more authors, we will offer the option for artists to be assigned multiple teams.

What's a check-in and how do they work? The check-ins are there to make sure everyone is on track to finish their piece in time, and to communicate any issues with the mods! If you know that you won’t be able to check in on a specific date (lack of internet, etc), please contact the mods in advance.

How long should my fic be? The minimum word count is 5,000 words! There is no maximum word count, but we ask you to be mindful of how much you can actually create in these two months. All fics must be complete and entirely posted during the Posting Period.

If I wrote a multi-chapter work, do I have to have it all posted by the end of the Posting Period? Yes. If you have a longer work, we recommend starting to post early in the posting period, and potentially doing daily chapters to space out your work.

What does AU mean in this context? AU stands for Alternate Universe and in this case means anything that would make the work not able to be tagged as canon compliant. Alternate endings, role reversals, complete setting or plot swaps, and crossovers all count. As this is a fest specifically to celebrate AUs, we ask that the AU be a significant and celebrated part of the work, not something that could be skipped if you aren't paying attention.

Can I create two pieces of art? Absolutely! There is no maximum for number of pieces you want to create, but again, be mindful of not biting off more than you can chew in a month of creation time.

Can I sign up with two fics? You are welcome to sign up as part of the fest with multiple fics, especially given that the word count is reasonably achievable for many people. However, if you do so, we will ask that you prioritize which fic you want to be matched on first, and you will only receive a match to your secondary fic after everyone else has an artist. We're going to prioritize every participant getting a team before we prioritize every story getting a team.

Can I sign up with a writing buddy— as part of a collab team? You are welcome to sign up as a collaborative team! We ask that you make sure you work together well, and when you sign up for an artist, you must declare that you're a team, so people know that they'll be getting multiple writers and not one. You may not sign up as an artist-writer pair— the matching with a new person aspect is part of the big bang experience.

Can I submit a fic that is part of a larger story? All stories must stand alone, so while your work can connect with an existing au, your beta or artist can't need to read other works to understand your piece. The fic also must be written specifically for the event. We ask that you not submit a summary for a fic that was already written prior to the start of the event. Brainstorming or outlining starting early is fine.

Can I use AI to help me with my piece? You must create your work yourself, as that is the spirit of the event. Works may not be wholly or partially created by generative text or art programs (so-called "AI") such as chatGPT or OpenArt.ai. If you feel that you need to turn to AI to finish your work in time, we recommend you drop instead so that a pinch-hitter can be assigned.

What if I need to drop out? It is your responsibility to communicate with us if you need to drop out of the event for any reason, and we do need that communication. We know that life is no respecter of fic and art deadlines, so it is absolutely fine if you need to drop. However, we would hate for any writer to end up having no art for their fic, and it would suck if an artist put a lot of effort into creating art for a fic that ends up not being written, so authors and artists, please inform us as soon as possible if you must drop out or think you will not be able to complete your piece on time. Dropping out after the last check-in without informing the mods may result in not being permitted to take part in further events run by this mod team.

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The first time it was an accident. Kind of. It was the magical nametags’ fault for being so flimsy! Laid out, the selection of first origins for this New Life of theirs–no one had told him how they worked! It was perfectly reasonable for Joel to think he had to crack the tag like a glowstick to enter his first life! And it wasn’t hard, either - wood like paper, snapping cleanly in half with one squeeze. As the light of origins flared, and his friends stared, Joel realized none of their nametags were broken.

The life granted him was a Hippogriff. The nametags at the moment of origin read HIPPO and GRIFF. And the Universe followed to the letter.

Or, close enough. Hippos don’t normally have wings, Griff was pretty sure. He still had the powers of Joel the Hippogriff, but he was Griff the Hippo. Thankfully, Griff was almost exactly like Joel. Fast-talking, dryly sarcastic, building platform after platform for his nest (hippos don’t build nests, except they do, because Griff did and he was one). A bit more gruff, perhaps - or a bit more Griff.  He’s pretty sure Joel would’ve talked himself out of making that joke.  Being a strong semi-aquatic mammal that can lift anyone and also has wings felt like a broken power set, and Griff liked that. He could build a jail in his nest, fly four kilometers to find a red panda, stick it on his head, and fly home in the space of an afternoon. Not that Red went in the jail–that was for villagers and cows and other animals not as cool as Red. Red was a friend, a companion.

Joel and Griff shared one more similarity. Hubris. The flying ship near his Nest had been taunting Griff since day one. The skies were his domain to conquer! And once he figured out the secret of vegetable soup, nothing could stop him from clearing those pesky Phantom spawners - especially if he went during the day. As soon as the Phantoms appeared, they began to burn. But they did not burn instantly. And in the golden armor required to be light enough to fly, Griff also burned under their claws.  It was fitting he died still airborne. Griff, the flying Hippo, to the last.

-----

The second time was on purpose. Kind of. Joel’d already planned to break the nametag again. Just to see what would happen. Except the Universe wasn’t expecting Griff to die so soon–the ink on the tag hadn’t dried. As the wood began to crack under his fingers, Joel saw the ink smear along his thumb.

The life granted him was a Dullahan. The nametags at the moment of origin read DULLA and dAN. And the Universe followed to the letter.

(In hindsight, he was lucky the Universe didn’t decide to make him into an actual dulla. Maybe it wasn’t versed in camel biology, or maybe it knew and chose to be kind this time. Hard for a dulla to build anything, after all. Worse, he could’ve become Dull Ahan!) 

Dulla Dan the Headless Horseman of Death and Doom spent the first part of his un-life grumbling about his housing situation. Griff’s-nest-that-was-now-Dan’s wasn’t all bad, just. Incredibly ill-designed for someone who couldn’t fly. And needed to be under the roofs Griff didn’t build.  And couldn’t eat anything from the farms Griff did build. Building the staircase directly over the waystone wasn’t actually Griff’s fault, but having someone to blame besides himself felt right to Dan, and so he blamed Griff. For putting the waystone where a staircase should go.  (The fact that this was still, functionally, Joel blaming himself was not lost on either Joel or Dan. Neither cared. Nothing was more Joel-like than dryly blaming a different Joel for his problems, editor Joel.) At least the Marvins were there for him, stabled beside his soulfire snack house–whether Dan wanted or not, they never left. He never left? Dan never knew if it was one Marvin hivemind, or separate Marvins. But at least they were fast, and friendly, and they weren’t Griff.

For all that Dulla Dan hated Griff, he shared his fatal flaw. Hubris. Looking for Dan-ger went too well. Perhaps without flight, Dan forgot how dangerous rockets were. Perhaps surviving a fall into an Ancient City had made him sure he couldn’t un-die. Or perhaps the ego of Joel would always lead to it ending this way. At least he went out with a bang.

-----

The third time was a mistake. Not in the unintentional sense–Joel absolutely meant to break the name tag. It was even flimsier than the last, crumbling in his hand. The end of it breaking off, falling to the floor as the light flared. The mistake was trusting the Universe again.

The life granted him was a Kindling. The nametags at the moment of origin read KIND and LIN, and a fallen G. And the Universe followed to the letter.

As soon as he became Kind Lin, the part that was still Joel felt an invasion in his mind. Rushing like a river, smoothing the rocks of his personality into something with less sharpness. Something gentler than Joel. Weakening the dry wit, slowing the fast speech, replacing hubris with humility. Making changes not just to what he was, but who.  And Joel wanted to be angry. How dare the origin twist deeper than it should, than it had for Griff or Dan? How dare the Universe corrupt his thoughts like this? Wrangle his sneer into a smile like a paper doll? Shouldn’t he be angry about that? Isn’t he furious? Wouldn’t anyone be?

Ah, but being furious about it wouldn’t be very Kind, would it? And Lin was now nothing if not Kind.  And so the anger suffocated in its silenced cage, replaced by a forgiveness coating his sharp tongue in velvet, sickly-sweet. Justifications bubbled unbidden to drown his righteous rage, dousing it to mere smoldering ember–an irony not lost on the man of flame. The Universe wasn’t hurting him by warping his behavior, forcing agreement through his teeth. It was just doing its job: making him what the tag said. Kind Lin(g).  And what a thorough job it did! Joel’s never been a kinder man. Well done!

As if the Universe knew it had done wrong, it left a Marvin behind for Lin to ride to his new-old home. And he was grateful for it. (Mostly for the sake of his knees.) Lin was kind enough to go back and gather all of Dan’s things from the dangerous dungeon, before even building himself somewhere to sleep. Kind enough to speak compliments to passersby, even when he struggled to find words sweet enough to meet the standards of his name. Kind enough to go visit little Jimmy despite his arthritis, and give him gifts–since Lin was old, and would die soon, he could give an advance on his will to such a good friend.  Out of the kindness smothering his heart.

-----

And now he is here. A kind old man, sitting by the fire, waiting for the world to end. He knows this isn’t The End, not for Joel. Joel will have many more lives, many more adventures. Most of them will probably be as Joel, even, not someone else. But it is the end for Lin, and what’s left of Griff and Dan as well. They were always temporary, always ephemeral, and it’s Lin’s turn to go back to Joel. He could’ve had more lives–or maybe not. Maybe a broken tag counted as two. It doesn’t matter now.

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