Ficathons are held once a year and each one has a theme. If there is no overall theme, couples are assigned to
participants so that each of the four couples are well-balanced in
representation.
The aims of the Shitennou.com Ficathons are: to encourage
participation by authors as well as to stretch their creativity and
writing abilities, and increase the number of senshi-shitennou
centred stories. Prizes are awarded after a certain number of
ficathons, to reward those who have actively participated in the event.
It also serves to bring the community closer by including a Secret Santa
aspect: who doesn't love a good story for a present?
Sign-up for the ficathons will start from mid-June
to the 1st of July. Anyone of any writing calibre can participate,
especially if they want to stretch themselves a little. To sign-up,
entrants must reply to the Announcement on the Shitennou.com forums with the
following information:
a) your pen-name.
b) (disguised) contactable e-mail address (i.e. wyse_k[at]yahoo.com.au)
c) your favourite couple
d) are you uncomfortable or too young to read smut?
and, this last one is optional depending on whether or not couples need to
be assigned ...
e) your least favourite couple or the couple you find difficult to write
for.
Writing can begin as soon as your receive your ficathon
details, which includes your identification number. It is recommended
that the format for your entry be in either a Word Document (.doc) or
a Text File (.txt); furthermore, keep the font simple (e.g. Times
New Roman or Arial), and for effects, stick to the basic three:
italics, bold, and underline. These
recommendations are not just me being anal, but also to make sure that your
entry can actually be read by anyone, with any kind of computer.
Word limits are in place: 500 minimum, 5000 intermediate cap, and 10000
absolute maximum. These are in place so that a sizeable drabble is at
least done, and for those who can't stop writing, it'll act as a leash to
stop them writing a novella. Oh, and lastly, paragraphs are greatly
appreciated.
Whatever you write about, is up to you. If there's
a theme, you interpret it as you like. If there's no theme, try and
request a character/couple that you don't often write for. The idea is
simply to stretch yourself as an author. It is highly recommended that
you write a one-shot. After all if you give someone a present, you
don't give half a present do you? Previous authors have also submitted
scenes and side-stories to their on-going series. The main thing is
that there has to be a beginning, a middle, and a conclusion. If
there's a sex scene in your submission, which you feel is necessary to the
story, then by all means leave it in, the moderator will ensure that it will
only be received as a Secret Santa by someone who won't mind such content.
The due date will always be the second Sunday of
August. Extensions must be asked for in advance and a maximum
extension is an extra 7 days. Failure to submit on time or to follow
the above (word limit) rule means that your participation is not recorded
for a prize.
Secret Santa's will be mailed to everyone between
the third and fourth Sunday of August. That is, you will receive one
of the other submissions for the ficathon, along with a little badge/award
picture stating your participation.
If you're an entrant, you will be able to access all
ficathon submissions beginning of September. If you're not an
entrant, you will be able to access all ficathon submissions in the second
to last week of September.
Prizes are available every four/five years. More details on this will be available on individual pages. Every participant will however receive a little badge/award picture for their efforts.
Aquamarine (c) K. Wyse 2003-2006