The first rule of fandom is have fun. The second rule of fandom is find an enabler and become an enabler. Yes you should write that fic. What if it was even hornier? What if it was angstier? What if you wrote it just for me?
the best fanfiction you've ever read was written by a woman in her 40s before she made dinner for her kids. it was written by a teenager after school when they should've been studying for a history test. and a barista came up with the idea while they cleaned the espresso machine and busser fact-checked it on their break and the post-doc edited between writing grant proposals and the nurse apologized for typos in the notes after a long shift and behind every drabble and one-shot and multi-chapter fic there is a person with a wonderful and interesting and chaotic life and it is such a privilege that we get to be a part of it because they decided to do this thing we all share, for fun.
Apparently today is Loving Day, named after Richard and Milford Loving, the interracial couple whose lawsuit against the state of Virginia resulted in interracial marriage becoming legal in the United States. And so this day was made as a holiday for interracial relationships. I think that's very cool and deserves a tumblr post. Happy Loving Day to everyone in interracial relationships!
her name was Mildred, not Milford, but otherwise, very much worth noting that Loving v. Virginia was decided in 1967, after the couple had been sentenced to a year in prison for “cohabiting as man and wife, against the peace and dignity of the commonwealth” in 1959 (per Wikipedia, the sentence was suspended because they agreed to leave Virginia and not come back for 25 years). Additionally worth noting that Alabama continued to enforce their illegal anti-miscegenation act until 1970.
Imagine Grace defined his name as the elegance definition of grace and Rocky spends years thinking how fucking ironic this clumsy leaky space blobs name is.
Until Grace slips out a sentence along the lines of "could you give me a little grace here" and Rocky immediately points out he used a word wrong so Grace has to explain that yeah, grace means elegance but it can also mean mercy sometimes too.
And Rocky has to suddenly reconcile that the clumsy leaky blob that saved his life twice, that almost certainly doomed himself to come back for him, name is Mercy.
given the current climate this pride especially i feel i must mention that i love my trans friends, i stand with trans people in the fight against transphobic legislation and those who would enforce it, and this blog is not a good place for you to be if you do not vibe with that
Shane lied to his teammates for a decade. I can understand why they wouldn’t trust him after finding that out. Sure it hurt Shane that they thought he might’ve tripped on purpose, but I’m sure THEY were pretty fucking hurt when they found out their captain had been lying to them for the entire time they’d known him. They realized he had never trusted them. Not one of them. Not for a second. He broke their trust completely. As captain there is no coming back from that. (As a friend there is hardly ever any coming back from that.) Imagine the hurt and sense of betrayal. It’d be like realizing half your life had been a complete lie. Like you thought you’d been happily married for ten years and then you find out your spouse had been cheating on you from day one (or even before.) You’d re-evaluate everything. It would not only destroy your faith in the present moment but it would sour all your memories. Even the best ones. It would make you doubt yourself.
I think Shane should’ve realized immediately that there was no way he could continue being their captain after his “other life” was exposed. There is just no way to rebuild the trust. Not after lying for so long. There’s just no way they would ever trust him again. And you can’t be captain of a team if they don’t trust you.
I try and keep this blog a positive and respectful space and not invite too much discourse or anything on here but genuinely. from the bottom of my heart. what the fuck?
Like, are you really here trying to push the blame for the team's reactions onto Shane by saying he hurt them by not trusting them? Is that seriously what's happening here? You're saying he betrayed them by not telling them about his relationship with his rival? The man that has been the bane of Montreal's existence since he got drafted? You're trying to say that him hiding that from the team was the same level of betrayal as cheating on your spouse of a decade???
When will people realise that queer people don't owe anyone shit.
And why should Shane trust the team? He trusted them by telling them he was gay and then the rumour got spread around the entire league. Where would that rumour have come from if not the Voyageurs locker room? What about that tells you that he's in a safe space to be able to tell them about Ilya? What about that tells you that they're his friends? The league is already a very homophobic place, with slurs tossed around like second nature, just because Shane is out to them doesn't mean they're actually supportive? They allow Shane to exist as long as he keeps delivering results. As long as he keeps winning them games. And the SECOND he loses a game against Ilya, that's it for the team. He's not worth it anymore. They never considered him a friend or respected him any further than in a professional sense.
As someone who grew up and is still very entrenched in an openly homophobic culture, I am never going to reveal my bisexuality to my family or close friends. None of them. If I ever fall in love with a woman, they will never know about it. Do I know that they love me? Yes. Do I love and trust them with a lot of myself? Yes. Will I EVER trust them with this? Absolutely not. Because it's too big of a risk. And it kills me that these people that I love and adore will never know all of me. And these are my CLOSEST friends and family. And if one of them were to come out to me, or be outed against their will, I would NEVER be hurt that they didn't tell me. That they didn't trust me enough. Because why would they? Why would they ever take that risk? I wouldn't feel betrayed. I would be heartbroken for them and do everything I could to show them that I am still there for them, that I still support them, that I still love them.
You think Shane should have told his COWORKERS his biggest secret? You think he betrayed them by not telling them?? You must live such a privileged life to think that Shane would have been met with open arms. To think that the Voyaguers were mad or hurt because he didn't trust them enough to tell them and not because they're homophobic shits that took this as an excuse for them losing. To be able to blame Shane for them not making it through the playoffs. Not a single one of them, not even JJ, who was the only one who actually seemed to accept Shane's sexuality, reached out once he got outed. Not a single one of them thought about their supposed "friend" Shane, and what he was going through, if he was okay.
So no, I don't think it was Shane's "betrayal" that meant he could never be their captain again. I think it was the team that betrayed their captain.
if you're sitting on a fanfic idea because you think it's "too weird" or "too niche" I need you to understand something: the internet is VAST and FULL of people with your exact brand of weird. that crackship that makes sense only to you? there are at least 50 people who will read it and go "oh my god FINALLY." but even if there were ZERO? you still deserve to write the thing that makes your brain light up.
SIGNUPS: MAY 23TH - JUNE 6TH 21:00 HRS (UTC-4)
ASSIGNMENTS OUT: JUNE 7TH
DEFAULT DEADLINE: JULY 19TH 21:00 HRS (UTC-4)
POSTING DEADLINE: JULY 26TH 21:00 HRS (UTC-4)
WORK REVEALS: AUGUST 2ND 21:00 HRS (UTC-4)
CREATOR REVEALS: AUGUST 9TH 21:00 HRS (UTC-4)
RULES
This exchange is limited to FANFICTION. This means you are guaranteed to receive/create a piece of fanfiction for the event. This means you cannot opt out of/DNW getting fanfic.
You must be 18+ to join.
You must have an AO3 account to join. If you do not have one, please contact the mod OFF-ANON for an invite. You can do so at everythinghollanov on tumblr or maevedarcy on DW.
To get an invite, you will need to provide an email address. Please ensure this is an email address you’re comfortable sharing with the mod, like a fannish email. Do not use your personal email with your legal name on it.
Other mediums can be given as treats (podfic or fanart, for example).
Fics do not have to be summer themed but can be if you want to.
MINIMUMS
You must write a minimum of 1000 original words (never posted before) for your assigned recipient. There is no maximum.
WHAT'S ALLOWED?
All fics must feature Hollanov as the main pairing.
All ratings are allowed.
Crossovers and fusions are not allowed at this time.
Character bashing is not allowed.
RPF is not allowed at this time.
NO AI USE IS ALLOWED. USING AI WILL MEAN IMMEDIATE REMOVAL FROM THE EXCHANGE COLLECTION AND A PERMANENT BAN.
OTHER IMPORTANT STUFF
This exchange has an anon period. This means that during the duration of the exchange you must not discuss details of your works publicly or in a space where your recipient might see.
If you have questions about your recipients’ prompts/additional details, please contact the mod at maevedarcy at proton dot me. The mod will pass along the question anonymously and try to avoid revealing details on your particular gift so it remains a surprise.
Beta readers are not mandatory but they’re encouraged. If you need a beta and cannot find one, please email the mod at maevedarcy at proton dot me. The mod will do their best to find a beta for you, but it’s not guaranteed.
Commenting on your gift/treats is MANDATORY. Even if you just comment a bunch of emojis, please take the time to thank your creator. Not commenting will mean a one year ban from any event run by everythinghollanov.
Please check the AO3 email you have for your account is one you check frequently. The mod might have questions about your signup and may need to contact you.
FAQ & Signup Instructions below the cut
Can I include original characters?
Including original characters is fine, but Hollanov must still be the main focus of your fic. You may opt out of Original Characters by adding it to your DWNs (Do Not Wants)
Is Outsider POV allowed?
Yes, but only if it was requested by your recipient. You may opt out of Outsider POV by adding it to your DWNs (Do Not Wants)
What if I suddenly can't make my gift and need to drop out?
You can do so by going to My Assignments > Default. This will drop your assignment and the person you were creating for will go out as a Pinch Hit
Is there a penalty for defaulting?
Not if you default before the Default Date
What if I default after the default deadline?
Then you won't be allowed to participate in the next everythinghollanov exchange whenever that may be.
What are DNWs?
DNWs or Do Not Wants are things that will ruin the gift for you. You must have clearly stated Do Not Wants in your signup Optional Details (do NOT use any html code to hide them, such as the Details tag). If you do not state DNWs, your creator is free to create whatever they want.
DNWs must not be used to box your creator into making a specific gift for you. You do NOT need to explain your DNWs.
For example:
Acceptable DNW: DNW Non-hockey AUs
Unacceptable DNW: DNW Shane as anything other than a barista in a Coffee Shop AU
Works that hit a DNW that was clearly stated in the signup will not be accepted to the collection and the recipient will go out as a Pinch Hit.
If you receive a work that hits a DNW stated in your signup, please contact the mod immediately.
What is a Pinch Hit?
A Pinch Hit or PH is someone who does not have a creator. An initial PH is someone who does not have a creator from the start.
If you are an initial PH, DO NOT FEAR! Sometimes this happens because of making sure everyone has a good match to create for. The best part of being an initial pinch hit is knowing that whoever creates for you wanted you in specific! And don't worry, you will get a gift, even as an initial pinch hit, so long as you create your assigned work!
PHs will be advertised on DW (Pinch Hit comm) and tumblr (everythinghollanov).
What if someone doesn't have a gift by the deadline?
The Exchange will not reveal until everyone who created has a gift. This might result in a one-week delay. As a mod, I will do my best to ensure everyone gets a gift on time.
What is a treat?
A treat is an extra gift that someone who was not matched to you makes out of the goodness of their heart. If you are open to receiving treats in a different medium, please say so in your optional details. You can opt in to treats in a different medium in your Additional Details (E.g.: I’m opting in for treats in any medium!)
You are allowed to not want treats or to not want treats in a specific medium. If so, please say it in your optional details! (E.g.: DNW: fanart as a treat)
If you're open to treats, you need to go on AO3 > Preferences >Collections, Challenges and Gifts and tick the box that says "Allow gifts from anyone"
Treats are not guaranteed, but they're great surprises to get!
If you wish to treat someone something different, like fanart or podfic, you are allowed to do so to anyone who has opted in! You can see the details for each request here. Please do not give treats to people who specifically opted out of treats. If you made a treat and belatedly noticed this person does not allow them, you may gift them to the collection.
The minimum for treats is 300 words of fic for written or podficced works. The minimum for fanart is art at the stage of ‘nice sketch’ on unlined paper (it doesn’t need to be fully colorized or rendered if digital, for example).
You can also write/podfic/make art as a gift to the collection. These can be posted without a recipient. More information on posting treats will be available later.
What's a 'Dear Creator Letter'?
It's an optional post where you can rave about Hollanov, and your likes and dislikes if it did not fit into your signup. You can host it on Dreamwidth or Tumblr ON A PUBLIC POST and link it to your signup. DNWs stated in your Letter but not on your signup will not be enforced.
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SIGN UP INSTRUCTIONS
Please read the instructions carefully to make sure you have a successful signup! These instructions are also available in the signup form at AO3, but you may want to read them to know what to expect.
If you have any questions, please send send us an ask. so we can all be on the same page.
Request instructions
You may choose to request Book canon or Show canon. Pick both if you would prefer either or a mix of canons would not turn you off. If mixing canons would bother you, use the Additional Details tags and list it as a DNW (E.g.: DNW mixing book and show canon. Just stick to one.)
Select up to 20 additional tags FROM THE TAGSET that you would like to receive. Your creator may choose to combine multiple tags, but they are only required to use ONE to create your work, so choose tags that you would enjoy as the main focus.
Additionally, you can add a "Dear Creator Letter". This is a separate post hosted on Dreamwidth or Tumblr (set to PUBLIC) where you can write in any details you want to add that did not fit your sign up. You can also rave about Hollanov so people know what you like about them. This letter is OPTIONAL and your creator is free to ignore it if they're okay with the details in your signup.
Write all of your DNWs VISIBLY in the Additional Details box on the AO3 signup form. DNWs only in a linked Dear Creator letter or otherwise not stated in your signup will not be enforced by the mod.
Sample Optional Details:
I love AUs, please choose any of the ones in my signup. I like all kinds of fics with happy endings.
DNWs: HP-related AUs specifically. Eye trauma. Unhappy endings.
Offer instructions
You may choose to create for one canon only. This does not have to match your requests.
If you pick both, that means you can be matched to any of those canons, so make sure you're only picking both if you can write both.
Select up to 20 additional tags FROM THE TAGSET that you would like to create. Choose only those you really want to write, as you will be matched on ONE of these.
Fanfiction is supposed to be cringy. You're allowed to write bad. You're allowed to be cringe. Fanfiction is supposed to be self indulgent. You're allowed to be cringe. Let yourself be cringe. Fanfiction is supposed to be fun. Stop putting arbitrary rules on yourself and be free.
romaincrisis
areudirty
jacobvanloon
stormborns
dededos
gummygunk
izzy806
