With so many new friends and with the changes we've made to the content promotion model, we thought it might be a good idea to create a text post of the event's FAQs. Especially since tumblr mobile isn't exactly known for its reliability when it comes to links at the top of the blog. Below you will find the FAQs as they are written as of September 2023. A link to the Sicktember FAQ page can be found [Here]
Frequently Asked Questions/Rules
* What is Sicktember?
-Sicktember is a fan-run, September-long hurt/comfort prompt event focused on sick characters and their caregivers.
* What fandoms can participate?
- Every fandom is welcome to participate, including Original Characters and Original Works!
* When does Sicktember begin?
-The idea is to have a prompt a day for the entire month of September, but that’s more of a guideline than an actual rule.
* Do I have to write all 30 prompts in order to participate?
- Not at all! Don’t feel pressured into writing all 30 prompts. You can write as few or as many as you want. This list is meant to spark inspiration, not cause any undue stress.
* Do I have to write all of the prompts separately or can I combine them?
- You can write all of the prompts in one continuous fic, write them all separately or combine a handful at a time. Do what works for you! Just, please, specify which prompts inspired your work.
* Can I combine with prompts from other events?
-As long as the other events you’re participating in are okay with it, so are we! Combine all you’d like!
* Do I have to write the prompts in order?
-No. You can write them in whatever order you’d like, but again, please identify which prompts your work is based on.
* I don’t write but I can draw. Can I participate?
-Yes! All types of content creators are welcome to join in the fun.
* What if I don’t finish the prompts by the end of September?
- No problem! Take your time and create at your own pace! There’s no rush. But also keep in mind that you are not obligated to fill each and every prompt.
* Are there any restrictions?
- There are only two major restrictions. No sexually explicit material and no illegal or non-consensual relationships.
- No explicit descriptions of sexual encounters (smut/erotica/pornography)
- Innuendo and tame mentions of sexual encounters are okay.
-No romantic relationships between adults and minors, relationships that are incestuous, and/or relationships that are stockholm syndrome based.
- As a hurt/comfort-focused event, we would like to keep the main focus of this particular event on the sick character and their caregiver/caretaker
-This also allows us to leave this event open to a broader range of participants, including minors.
*What if I want to use one of the prompts to write something that doesn’t fit within the event rules?
- We understand that inspiration comes from many places and we certainly aren’t here to tell you what you should and shouldn’t write.
- If your prompt-inspired content is outside of the event’s restrictions, then it is no longer for the event, and it should not be associated with it. At that point, your content is for you, and all of the people who would enjoy it!
- In this situation, we ask that you please do not use the event tags, submit the content to the blog, or enter the content into the AO3 collection.
*Can dark themes, character death and/or swearing be included in my content?
- there are no rules against the use of heavy subjects or character death or swearing
-All we ask is that you tag your content appropriately so that readers can decide whether or not that’s the kind of content they want to read.
*There aren’t enough alternate prompts for me. Can you add more? Can I add my own?
- If you need additional alternate prompts let us know! We would be happy to discuss the potentiality of adding one or two more if the need to do so becomes apparent.
-You are also welcome to suggest an additional alternate prompt if you have an idea of what you would like to use. However, there is no guarantee that it will be added to the official list.
-But also, please keep in mind that you are not obligated to write thirty prompts. If you find that there are only a few or perhaps only a single prompt on the list that you’re comfortable working with, then that is absolutely fine! No pressure!
* Once the event begins, will projects be collected anywhere?
- Authors who post their work on the Archive of Our Own (AO3) website are welcome and encouraged to add their work to the collection, ‘Sicktember 2023’
- Content Creators who post or cross-post on Tumblr are encouraged to use the tag #sicktember 2023 so that others can find and enjoy their work.
*How do I post my work to the collection on Archive of Our Own (AO3)?
-When you create a draft or edit your work, there is a section titled [Associations] -In the section, you will find a text box labeled [Post to Collections/Challenges]
-That is where you will type, Sicktember_2023 (It should auto-fill for you to make a selection. However if it doesn’t, you can type the name of the collection into the bar- exactly as you see it here- and it will still post appropriately.)
- You can also post to the collection by using the ‘post collection’ button on the top right corner of the Sicktember_2023 collection’s page.
*Keep in mind that (a) the collection will not be open until September and (b) your work will not be added to the collection until you hit [Post]
* Will you be promoting/featuring completed projects on Tumblr?
You are welcome and encouraged to submit your work for posting on the @sicktember blog.
Your submission should be formatted as follows
- A link to your content (tumblr, ao3, ff.net, wattpad, etc…)
- The fandom or alternative fandom tag you wish to be included on your submission. (No fandom tags, original work, owl house, m/arvel, c*bra k*i, etc…) ** Please limit fandom tags to five or less **
- The prompt you used (the number and the prompt itself)
- A Summary, description or snippet of your content (not a full fic)
The above-mentioned Information does not have to be in that order, but it does have to be clearly included.
** Important things to keep in mind when submitting:
- We will be posting no more than 10 submissions a day.
- To be posted, your submission must be correctly formatted.
- The correctly formatted submissions we post will be chosen at random.
- We will be queueing submissions until the inbox is empty
* I don’t want my work reblogged/I don’t want my work reblogged with fandom tags. How can I avoid that?
- We will not be reblogging any content. All content promotion will be handled through submission where the content creator has the option to label their fandom as they wish.
* Is there a way to prevent so many sicktember reblogs from flooding my feed?
Ideally, this will not be a problem during the 2023 event, as we have switched to submissions only and will be monitoring the number of submissions we post per day.
However, you should be able to collapse these posts (making them easier to scroll past) by going to your tumblr settings and filtering the tag #💚💚💚
⭐⭐ Please keep in mind that this is one fan-run event among many. If you don’t agree with the above-mentioned parameters, that’s okay! We want you to feel comfortable with the events you choose to participate in. And if that means not participating in this one, that’s okay too! Find one you love. If you can’t, consider creating one of your own! (It’s fun, and we highly recommend it ) ⭐⭐
**If you have any further questions, send an ask to the @sicktember blog or reach out to @yes-i-am-happyaspie or @obsessionoftheday.
