No Happy Ending Fest

EXO FESTIVAL FOR ANGSTY, TRAGIC, AND DARK FAN WORKS

Welcome to No Happy Ending Fest 9!This fanfiction and fanart fest is for all things angsty, tragic, and dark.**Why unhappy endings? **A number of studies show that sadness is not only cathartic but can also improve memory and increase motivation. Writing and reading these sad stories are a way to let out negative emotions. For some people, it's also therapeutic in that they can deal with their feelings through creative means that they feel passionate about.While unhappy endings may not be for everyone, as Paulo Coelho said:"Tears are words that need to be written."

Schedule

Creativity — like human life itself — begins in darkness

The fest runs on two time zones: KST and Pago-Pago Time.All major events open or start at 9PM KST.When it comes to check-ins or submissions, your responses are welcome as long as it's still the said date in Pago-Pago, the last of Earth's time zones.

General Rules

The number one rule of this fest: stories must have an unhappy ending. Whether it's a definitive end or something more open to interpretation is up to the creator.Below are some general rules and guidelines to follow.Characters
This fanfiction and fanart fest is for EXO (OT9) members.Former members may also be included, provided that they are not the main character. For example, a Xiumin/Lu Han work must focus more on Xiumin than Lu Han.Additionally, we will not accept prompts or works that involve Kris Wu.
You can include non-EXO characters as long as the main lead is an EXO member.
Aside from pairs or ships, member-centric and ot# are allowed.Genres and Ratings
We accept all genres and ratings (G to R, G to Explicit).Themes
You can submit prompts and create stories and art with disturbing and triggering themes as long as they are properly tagged and attached with the appropriate warnings. The theme of this fest is and always will be tragic and dark.Although we are very open to explicit themes and heavy triggers, the moderators reserve and exercise the right to review and remove the submission of content that does not treat sensitive topics with utmost care and discretion.Anonymous Until Reveals
You can tell anyone that you're participating in the fest, but don't divulge which prompt you submitted or claimed. You're supposed to remain anonymous until it’s time for reveals.

Prompts and Claims

Submitting Prompts
You can submit prompts even if you don't intend to join as a creator. There is no limit to the number of prompts you can submit.Please make sure that the prompts you're submitting are your ideas and not copied off another fest. Should you submit prompts to multiple fests, please let the respective mods know so we can avoid allegations of creators ripping off someone else's ideas.Claiming Prompts
Claiming of prompts will be first come, first served. You can't choose a prompt which has already been claimed.You can claim more than one prompt; however, you must submit the output of your first prompt before claiming another.If you are a graphic artist, you can choose the same prompt as a writer, so long as the art slot for the prompt has not been claimed.Alternately, a single participant can claim both story and art slots for a prompt.If a writer and an artist plan to work together, one person can make the claim and just inform the mods that it's going to be a collaborative piece.Please do not claim a prompt if you do not intend to write based on its details. While some prompts do offer some flexibility, others do not. For instance, if the pair indicated on the prompt is not something you want to write for, do not ask us if you can change it. There's a reason the prompter requested that pair.Self-Prompts
While we highly encourage participants to choose prompts from the archives, creators can submit work based off of self-prompts. Self-prompting will open at the same time as claiming.

Submissions

Check-In Requirements
NHE will have two check-in dates. This is simply to check if you're still working on your prompt.There is no minimum word count for check-ins. As the check-in dates approach, we will send out e-mails to get quick updates on your writing journey. You can send in an outline, 300 words, a screencap of you and your beta being excited about your story, or even a simple message to say that "Yes mods, I'm still writing."Completed Work Requirements
Fanfiction: minimum word count is 1,500 words
Fanart and graphic edits: at least 500px
FMVs: at least 480pDeadlines and Extensions
If you can't submit your work on time, please let us know as soon as possible. We’re open to giving extensions to those who need it.Fest submissions run on Pago-Pago Time, so as long as it's still the date of the deadline in American Samoa, we'll accept the submission.Dropouts
If you wish to drop out of the fest, just contact us! This fest is all for fun so there won't be any consequences. If you chose a prompt from our list, the said prompt will be available again for claiming.Final Submissions
For writers: NHE will accept final submissions via email and direct upload to the collection. It's up to the creator which option they're most comfortable with.Works will be uploaded as a collaboration between NHE and creators (i.e., co-creator option on AO3). This streamlines the approval and tagging process, as well as publication dates. NHE promises that no edits will be made on our end.Since all creators are listed on the work upon uploading, you will have access to edit the work prior to posting. Our only request is that no major changes be made that may affect the overall theme, genre, rating, and trigger warnings.NHE will also remove ourselves as co-creator once the work is published.For artists: We know reposting art is a sensitive matter, so we are offering 3 options when it comes to submission.1) Via AO3: if you have an AO3 account and/or a photo hosting account, you can remain anonymous until reveals. You can see samples of this type of submission here and here.2) Post directly, get an RT: for those who don't want to risk their art being copied and posted while the anonymous posts are ongoing, you can publish your work on your Twitter (we refuse to call it a letter) or art site and we will RT your work as part of the round's thread. All you have to do is coordinate with us for a posting schedule.3) Post after reveals: Similar to the second option, you can post your work on your preferred platform and we will add your work to the round's Twitter thread. We will inform you of the Reveals date at least 3 days prior.For fic and art claims: Writer can participate in the anonymous posting with the artwork either uploaded on AO3 along with the story or posted during Reveals.Cross Posting
Fest works will be part of a collection on AO3. For creators with accounts on other platforms, we kindly request to not cross-post until after reveals, which is predicted to be 2 to 4 weeks after the first submission of the round goes up.

Content guide

This is a loose guide on topics and content and which rating they may fall under.We can't really put definitive rules regarding these matters since different people have varying perceptions on what type of content they can handle.NHE has always been home to angsty and dark creations, including those with heavy triggers. We don't put hard restrictions topics because we do believe that, even in fanfiction and fanart, there can be room for healthy discussion on some of the more troubling issues out there.The mods believe that, as long as triggering topics are handled with knowledge, understanding, and sensitivity, they have a place in the fest. We believe it's the creator's responsibility to treat triggering topics carefully, just as it's the consumer's responsibility to understand why content warnings are in place.For this guide, we're using character death by suicide as a sample, but this can apply to all other triggering content.

We understand that many topics are not for everyone, which is why we stress proper tagging of triggering content and why we add another content warning on top of works during publishing.While we do allow works with heavy triggers, we also do our best to check that the content, tags, and ratings align for each story or artwork. Participants are always welcome to ask for guidance on these throughout the writing period.During Claiming
The registration form has a section where you can ask questions regarding the prompt. Are the wants flexible? Can I increase the rating? The mods will forward any questions to the prompter, and we'll share their response as soon as possible.During Check-Ins
While we don't require participants to submit drafts during check-ins, we do offer feedback for those who want it. It's during this time where you can also ask how your current progress fares when it comes to meeting prompt requirements, so you can make adjustments as you go.Submission Review
Mods do read all submissions prior to approval into the round's collection. It's during this time where we check the content, add tags that we deem necessary, and insert additional warnings if needed. If we feel like something is amiss, we will contact you for revisions to ensure that the fest guidelines are met.The bottom line: you're all free to create the content you feel will tell the story or invoke emotions better. If you feel apprehensive about anything, our CC, DM, and email are always open.