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yuletide2024-10-10 10:39 pm
dauntlessshadowice) wrote in yuletide2024-10-10 10:39 pm
Entry tags:
Crueltide 2024
Not every story is pleasant. Not every story has a happy ending, and not all happy endings come without a dark and painful journey. And sometimes, those are the kinds of stories that we really, really want to read.
If you're one of the many people interested in either writing or receiving darkfic or horror, then Crueltide is here for you!
The short version
The long version is beneath the cut (actually a details cut, but close enough.)
Because darkfic isn't to everyone's taste. By making it easier to identify darkfic prompts and people open to receiving darkfic in yuletide, we can all indulge our preferences without placing undue pressure on our assigned writers or risking gifting unwelcome fics to our recipients. (And also: the name was the least cutesy of those being thrown around in 2014.)
What is darkfic?
Depends on your definition. But here's a (non-exhaustive) list of darker tropes to get you started:
(White text used as some content may be triggering to some - highlight to read.)
Addiction - Amputation - Animal Abuse - Apocalypse - Betrayal - Body Horror - Brainwashing - Cannibalism - Character Death - Child Abuse - Claustrophobia - Conspiracy - Degradation - Disease - Dystopia - Gaslighting - Hauntings - Humiliation - Hypothermia - Insanity - Invasion of Privacy - Lovecraftian Cosmic Horrors - Medical Experimentation - Mind Control - Monsters - Murder - Mutilation - Non-Con - Paranoia - Poisoning - Prison - PTSD - Sadism - Slavery - Suicide - Torture - Unhappy Endings - Violence
Does a darkfic story have to have an unhappy ending/some other specific trope?
No! Not at all. Just because a story is packed with darkfic tropes doesn't mean there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Also, just because you like one trope, it doesn't mean you like all of them. Feel free to specify your do-not-wants alongside your wants.
Great, how does it work?
-- If you end up writing a darkfic story, just tag it with Crueltide when you upload it to the collection, and that'll help readers find more of what they like. It would also be good to tag any particular tropes you've used, to help readers find/avoid them. That's all you need to do! If your recip requested dark or horror fic but didn't comment on this post, you can still tag it with Crueltide if it fits the theme! The Crueltide tag helps all of us darkfic and horror readers find more things to read. :)
-- If you would like to receive a darkfic story in one of the fandoms you've requested in your yuletide sign-up, you can advertise that here by replying to this post. (The template below is merely a suggestion of what to include - the level of detail in prompts/tropes is entirely up to you. But please do limit yourself to fandoms on your Yuletide sign-up - the Yuletide mods need to be sure you get a fic in one of those, and a treat in an unexpected fandom could make that awkward. )
AO3: ao3 username
Letter: dear yuletide writer (URL)
Fandoms: fandom details here
Happy Endings Preferred?: yes/no/don't mind
Wanted tropes: list any of your favorite dark tropes, themes, or prompts here.
Unwanted tropes: list your darkfic do-not-wants here.
If you want to advertise your requested fandoms as being particularly dark and of potential interest to others, feel free to comment along those lines too.
Alternatively, if you only want your assigned writer to know what you're into, just make a mention of darkfic/crueltide in your optional details as part of your signup.
If you're one of the many people interested in either writing or receiving darkfic or horror, then Crueltide is here for you!
The short version
- Read the comments to find people to treat with darkfic.
- Tag your yuletide darkfic with 'crueltide'
The long version is beneath the cut (actually a details cut, but close enough.)
Why Crueltide?
Why Crueltide?Because darkfic isn't to everyone's taste. By making it easier to identify darkfic prompts and people open to receiving darkfic in yuletide, we can all indulge our preferences without placing undue pressure on our assigned writers or risking gifting unwelcome fics to our recipients. (And also: the name was the least cutesy of those being thrown around in 2014.)
What is darkfic?
Depends on your definition. But here's a (non-exhaustive) list of darker tropes to get you started:
(White text used as some content may be triggering to some - highlight to read.)
Addiction - Amputation - Animal Abuse - Apocalypse - Betrayal - Body Horror - Brainwashing - Cannibalism - Character Death - Child Abuse - Claustrophobia - Conspiracy - Degradation - Disease - Dystopia - Gaslighting - Hauntings - Humiliation - Hypothermia - Insanity - Invasion of Privacy - Lovecraftian Cosmic Horrors - Medical Experimentation - Mind Control - Monsters - Murder - Mutilation - Non-Con - Paranoia - Poisoning - Prison - PTSD - Sadism - Slavery - Suicide - Torture - Unhappy Endings - Violence
Does a darkfic story have to have an unhappy ending/some other specific trope?
No! Not at all. Just because a story is packed with darkfic tropes doesn't mean there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Also, just because you like one trope, it doesn't mean you like all of them. Feel free to specify your do-not-wants alongside your wants.
Great, how does it work?
-- If you end up writing a darkfic story, just tag it with Crueltide when you upload it to the collection, and that'll help readers find more of what they like. It would also be good to tag any particular tropes you've used, to help readers find/avoid them. That's all you need to do! If your recip requested dark or horror fic but didn't comment on this post, you can still tag it with Crueltide if it fits the theme! The Crueltide tag helps all of us darkfic and horror readers find more things to read. :)
-- If you would like to receive a darkfic story in one of the fandoms you've requested in your yuletide sign-up, you can advertise that here by replying to this post. (The template below is merely a suggestion of what to include - the level of detail in prompts/tropes is entirely up to you. But please do limit yourself to fandoms on your Yuletide sign-up - the Yuletide mods need to be sure you get a fic in one of those, and a treat in an unexpected fandom could make that awkward. )
AO3: ao3 username
Letter: dear yuletide writer (URL)
Fandoms: fandom details here
Happy Endings Preferred?: yes/no/don't mind
Wanted tropes: list any of your favorite dark tropes, themes, or prompts here.
Unwanted tropes: list your darkfic do-not-wants here.
If you want to advertise your requested fandoms as being particularly dark and of potential interest to others, feel free to comment along those lines too.
Alternatively, if you only want your assigned writer to know what you're into, just make a mention of darkfic/crueltide in your optional details as part of your signup.
no subject
Letter: https://unhindered-dreams.dreamwidth.org/9066.html
Fandoms:
Bullet Train (2022):
I've requested Lemon, Tangerine, and The Prince with the additional tag: "My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form". The exception is that Tangerine must feature in my gift, but Lemon and The Prince are optional.
Drive (2011):
I've requested Blanche and the Driver, and I want both of them featured in my gift.
The Net (1995):
I've requested Angela and Jack, and I want both of them featured in my gift.
Nocturnal Animals (2016):
I've requested Ray and Susan with the additional tag: "My gift must feature all of my chosen character tags; or it may use exceptions I explain in the form". The exception is that Ray must feature in my gift, but Susan is optional.
Happy Endings Preferred?: any kind of ending is fine
Wanted Tropes:
From The List: Addiction, Apocalypse, Betrayal, Brainwashing, Conspiracy, Dystopia, Gaslighting, Hauntings, Invasion Of Privacy, Lovecraftian Cosmic Horrors, Mind Control, Monsters, Non-Con, Paranoia, PTSD
Additional: Any Kind Of Creepy Setting, Back From The Dead, Bad Guys Win, Came Back Wrong, Corruption, Cults, Faustian Bargains, Gothic Horror, Kidnapping, Manipulation, Meet-Cute Turns Dark, Obsession, Occult, Possessive Behavior, Serial Killer AU, Stalking, Stockholm Syndrome, Uncanny Valley, Unhealthy Relationships, Vampire AU, Werewolf AU, Zombie Apocalypse AU
Unwanted Tropes (from the list)
These aren't official DNWs, but I would prefer not to receive:
Amputation, Animal Abuse, Cannibalism
Non-graphic references or implications of amputation happening to or cannibalism being perpetrated by OCs or unrequested characters would be okay if necessary for plot reasons, but I don't want these tropes applied to my requested characters.
Do Not Wants: These are all my DNWs, not just those related to Crueltide.
All Requests:
emetophilia
extreme underage (anything under 14)
female!rapist/male!victim
guro
humiliation
mpreg
scat
sounding
terminal illnesses (canonical references are fine)
vore
watersports
Bullet Train (2022):
permanent death of Lemon or Tangerine
unrequested Tangerine ships (requested Tangerine ships are: Tangerine/OFC and Tangerine/The Prince)
Drive (2011):
permanent death of Blanche or Driver
The Net (1995):
permanent death of Angela
Nocturnal Animals (2016):
no additional DNWs