what is tff?
TFF is a fic fest focusing on telling the stories of trans characters and bringing down any wrong assumptions regarding how to portrait genderqueer characters! We hope that this can both lift the spirits of trans authors in the fandom on telling our stories & encourage cis authors to include trans characters in their works.
It's not an anonymous fest, but we do encourage our writers to be secretive of their works until postings period starts. Check our rules and our timeline if you're planning to join!
meet the admins!
NIGHT🌙 is an enthusiast of all things monster-like, science fiction, and misunderstandings as a plot device. Likes Mark Lee, History, brainstorming with admin Day, and making characters suffer a little before they get better. [he/him]
DAY ☀️, on the other hand, is an enthusiast of caramel popcorn, the ocean, reality television and writing about things people don't often write about. Likes Na Jaemin, cats, and has once hugged admin Night in real life. [they/them]
timeline
PROMPTING ⟶ 10/04 – 20/04
CLAIMING ⟶ 25/04 – 05/05
FIRST CHECK-IN ⟶ 15/06
SECOND CHECK-IN ⟶ 01/07
THIRD CHECK-IN ⟶ 17/07
SUBMISSIONS ⟶ 31/07 – 07/08
WORK/AUTHOR REVEALS ⟶ 09/08
tff's faq
1. what's the meaning of this fest?
The state of NCT’s (and every other) ficdom when it comes to trans people is deplorable, to say the least, and hardly ever portraits our struggles and blessings as something other than never ending melancholy or heavily fetishized smut. Not to mention the many stereotypical characterizations of some NCT members based on doubtful concepts of gender identity and gender expression, and the overall lack of healthy representation. All in all, your favorite writers haven’t been portraying trans people as they should — if they have portrayed us at all — and we’re just trying to help them. If you can write about your kpop boy falling in love with another man, you can think outside the box of cisnormativity.
2. why should i join?
TFF is a fic fest like every other. It has no limits as to what prompts you can send in, what themes you want to tackle with your work. Our main request is simply that your main character, or one of them, or all of them if you'd like, has to be trans. Shouldn’t be so hard. Write sci-fi, write a romcom, write an office au, write an horror fic, but include trans people in it! Consider that this is an opportunity to fill the NCT tag with more diversity!
3. do i have to be trans to join the fest?
No! Even though we do want want to encourage trans writers to write about our own narratives and have our stories heard, and for people not to turn their noses up when they find a work with a trans character in it on AO3, this fest's purpose is also to encourage cis authors to rethink their priorities and understand that, as we live in a plural world where people have different gender identities and forms of expression, trans people can exist in fanfiction too! Let this fest serve as a reminder that writing from different point of views (including ones that aren’t yours) can only make you a better writer. In TFF, you don't have to be afraid to write about an experience that is not your own because you can do it in a way that isn't disrespectful.
4. how can i write a trans character
if i am not a trans person myself?
Quite literally, by writing. There is no other way to do it; trust us. While we understand it might be difficult, or you may be apprehensive over whether your character is portrayed offensively, we ask for you to remember that an attempt is better than a blank page, and it means a lot more to us. Our mods also volunteer to help you through each step, although it should be stated that not all trans people have to educate you. We do it out of love, so come to us when in doubt, but be mindful of the trans people in your life!
5. does my story have to revolve around
my character's transness?
No! Believe it or not, trans people are just like cis people! We fall in love, we get that job we want to, we have our hearts broken, we really want to adopt a kitten, we are teachers, historians, ballet dancers… And the list goes on. We're everywhere, so your character can be everywhere as well! You can write about your character's journey on becoming the galaxy's most respected and feared bounty hunter, and they're wearing a binder, for example. Not every trans character has to go through an arc in which they're discovering themselves, or to have longs and longs paragraphs saying how much they hate "being trapped inside this body". Sometimes we just live. So write a coffee shop au if you want! Of course, if anyone wants to tackle these themes to a deeper extent, such as a character questioning their gender, or a character coming out, you're free to do so. We'd love to see this coming from trans authors, though!
6. is this fest limited to
certain nct/wayv members?
All members of NCT/WayV are welcome in this fest. We also accept every ship, including polyamorous relationships.
NOTICE! As stated in our rules, prompts and works that contain non consensual sex scenes or erotic writing about celebrities who are minors as of 2020 will not be accepted!
7. as a writer, can i choose to remain
anonymous during postings?
Yes, of course! On the claiming form, you will be able to check a box about remaining anonymous or not, but you can also reach out to us through email if you decide you want to remain anonymous later this year.
8. can i self prompt?
Yes, you can! Although we encourage writers to pick prompts from the archive, we will also release a second form, during claiming period, where you will be able to "claim" a fic that you're already writing or planning to write!
9. are sns/socmed aus allowed?
Yes! More information about how SNS AU's can join the fest will be released soon!
if you have any other question that wasn't answered here,
feel free to drop by our Twitter DM's, email or Curious Cat!
how do i...
• submit a prompt?
• claim a prompt?
• send a check-in?
• post to the collection?
how do i submit a prompt?
On the 10th of April, 00:00 KST, the admins will release a Google Form where you will submit a prompt! There is no limit to how many prompts one can send, but we ask that you at least vary ships. In that form, you'll write down what ship (if any) you'd like to read, a general idea for the plot, a preferred rating, what you'd like to see (i.e.: a trope, an specific AU or setting) and what you do not want to see (i.e.: major character death, cheating, etc), as well as any other notes you'd like your writer to see. This form will be up until the 20th of April, 23:59 KST. All the prompts will then be organized in an Excel table, each of them with a code (#TFF___) that will be used when claiming starts! The prompt archive will be released, at max, two days after prompting ends.
how do i claim a prompt?
Similarly to the prompting period, on the 25th of April, 00:00 KST, the admins will release a Google Form in which writers will rank three prompts of their choice to claim, using the prompts' codes (#TFF___). Claiming works as a first come, first served system, meaning that if your #1 pick has already been claimed, you'll get your #2 and so on. On that form, we will also ask for your email, your ao3 username and twitter handle. After submitting this form, you will receive a claiming confirmation by email along with all information about your prompt of choice. The form will be up until the 5th of May, 23:59 KST.
In this fest, it will also be possible for you to self prompt. If you have a work in the making that you would like to submit to this fest, you can! We'll release a form for self prompting on the 25th of April as well.
how do i send a check-in?
Check-ins are received through email and email only. The first check-in requires a minimum word count of 500 words, the second check-in requires 700 words, and the third and final check-in requires 1,500 words. Notice that you should have your work ready with a minimum of 2,000 words by July 31st, which is when submissions period begins.
To check-in, you will compose an email to [email protected], entitled "TFF check-in number Check-in" (#1, #2, #3), with the following information:
• email
• ao3 username + twitter handle
• prompt number
• a word document or link to google docs consisting of the minimum word count to that check-in
Each and every author will receive an email with information on how to submit check-ins a week prior to the deadlines.
we will be updating this part as we approach the end of the fest!
now focus on thinking about prompting and writing, people!