Marketplace Rules and Guidelines

[mistress-tanwe.livejournal.com]

At Back to Middle-earth Month 2015: Tharbad’s Greenway Spring Faire (the Middle-earth Marketplace for all you need), writers, artists, and other creators of fanworks are invited to challenge each other to create fanworks during the month of March! Because this is a spring faire, you will spend and earn farthings as you participate throughout the month by posting challenge prompts, claiming challenge prompts, and leaving reviews for other participants.

Rules

1. Prompts are available for anyone to purchase. More than one person can purchase a prompt.

2. There are no restrictions on content, either in the prompts or fanworks created in response. If you do not like a character, pairing, interpretation, prompt, etc., ignore it.

3. Fanworks using these prompts will be posted either in the community or another archive. You are allowed to crosspost to whatever site you wish to post on. No fanworks are allowed in the prompt posts.

4. Fanworks posted in the community must follow the B2MeM posting guidelines found on the community's profile regarding headers, warnings, cuts, etc. Posts can link to a work posted on another archive if you do not wish to post the work here, but they must still include the provided header.

5. Remember that prompt fills are not gifts; they are jumping-off points for fanworks. They may or may not conform to your personal likes and dislikes. Please also keep in mind that not all prompts may be filled.

Faire Farthings

The only coin accepted at the Tharbad's Greenway Spring Faire is the faire farthing. Each person attending the Faire will receive 15 farthings to begin their faire-going experience.

~ Offering a prompt at one of the market stalls costs 1 farthing.
~ Purchasing a prompt costs 1 farthing.
~ Each comment you leave on a B2MeM 2015 fanwork will earn you 1 farthing.*
~ You may earn farthings by offering services to the faire, such as creating icons/banners for the use of other faire-goers. Giving services earns 2 farthings for each service rendered.
~ Posting a fanwork does not cost or earn farthings, as you have already bought the prompt(s) the fanwork is based on.

If you need assistance in keeping track of what you have spent and earned, the Faire's official bookkeeper zopyrus will be glad to help you, free of charge. Please visit the bookkeeping post for help.

*ETA March 7: A clarification-- only the first comment/review left on a fanwork earns you a farthing. Review replies and conversations do not.

How to post your prompts:

Leave a comment with the subject line identifying the main characters, gen/het/slash/femslash/poly (if it’s not obvious), a brief description of the prompt, and possible warnings if needed (MPTTor SWG’s). The comment itself should be the prompt.

If for some reason you cannot make a subject line appear, please write and bold the relevant information as the first line of your prompt.

The subject lines and/or bold text will allow participants to easily scan for prompts they're interested in.

For example:

Subject line-- Frodo and Aragorn, gen, hurt/comfort at the Field of Cormallen
Comment-- While Frodo is unconscious after being rescued from Mount Doom, Aragorn cares for him.

OR

Comment-- Fëanor/Nerdanel, wedding night, sexual content

On their wedding night, Fëanor and Nerdanel end up not sleeping at all, as they are too busy enjoying each other.

General Guidelines and FAQ

1. Who can participate?

Anyone! It doesn’t matter if this will be your first Tolkien fanwork or your hundredth; everyone is welcome to participate in B2MeM.

2. What if I don't have a LiveJournal account?

You don’t need one to participate. We welcome ‘anonymous’ comments, which don’t require a Livejournal login, from participants who don’t have a Livejournal account. However, unlike formats such as kink memes which allow truly anonymous comments, we require ‘anonymous’ comments to be signed. (For example, if your username on AO3 is FrodoFan1, then sign your comment with FrodoFan1.) Anonymous comments are automatically screened before they appear in the community, and unsigned comments will not be unscreened. If you want a LJ account, you can sign up for one here. There is also a version of OpenID available that also allows log-in through Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

3. How do I purchase a prompt?

Just reply to the prompt and say something like, "I'm buying this."

4. What sort of fanwork can I create with a prompt?

Anything you want-- fic, art, gif set, meta, craft, vid, etc.. If you think of it, and think it’s a fanwork, then it’s a fanwork.

5. Can I create a fanwork using a prompt I left?

Of course!

6. Can I combine prompts? What about using them in WIPs? What about crossovers and AUs?

Yes, you can combine prompts. You can also use them in WIPs. Crossovers and AUs are welcome as long as they have a significant basis in Tolkien’s works.

7. What if my prompt fits in more than one stall? For example, it takes place in both Mordor and Gondor.

Put it in the stall you think it fits best in; we trust your judgement. But please do not put identical prompts in more than one stall.

8. What if I don’t feel comfortable posting my work immediately or am using the prompt in a WIP or want to take time on my fanwork and don’t think I’ll complete it before March is over?

That’s perfectly fine! If you say you’re going to use the prompt, then we trust that you will. B2MeM has no deadlines; you do not have to post your work before March ends. The community is open year-round. (Nor do you have to post it at all if you do not wish to.)

9. What if I’m inspired by a prompt, but I didn’t find it until after B2MeM ends?

Create something for it! The prompts never expire.

Other Things

You can find a list of the market stalls (prompt pages) listed by location here.

The prompt posts will be up in the middle of the week.

The B2MeM community is on moderated status until March 1 GMT. This way, if you complete a fanwork early, you may post it without it showing up before the event begins. EDIT: The community is now in open posting.

For moral support and conversation, please check out the b2memsupport, the unofficial support community.

Comments

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I cannot keep track of money in my personal life. (I am arithmetic phobic and have never been able to balance a budget either. Before I was broke all the time over the last few years, my bank account was always a surprise--higher than I expected or lower than I hoped.)

I am unlikely to be able to do a whole bunch of prompts so I guess I should not worry about my balance. If I have a deficit, however, and I produce a disqualified piece of fanwork I can still use it to add to my personal archives on the SWG and AO3. Right?

[independence1776]

You can always have zopyrus in the bookkeeping post keep track for you. (That's why we created the position!)

You shouldn't worry about the balance, especially if you're only doing a few. The farthings are mostly a way to control the flow of prompts and fanworks so we don't have another inundation like the bingo in 2012.

If I have a deficit, however, and I produce a disqualified piece of fanwork I can still use it to add to my personal archives on the SWG and AO3. Right?

You can still post it in here in the comm if you wish! There are no disqualifications. (Of course you'll be able to post it on your normal archives. We don't restrict crossposting in any fashion.)

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

I am still a bit confused by the game, but I will participate. I suppose it will all become clear when the prompts are posted. =)

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

The farthings are mostly a way to control the flow of prompts and fanworks so we don't have another inundation like the bingo in 2012.

I wondered about that. I suspect that someone who asks for dozens of Bingo cards or even those who write a drabble a day might be slowed down temporarily at least if they have to pay a little for that level of participation which is so difficult for mods.

OMG! I am not one of those in any case. I am still working on the last chapter of a six-chapter novella I began five years ago for the SWG Five-year anniversary. Actually, I have always taken pay-back as a particularly important part of fandom participation. "Give as much as you take" in fandom-service is my general rule for myself personally!

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Same here!~ I am a show don't tell person. I croquet and knit without a pattern also--eyeballing it! I can't read directions--I am better with Ikea after years of experience, but do not like it!

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

(grin) I can read directions, but I am seldom certain I get them right.

We'll see once they show us! :)

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

That is a pleasing icon!~

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Yours is a nice one too! =)

[independence1776]

I'm glad to hear you're participating!

A brief summary: in a couple of days, we'll be putting up posts (market stalls) for people to place prompts in (we aren't supplying the prompts this year). Anyone can choose any prompt to fill. Posting and buying prompts costs one farthing each, and reviewing stories will give you more farthings, one per review.

For example: you start off with fifteen farthings, and you want to write a story a day for all 31 days. You spend one farthing posting a prompt in one of the stalls and fourteen farthings on buying prompts. You will need to review seventeen fanworks to gain the seventeen farthings you need to buy the seventeen prompts you need to reach 31 stories.

Does this help?

[independence1776]

We don't have a lot of mod power this year, so we had to do something to make life a little easier for ourselves.

Yup. I try, too, but I don't always succeed. Participation in both directions is key for a healthy fandom community.

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

The farthing idea is clever! Not only will it make it feel like a real marketplace, it should also help with limiting overzealous prompt choosing. I usually can't manage more than a couple of stories, so I might end up making more farthings than I spend if I do some commenting.

[independence1776]

Thank you! That was both of our goals in a nutshell. I'm probably going to be in the same boat about having far more farthings than I'll use. (After all, we don't have to spend all of them. :) )

[zhie.livejournal.com]

Collaborative works question: Do both/all parties need to purchase the same prompt in order to create the work, or just one member of said party?

[independence1776]

That is a very good question and we will get back to you with an answer shortly. :)

[silver-trails.livejournal.com]

Yes! I get it now. Thank you!

[independence1776]

You're welcome!

[independence1776]

We've decided that each participant working on a fanwork needs to buy that prompt.

[zhie.livejournal.com]

I like asking questions, so...

Are we allowed to 'gift' prompts to each other. Say someone realizes that they aren't going to use all of their coins, or in the case of the multiple writers/creators question, someone wants someone to work with them, but that other person is out of farthings... can the prompt be purchased twice and one of them gifted to the other person/people?

[independence1776]

Ask away. :)

We've decided that neither prompts nor farthings can be gifted to other participants. While generous, it would complicate things (especially bookkeeping), especially when more farthings are easily earned through reviewing. We're aiming for simplicity this year. :)

[zhie.livejournal.com]

I don't think I'd go so far as to agree that they are easily earned -- there are a lot of things that prohibit people from reviewing - or even viewing and reading. Example: Someone who only reads gen fic, they write fifteen things, they go to look and everything else posted is slash and het fics, and they can't find anything to review. Highly unlikely, of course, but just one of the many reasons I can't agree on the easy for everyone point. (I get it, though -- it's a way to get more people to review at a time when fics and pics are plentiful and reviews not so much -- and I'm far from concerned for my own participation, whatever that might be -- I'll read just about anything.) From the collaboration standpoint, I guess that's going to make that part more challenging.

Next question! (because you can see how much I enjoy playing Morgoth's advocate on things)

Prompts from other B2MEMs never expire. Someone could theoretically post things from previous B2MEMs during this month -- I'm going to assume reviews that count for this year would have to be for stories posted specifically for the 2015 event. (Also meaning, no going back to creations from previous years that were posted previous to March and reviewing on those.)

?

[dawn_felagund]

Going from past years, there should not be a shortage of pieces to comment on. We generally have a few intrepid participants who create something every day, with the result that there are usually several pieces being posted per day. Going by the tags, what is posted here is overwhelmingly genfic (295, 6, 14, and 9 for genfic, het, slash, and femslash, respectively), so it is unlikely that people will be put in the position of having to read something objectionable or not be able to earn prompts. Also, it is worth keeping in mind that "services" are worth two farthings each, so all of those banners you have made, for instance, have served to increase your bank account quite a bit. ;)

And always, always our mod inbox is open. :) If a situation were to arise where it would become impossible for someone to earn more farthings to continue to participate, then we would of course work with that person. Based on past years, I highly doubt that situation would arise, but we will figure something out if it does. We want people to have fun and be able to participate freely; we just also, this year, from an admin perspective, have to limit the complexity, as we don't have a lot of mods able to volunteer this year.

Anything posted for this year's B2MeM counts for a farthing if reviewed. We are not going to split hairs and withhold a farthing from someone who reviewed a story posted this month for a previous year's challenge. (Although, again, if past experience is anything to judge by, that won't happen; we always welcome new works posted here, but very few people actually do this and, to the best of my recollection, no one ever has during the current B2MeM event.) Comments on stories and art posted for past B2MeM events do not count for farthings this year.

[zhie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's why I said, I'm not too worried about my situation, it's all coming from discussions in skype and what ifs best asked before things start - and some people being shy about asking. I clearly don't have that issue XD

So! Commenting question -- I'm assuming that comments (reviews) would need to be posted in the comments section of the LJ, not, say, on AO3 if someone posted there and linked it through their LJ post.

[dawn_felagund]

Comments count on sites other than our LJ. We absolutely encourage people to cross-post their work and comment on B2MeM stories on other archives and groups.

People with questions can also email us at b2mem.mod@gmail.com if they are shy about commenting here, or PM one of the mods or mistress_tanwe. We are here to help, and there is no such thing as a dumb question.

[pandemonium-213.livejournal.com]

Bauglir help me, I am soooooo tempted to wade into B2MeM again, despite my avoidance of fandom-related deadlines and such.

*Off to create a spreadsheet...*

[independence1776]

Dooo iiit. *ahem* On a more serious note, there aren't any deadlines this year, so you can claim a prompt and just work on it and post when you have the time, whether in March or later in the year.