Hi EF-ers! As the saying goes, the only constant in life is change. And while it's only been a few weeks since I jumped onboard as an EF mod, I know that my schedule is keeping me from committing fully to this position. So, after this week, due to the increasing demands I'm facing from work and home, I am stepping down as an EF mod. Although I'm on the site daily, I'm struggling to do more than check in - and forget about writing or reading or commenting (which are all the things I love best about EF). You are in great hands with Holly, Kathleen, Ellie, and Dark at the mod helm and I look forward to someday having the time to enjoy the site as an active member again, since I plan to stay with EF for as long as the site will have me. Thanks!
Kat aka kats_meow
--kats_meow on April 06, 2022 10:51am 12 Comments
Hello Elysian Fields,
We are somehow at the end of March, which means April Challenge Month is right around the corner. So let’s review what’s new, what’s old, and what all to expect as we enter our first major site event of 2022.
If this post doesn’t answer all your burning questions, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment for the Mod team. We’re here to help.
How do I participate in Challenge Month?
To participate in the event, your story must be linked to one of the many challenges available on EF. More on how to link that below.
How and when do I post my story?
You may begin posting your stories at midnight on April 1st site time, which is currently set to GMT (you can check this under the Shoutbox). This is different from previous years, as the site time was reset by our host a couple of weeks ago during a maintenance upgrade. We are still working on correcting the site time to the standard US-Eastern, but this may not be fixed before the event commences.
In any case, do not stress about the time too much. Given the possibly (likely probable) confusion, we will be making allowances for people who slip in a few minutes early. (Just, you know, don’t take the piss.)
When you go to add a new story, you should see the following checkbox:
How do I link my story to an existing challenge?
Post the first chapter of your story by following the steps above. Then visit the Challenges page to find the specific challenge you are answering. At the bottom of the challenge details, you’ll see a link to respond to the challenge. Click that link.
From here, you will be directed to select the story that answers the challenge.
Though please make sure your stories have actual titles.
Does my story need to be complete?
No! Your story may be a WIP when you post. It doesn’t even need to be complete by the end of April. You don’t even need to start posting your fic until the end of the month if it’s not ready. So no worries if you don’t have something to go on April 1st. You have until April 30th to post any part of your fic, whether a chapter or the fic in total.
How do I know which fics are challenge fics?
All challenge fics have a little red umbrella beside the title.
You can also find them by visiting the site event page. All April Challenge Month fics can be located here.
I’m not an author. How do I participate?
Challenge Month is for all EF members, whether you’re an author, an artist, a beta, or a reader. You can be recognized as one, two, or all the above!
Authors, make sure you credit your beta reader and/or your fic artist in your story notes or summary. We won’t have any way of knowing who helped make your fic possible unless you tell us, and these folks really deserve recognition.
Readers: We will be awarding fic commenters who supply 15 comments containing 15 words or more over the month of April. Keep track of your progress by following our leaderboard.
Is there an event skin?
Yes! As a reflection of the recent administrative changes and this exciting new phase of EF, we are going to officially retire the old Challenge Month skin at the start of the month. The site default throughout April is titled kisses in the rain and it looks like this. Banner by the ever-talented kats_meow!
If you want to make it your site skin, visit your preferences page.
What about Featured Stories?
Throughout the month of April, you will be able to find responses to site challenges and this event where you normally see the mod-selected Featured Stories. These will be randomized, so if one looks interesting to you, make sure you bookmark it before refreshing or leaving the page, otherwise you might not find it again.
How will our participation be recognized?
The wonderful and multi-talented bewildered has made awards for authors, commenters, artists, and betas. Participate in the April Challenge Month and you will find one of these pretties on your profile after the event is over.
Anything else?
Yes! As if that isn’t enough, we’ll be trialing writing marathons over on our Discord server. (Think writing sprints, but longer!) More details on that to follow, but please leave a comment below if you’re interested.
All right gang, that’s it! Let us know if you have any lingering questions and we’ll do our best not to confuse you too much. Otherwise, sit back and get ready for it to rain April Challenge fics!
--The Mods on March 25, 2022 08:37am 11 Comments
Hello EF,
So, there have been some pretty dramatic changes this month, and all of them unanticipated. This is going to be an epic “all-in-one” post to address the results of these changes and make new announcements.
First and foremost, we are beyond pleased to announce that DarkVoid116 and EllieRose101 have agreed to join the Mod team. Dark’s official position is the Social Community Mod, so he’ll be instrumental in managing the archive’s social extensions, Discord and the Shoutbox. He has also agreed to provide additional support on the tech side of things. In fact, he is the reason Elysian Fields regained chapter/story updates as quickly as it did, so we all owe him a hell of a big thank you for doing so much work even before his position had been officially announced.
Ellie’s official position is Event Management Mod, and as such, she will be the point person on all of EF’s major events following the April Challenge. She brings a ton of excitement and mad organizational skills to the role, which makes her beyond the perfect fit.
Secondly, in response to recent events, the Mod team reviewed the site's existing rules (which can be found here) to add clarity, address how warnings must be used, and most importantly, how the Mod team will approach stories found in violation of the rules. Previously, the wording found in the EF rules stated: “Submissions found to be in violation of these rules may be removed and the author's account suspended at the discretion of the site administrators and/or moderators. The site administrators reserve the right to modify these rules as needed,” which is how the archive has functioned in recent years.
The changes we have made offer an opportunity for communication about the issues that concern the Mod team, but still require the author’s full and respectful participation in the ensuing conversation.
The new procedure for dealing with rule violations is as follows:
- Step 1: The author will receive notice from the Mod team informing them the story is in violation of site rules and may be removed. This notice will be issued both via the site Warning system and privately through EF’s email account. While under review, stories will be subject to manual validation.
- Step 2: After confirming receipt of the message (either through email or EF’s software, which will mark messages as read), the author will have up to three (3) days to address the concerns issued by the Mod team. This can be a discussion, by providing additional materials for the Mods to review, or however the author feels they can best address said concerns.
- Step 3: The Mod team will have 24 hours to consider if the concerns have been satisfactorily addressed. This period may be extended to allow for further communication between the Mods and the author, if necessary.
A story will only be removed if the concerns A) are not satisfactorily addressed, B) the author is incommunicative, or C) the author declines to discuss or otherwise cooperate with the Mod team. In all cases, story removal is considered a last resort.
We’re hopeful that this new procedure will help alleviate concerns that stories might disappear without notice. To be clear, that will not and has never happened, but recent events have demonstrated that additional time to address Mod concerns should be factored into the decision to remove any story from the archive.
Thirdly, the archive functionality is not yet at 100%. The ability to issue a new challenge remains temporarily suspended and site-time is still wonky. We request any bug discoveries be sent to the site email (ssolace@gmail.com) so we have them all in one place.
That’s it for now, EF. Our next post should be all about fun stuff, like April Challenge Month. In the meantime, don’t hesitate to reach out to the Mod team if you have any questions or concerns you would like to share.
--The Mods on March 16, 2022 02:48am 30 Comments
Hello EF,
We’re not back yet to 100% functionality, but after a lot of work on the back end, we’re pleased to inform you that the ability to update stories and add suggestions has been restored.
The following features are still out of commission as of the time of this news post:
- Ability to add new stories This is now live!
- Ability to issue a challenge This is now live!
- Ability to register a new account This is now live!
We’re also aware that site time has been knocked off as a result of the Stablehost update. This is, admittedly, at the bottom of the fix-it list at the moment, but it will be addressed once everything else is functional once more.
Thank you for your patience.
--The Mods on March 13, 2022 06:02pm 7 Comments
Hello EF,
Our host, Stablehost, underwent some server upgrades yesterday that you might have noticed, namely because it affected accessibility to EF for many users. That error has been corrected. Unfortunately, other errors remain that will require your patience as we attempt to locate their source and correct them on the back-end.
Specifically, the ability to post a new story, update an existing story, or submit a suggestion is not available at the present. The Mods have been working on the other issues generated by the host update for the last 24 hours. We're kinda tapped out at the moment. The good news is we think we know what is causing the issue. The bad news is the back-end of this site is a veritable haystack and we're looking for the one needle we need to remove.
At the present, we're not certain how long the ability to post updates or new stories will be suspended. Hopefully, not long, but bear in mind we're a skeleton crew trying to read really old code on a really old website. We will post updates as we receive them.
In the meantime, continue to enjoy the site as readers. Comment ability seems to be working just fine.
--The Mods on March 12, 2022 09:41am 14 Comments
Hi Elysian Fields Fam,
As an update to our last post, we heard you and your concerns and made the decision to reinstate the story in question, with apologies to the author for what we know was an upsetting day. The metadata, including the comments, summary, images, likes, and so forth have already been reinstated. The chapter content itself is a different recovery tool and generally takes more time, but we welcome Dusty to repopulate that without waiting for us. While we stand by the reasoning described in the initial post regarding our validation, selection, and hosting process, our first priority is the wellness of the community.
Wellness of the community also means wellness of the Mod team. We are, after all, a part of the community. The tone of discussion should always remain civil, even if you don’t agree with a decision that has been made. Certain members of the Mod team received individual messages that were not only uncivil but downright abusive. These are messages beyond: “I disagree with what you did and here are the reasons why” or any similar grievances. These messages were personal and vicious, and as this behavior would not be tolerated if aimed at any one member, it will not be tolerated when aimed at the Mod team. You don’t have to agree with us and you don’t have to like us, but hate mail is never acceptable under any circumstance. In this case, it was also not without casualty, as OffYourBird has formally resigned her position as Mod and opted to remove her stories from the archive. She has also placed her name on the Do Not Distribute list, so we ask members to respect that decision.
Going forward, we will ask that authors do some due diligence with stories that require a heavy amount of disclaiming in addition to the provided warnings. This is not to say that every fic idea, premise, outline, or chapter needs to be run by the Mods—God, how we do not want that. But we also don’t want to be here again, ever, ever, ever. So, we’re asking authors to be cognizant of the rules and, if a story flirts with the limits of our submission guidelines, check in with us for what is and isn’t permissible. Many authors already do this, as we mentioned already. We do not delight in telling anyone “no” and are open to discussing with any author how to ensure their story meets and maintains the required qualifications that make them EF appropriate. We understand that not all authors know where their story is going and that’s fine, but as members of a community with guidelines like ours, the onus is on each author to verify that they are in the right place. This is also nothing new, but perhaps not widely known, and we thought it best to reiterate it here.
As of the time of this posting, we consider this matter closed. You are welcome to come to us privately with any comments, questions, or concerns, and you are welcome to leave a response to this post, but we will not permit discussion on EF or any of its platforms in any area.
--The Mods on March 02, 2022 01:27pm 76 Comments
As the Mod team just had the extraordinarily unpleasant task of removing a story by a popular and talented author, we thought it might be a good time to revisit a few fundamentals of Elysian Fields and the material we host.
Firstly, we are a Spuffy site. We always have been and always will be. As such, a Spuffy pairing must be prominent throughout the duration of the story, as is stipulated in our site rules. This means that Spuffy can’t just happen in a story at some point but must be prominently featured throughout the duration of the story. This can and has been done in a variety of ways, as many talented authors have demonstrated over the years.
Now, we do allow temporary /Other pairings and will continue to do so. Sometimes, it is essential in telling a Spuffy story, and we certainly don’t want to stifle anyone’s creativity. However, these pairings must be, by definition, temporary, and respect the Spuffy prominence rule. This had led to some confusion about the sort of material that is EF-appropriate, and we have been approached by authors who were uncertain if their fics were appropriate for the site. Particularly, fics that include or end in Spuffy, but in which Spuffy are side characters or fics that contain prominent explorations of other relationships. In these instances, we have decided that Spuffy endgame by itself does not meet the prominence guidelines and have told authors that we cannot host them on Elysian Fields. Whether a fic meets our guidelines is something we consider on a case-by-case basis, as no two stories, authors, or writing styles are alike. The Mod team is responsible for deciding what does and does not qualify.
This is not to say that you won’t find fics on our site that don’t strictly adhere to these guidelines. We’ve been around fifteen years and have, over the course of that time, experienced a varying degree of moderation from the active mod team. This has led to the inclusion of material that was not originally intended for Elysian Fields. For instance, when Elysian Fields was founded, stories containing threesomes were not permitted, as the space was intended solely for Spuffy material. Threesome fics became allowed due to lack of oversight and a lack of awareness by a new mod who hadn’t been apprised of the original rule. This is an occurrence the current Mod team does not wish to repeat, as it can subtly reshape the original framework of the archive. (Don’t worry—we’re not taking away threesome fics, though Spuffy must remain the focus and emotional heart of such stories).
Today, and for the last several years, moderation decisions are discussed among all moderators so that no one person is running the show. This has become essential as the archive has grown, particularly over the pandemic years. As we continue to grow, though, the Mod team is determined that the original intent of the archive be honored, which means saying no to certain fics, including those that are heavy /Other. We know many of our members have varying tastes (and that’s great!), but there are other places, most notably AO3, for these stories. Crucially, we must also remain fair to the authors who have asked us about similar works and been told that EF isn’t the right platform.
We also understand that it is difficult to gauge the suitability of a story that is in progress and can only issue our decisions based on the information we have. We are happy to reevaluate stories once they are complete to determine if they meet EF’s requirements. In no instance will (or has) an author’s work be removed without warning or explanation.
If you have questions about the applicability of material for the archive, please reach out the Mod team.
--The Mods on March 02, 2022 05:36am 42 Comments
April showers bring May…. apocalypsi? (Or is it apocalypses?)
Either way, in the land of Elysian Fields, April is a month of rising to the challenge! The site challenge, that is.
While our October challenge event has a single, themed challenge, April is a “Choose Your Challenge” scenario, wherein you, the EF members, are all responsible for any potential challenge(s) an author may take on!
All such challenges can be found on our site challenge listing. You can do one or two or four! It’s entirely up to you! As long as your fic(s) meet the requirements set forth by the poster, you’re good to go.
You don’t need to sign up to participate. You just need to wait until 12:01am on April 1 site time (that’s Eastern time!) to start posting. Any fic which starts posting during the month of April and wants to be counted as part of the challenge event will simply need to check the box and link the appropriate challenge(s). In return, all event fics will get a lovely event icon and be included on the event page. We will also have awards for authors, commenters, artists, and betas. More details coming on all of that later this month!
In the meantime, we invite you all to start choosing your challenge!
--The Mods on February 11, 2022 10:46am 7 Comments
Over 20 years later, and Willow’s words are still true! Here at Elysian Fields, we’ve always tried to keep up with the times, including keeping up with the main social media trends. For the last four years, we’ve had a vibrant discussion group on Facebook; however, Facebook has decreased in usability over the last couple years. It has continued to have issues which cause some significant hassle for the Mods and for our membership, and which we finally had to admit might never resolve. (We aren’t even going to get into the madness of Facebook’s algorithms.)
So, the Mods took a solid look around and started discussing the future of our social media here on EF. Then we started exploring some alternatives. Which leads us to now:
For the last couple weeks, the EF Mods have been beta-testing a customized and (if we do say so ourselves) rather spiffy Discord server with a small population of EF Facebook group members—all of whom have helped the server become even spiffier. We truly can’t thank them enough for their bravery and enthusiasm in beta-testing with us!
Which means, as of today…. the Elysian Fields Discord server is open to the entire EF community!
If you’re familiar with Discord already, this post probably requires little other explanation (but stick around anyway, because we have some important details about the server below).
If you’re NOT familiar with Discord, imagine that all the best parts of 90’s chat rooms have been reinvisioned with modern sensibilities, neat options, and zero dial-up.
Trust us, it’s fun.
However, we also know that change can be hard and sometimes scary, which is why the Mods have been working very, very hard to ensure that every single member who joins the server has the support they need to gain their new platform legs. When you enter the server, you’ll notice an entire category labeled “UC Sunnydale Orientation.” That category is filled with helpful information, plus a student helpdesk staffed by some stellar “Orientation Leaders” who will be around to answer all your questions and help guide people’s interactions around the server.
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If you don’t yet have a discord account, you can sign up for one at https://discord.com/register . (Discord also has detailed sign-up instructions at https://support.discord.com/hc/en-us/articles/360033931551-Getting-Started if you’d like them.)
Once you have a Discord account, you can join the server using the following link: https://discord.gg/5r9suMGRQY
IMPORTANT: Please read all of the server rules and review the channels map before interacting! You MUST have your server name set to your EF penname or you will not be admitted into the server. Instructions on how to change your server name are written out in the #rules channel.
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So, what’s happening to the other social media accounts?
The FB page will remain as an official announcement platform, but the FB discussion group will be archived on March 15. So, if you’re currently a member of that group, you’ll still be able to view all the posts and comments after that date, but no one will be able to add posts or comments, and no new members will be admitted. We’re choosing to archive the group instead of deleting it because there’s a lot of history in that group which we want to preserve.
The EF LiveJournal account will also be closed on March 15.
As we move forward, you’ll notice that the social media icons on the EF homepage will update to reflect these changes.
And that’s all for now!
If you have any questions, please let us know below. We look forward to exploring Discord with you!
--The Mods on January 22, 2022 05:19am 18 Comments
There came a point when the Mods realized we really didn’t have enough iterations of “K”-names on the team. So, we just had to add one more. (Holly is now honorarily “Kholly”, in case anyone is curious.)
In other words, the EF Mods are overjoyed to welcome our wonderful EF member and author kats_meow to the admin team! In addition to general mod responsibilities, kats_meow will be covering story validation with Kathleen (pfeifferpack), monitoring stories in general, and providing any updates to tags. She’ll also be around on the EF social media platforms keeping an eye on things with Katie (OffYourBird) and Holly, and will eventually be cross-trained on some back-of-site work so that Holly can have an extra hand. She will be a wonderful support for us all, and we know she’ll be a great leadership voice in the community.
Many of you may already know kats_meow, but just in case, we asked her to introduce herself officially to you all:
I'm Kathleen or, more usually, Kat. As a fan of the show, I watched Buffy from the beginning when the episodes aired live. I've since rewatched every season more times than I care to admit! I knew I wanted Spuffy Endgame from the moment Spike crashed through the "Welcome to Sunnydale" sign in Season 2. As a reader, I started consuming fanfiction as soon as I knew it existed, whether it was on one of the many (at that time) Spuffy fic sites, LiveJournal, or Fanfiction.net. I started writing in the Buffyverse in 2003, though I was super shy about sharing my stuff at first - and that's probably why I am so protective of writers and want to help create the safest and most welcoming spaces for them. I drifted away from the fandom-part of being a fan until 2019, when a little tale called The Darkling that I kept seeing on Ao3 finally pulled me under its spell. I've been on EF ever since and I'm happy to give our favorite couple a "happily ever after" with every one of my stories. I will read and write just about anything Spuffy-related, though I tend to veer away from the tragic kind of unrelenting angst, because my poor heart can't take it. I also love to dabble with banners and manips. On a personal note, I'm a wife of 20 years, a mom to 2 boys who are young teens, and a full-time marketing coordinator.
Please join us in welcoming kats_meow to the team!
--The Mods on January 19, 2022 04:03am 28 Comments
With the holidays officially behind us, we have retired the Secret Santa skin as the site default (though it’s still available for selection) and exchanged it for a brand-new skin, entitled fierce, based on the amazing artwork provided by OffYourBird. To set it to your default, visit Account Info > Profiles and Preferences > Edit Preferences.
We held four site events—Challenge Month in April, Mystery Month in July, Called Challenge in October, and our second-ever Secret Santa Fic Exchange in December. The response was overwhelming, as the numbers will show.
In the second year of recognizing the milestone that is Completed Fics, we had 124 authors complete a total of 360 fics; that’s 14 more authors and 28 more fics than last year. Our goal in 2020 was to award the FIC COMPLETE award to more authors in 2021, and thanks to the efforts of our amazing authorship, we did just that.
All authors who completed a fic (one-shots count!) in 2021 have been issued this award:
The other award seeing its second year is the Challenge Complete Award. This was awarded to site members who completed any site event challenge in 2021 (that is, the challenge events that are overseen by the EF mods and come with spiffy thematic skins and stuff). The exception here being Secret Santa, which had its own participant recognition that everyone who completed their Secret Santa assignments should have in their profile.
P.S. If you haven't read the fics yet, you can find them all on their site event page, which is also accessible by going to Browse >> Site Events >> 2021 Secret Santa.
We also have issued awards to our most prolific members. These are chosen by the numbers.
In 2021, we added:
- 11,462,167 words
- 466 stories
- 2,518 chapters
- 1,726 new members
- 105,541 new likes
- 43,159 new comments to the archive (comprising 3,143,077 words)
That is a lot of content, all made possible because of you guys. Seriously, some of you wrote whole novels’ worth of comments for our authors, and we have the numbers to prove it.
Top 10 Commenters
- pfeifferpack (521,165 words)* Recipient of Most Prolific Commenter Award 2021
- swonderful (246,038 words)
- magnus374 (218,907 words)
- honeygirl51885 (131,144 words)
- talesofstories (96,712 words)
- bmerb (93,787 words)
- All4Spike (85,185 words)
- Green (76,662 words)
- The Danish Bird (75,458 words)
- Secretangel106 (67,481 words)
Top 10 Authors
- Touchstoneaf (742,923 words)* (Recipient of Most Prolific Author Award 2021)
- Holly (511,498 words)
- Passion4Spike (481,088 words)
- Dusty (475,855 words)
- Violette-Milka (385,763 words)
- Jws1993 (317,427 words)
- violettathepiratequeen (300,416 words)
- Sigyn (279,600 words)
- MissLuci (259,570 words)
- sweetprincipale (249,471 words)
If you are missing an award you should have received, please reach out to us (ssolace@gmail.com) and we’ll verify and get that corrected.
Guys, it was another rough year in the real world, and we couldn’t have made it through without you all helping make EF an extra special and bustling port in the storm. We have big things in store for 2022 and more announcements to come. Thank you so much for everything you give to our community. We know we wouldn’t be here without you.
--The Mods on January 07, 2022 03:34am 12 Comments
Welcome to 2022, EF.
For a fandom of a show that will turn 25 in just a couple of short months, our archive is busier now than it has ever been. And thanks in no small part to the pandemic, we have had two back-to-back banner years in terms of community engagement.
As we look toward another year of continued growth, some changes are coming to the administrative team, among those saying goodbye to Elysian Fields founders angelic_amy and Megan. We are endlessly grateful for the environment they helped create and the many years they dedicated to the site, which included time, money, and labor. They will be memorialized on a forthcoming History of EF page and have been assigned Elysian Fields Founder recognition in a new profile tag. Incidentally, all members may now choose to associate as an Author, Reader, or Lurker. All you have to do is visit Edit Bio/Personal Information under Account Info.
Amy drafted a letter to the membership for us to share. Please find it below.
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To the Elysian Fields community,
For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Amy, and I am one of the Founders of Elysian Fields. A group of five of us had a dream of creating a place for Spuffy fanfic to be posted (when so many of great old archives were closing up), and to build an accepting community, something that we have strived towards ever since.
To kick start building the archive, we sought and received permission to upload a back catalogue of fanfic from authors we knew personally, who were no longer active in fandom. This was an epic task, but one the few of us who did the uploading were proud of as it built the foundation of the site. And then we opened up to new submissions and the community was ‘born’.
Our responsibilities were shared across a moderating team that changed over the years (with the exception of Megan and myself), but my main focus, my niche area of responsibility, has always been organising and running the site events. Something I loved and something our EF community has always embraced. I’m proud of that, and how the wonderful authors, artists, betas and commenters have collectively made these events so successful.
It has been a great joy in my life to be part of our wonderful archive for the last 15 years. But all good things must come to an end. Leaving my position as admin is not entirely my choice, but I do so knowing the EF community has grown and thrived in small part due to my efforts, recent and past, and that is something I am proud of.
Thank you to everyone who has offered support, kindness, or enthusiasm over the years, I cannot express how much it has meant.
Yours in Spuffy,
angelic_amy
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If anyone has any questions or concerns about these changes, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We are, as we said, forever grateful to the many years both Amy and Megan have given us, and we wish both of them nothing but the best.
--The Mods on January 04, 2022 02:46pm 42 Comments
The holiday season is in full swing here at Elysian Fields with our second Secret Santa event! To celebrate the occasion, OffYourBird created a special event banner and Holly made it into a beautiful site skin! This skin will be available from now through the end of December for everyone to enjoy. Change your skin to our holiday theme by going to Account Info > Edit Preferences > Default skin: secretsanta. (And if you’re looking for holiday merriment past Dec 31, our general Holiday skin is now available year round!)
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Secret Santa event is even bigger than the last, with 60 members participating! If you’re one of those 60, these details below are for you:
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What are the Secret Santa participation requirements again?
For those of you giving Secret Santa gifts (officially signed-up members only), you will be able to post your fics starting at 12:01am ET (site time) December 1, and will be able to post until 11:59pm ET on December 31. All fics MUST be one-shots. That is, they must be one chapter composed of 14,750 or fewer words. Rest assured, your summary, story notes, chapter notes, and end notes do not count against your word count.
When publishing your gift, be sure to mark the checkbox shown below:
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What event information do I need to include in my story?
You must include the following information in your summary or story notes: “This fic is an Elysian Fields 2021 Secret Santa gift for [giftee's name]"
It’s also recommended that you send your giftee a private message once you’ve published the fic, so they don’t miss seeing it!
Banners: If you're including a custom banner with your fic, it must have "Designed for the Elysian Fields 2021 Secret Santa" legibly added to it.
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Does a gift writer need to reveal their giftee’s preferences?
You do not! As with a standard Secret Santa, no preferences have to be mentioned publicly. However, if you want to attach your giftee's preferences to your story, please do so in your story end notes.
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How do I find the stories that are being added to the Secret Santa?
All gift fics will be merrily marked with a festive stocking icon, which looks like the example below:
Additionally, all gift fics can be found on the 2021 Secret Santa event page, and OffYourbird will be keeping a running announcement of fic gifts on the EF Facebook Discussion Page.
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I forgot… What do I do if I realize I’m not going to be able to finish my gift fic by the deadline?
The last thing we want is for any member to end up giftless. While we have done our best to ensure that members are only participating with an understanding of their commitment, we know that life happens. So, if you find that you will be unable to write a fic for your giftee, you MUST reach out to OffYourBird (via ssolace@gmail.com or PM) by December 15 so that she can contact a rescue writer.
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We’re looking forward to much merriment at Elysian Fields this coming month --- Happy Holidays from the Mods!
--The Mods on November 27, 2021 04:10pm 4 Comments
Welcome to the delayed wrap up post for the Called Challenge.
First of all, the stats:
- New fic – 62 – this is a new site event record!
- Chapters added – 157
- Words added – 638,472
- Banners created – 52
- Comments received – 1,875
- Likes received – 3,498
(For challenge fic only, and accurate at the time of the news item being posted)
If you have yet to read the many fic created for this event, all Called Challenge fic can be found here.
As always, a huge THANK YOU goes out to the artists, betas, commenters and authors who contributed to this challenge – our site events wouldn’t be half as successful without all of you and your participation.
If you participated in the Called Challenge as an author, artist, beta or commenter, you should find some pretty awards as a thank you for your participation on your profiles.
Banner artist and beta awards were delivered to all members acknowledged by the author in either the Story Notes for the fic or the Summary itself. I have double-checked through all of them so hopefully none were missed.
If you believe you should have an award(s) and you’ve been missed by mistake, please shoot a PM to me (angelic_amy) so I can sort it out.
The event skin is no longer the site default, but for anyone wanting to keep the Called skin it is still available. Skin preferences can be set via preferences in your account settings.
Thanks again to everyone who participated in the 2021 Called Challenge—we hope you enjoyed the event as much as we did.
And as always, happy reading!
--Amy on November 06, 2021 10:14pm 4 Comments
As all children on a hellmouth know, Santa isn't up in the North Pole. He's a demon--no really! The "jolly old man" grabs them close, with deep booming laughter, and uses his claws to rip them asunder! But our hellmouth children are sly, you see, and stuff up their chimneys with flames and weaponry. And every Christmas Eve, they leave out treats by the hearth, not for demonic Nick, but for the Slayer and her sweetheart. And when Christmas has come, and the cocoa is gone, they rejoice for a day of merriment and fun.
In other words, it's time for Elysian Fields' 2nd annual Secret Santa fic-giving event!!! While Buffy and Spike keep the world safe from devious holiday demons, we'll be gathering around our virtual hearths and exchanging gifts of joy and Spuffy fic love.
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Here’s how it works:
Everyone who signs up to participate in this event will write one fic and receive one fic. Each fic should be a “one-shot” size. That is, the fic must not exceed one chapter and it must be under 14,750* words in length. Fics do NOT need to be holiday-related in any way (unless your giftee requests it!).
* While the chapter word limit is technically 15,000 words here on EF, variations in processor word counting created a lot of work (and many workarounds) last year for our dear Tech Mod Holly, so we're keeping it lower to assure there won't be any issues again this year.
There is no word count minimum to this event, as we don't wish to discourage alternative-format fics (poems, artwork inclusions, etc).
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What do I get for participating?
Well, the event itself is your biggest gift, because you'll end up with a brand new gift fic! However, you'll also get a shiny Spuffy badge for your profile:
(Note: you may have someone beta your fic or make a banner for your fic if you wish, but only those EF members who sign up to write/receive will be eligible for an event participation award for this event.)
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How do I sign up?
You will sign up using the form linked below, and input your preferences for fic writing/receiving. OffYourBird will make best case matches from all the responses, and then reach out to each participant with the penname and story preferences of their giftee. Please remember that this gift-giving is confidential. Don’t share who you have for a giftee until you post your fic! Revealing that information ahead of time will allow demonic Santa to start his spree of terror early, and that would just be a bad time for everyone.
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Can any EF member sign up for this event?
Any member, whether they've previously written a fic on EF or not, is eligible to partake in this event!
However: if you were a member who signed up for the event last year (2020) and did not complete your fic or did not complete your fic by the deadline, you will not be eligible to participate this year. You may participate again in 2022. Any ineligibility will be communicated to you by a Mod, if it becomes relevant. Otherwise, you may assume you are good to go!
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What is the timeline for this event?
In order to ensure we can enjoy the Spuffy-given safety of a holiday free from demonic St Nick, all fics must be published to Elysian Fields by midnight (site time) on December 31, 2021.
Here’s a full run-down of the timeline:
November 6 (today!) --- Sign-ups open. Find the SIGN-UP FORM HERE
November 20 --- Sign-ups close at midnight site time
November 22-23 --- Writing assignments are distributed to participants
December 1 --- participants may begin publishing their fics. More details regarding HOW to publish your fic will be posted here in the news section at the end of November. Additional details will also be sent via email to each participant.
December 31, 2021 --- participants must have their fics published by midnight site time
No late sign-ups or publishing will be allowed. Please only sign up if you can commit to publishing your fic by midnight on December 31. Leaving a participant giftless will make Spuffy deeply sad, and we can’t have that.
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How can I help ensure no one ends up giftless?
Whether or not you sign up to participate in the event itself, you can sign up to be a Secret Santa Rescue Writer! Either choose "yes" on the event sign-up form where it asks, or email OffYourBird at ssolace@gmail.com and let her know that you'd like to be on the volunteer Rescue Writer list. If she ends up with someone in need, she may reach out to you (by no later than Dec 16) to see if you can rescue a gift.
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So, come and join the fun this holiday season with our 2nd annual Elysian Fields Secret Santa!
--OffYourBird on November 06, 2021 09:41am 11 Comments
Hello everyone,
We’re fast approaching the beginning of October, which means it’s time for a little Q&A about the Called Challenge.
Pull up a headstone and get comfy. This post should cover everything, but if there's a burning question you have or something else you're curious about, please let us know in the comments and we'll get back to you ASAP.
How and when do I post my story?
Starting at midnight on October 1 (site time, which is Eastern US time-it's listed under the shoutbox), you'll see a checkbox on the page where you add a new story.
As soon as you see that box, you're free to post. If your story is part of the challenge, check the box and you're good to go.
Reminder: Your fic DOES NOT need to be complete prior to posting. In fact, it doesn't even need to be completed during the event month. From a word count perspective, for your fic to be eligible for an author award you just need to have 1,500 words posted during October. So, any authors stressing about the timeline, please take a breath because you have the whole month to BEGIN your fic.
How do I find the stories that are being added to the Called Challenge?
Besides the note in the story summary, challenge stories will have an icon of a stake. Fitting, since it's a newly called Slayer's most used weapon. :)
This icon will make it easy to spot Called Challenge fics. Also, don't forget that you can browse the site events page where you can view all the stories from previous site events, and all Called Challenge fics can be located here.
I'm curious... how many authors are participating?
49 authors have officially signed up for the event.
I didn’t sign up, but I still want to participate. Can I still join in on the fun?
You sure can, you just need to make sure you follow the event rules which can be found here. You will not, however, be able to participate in the banner request process, as this has now closed.
Are there still banner requests needing art?
Yes, there is. You can find the requests here. Of the 27 requests we have 5 awaiting a sire (scroll down to the bottom of the page to find the fledglings). These claims are open to any interested new or existing artist (even those currently participating with 3 claimed requests). To claim a banner, follow the instructions on the banner request page.
All banner requests have now been filled. Thank you to all of our wonderful participating artists. 
What happens if I signed up for the event but I don’t get my fic posted during October?
Unfortunately, this means your fic will not be included in the event listing, and will not be eligible for any event awards. This also applies to the beta or artist you worked with (if you did) for your fic. So please, please ensure you pay close attention to the site clock.
Do I need to credit the artist who created my banner?
Yes! All artists must be credited for their wonderful works, and this is done simply through the Summary section when uploading your fic. The following text should be added to the end of all summaries that are part of this event:
Written for the Elysian Fields ‘Called Challenge'. Banner made by [artistname].
Here's a fictional example of what it should look like:
Summary: The phone call that cost her everything.
Written for the Elysian Fields ‘Called Challenge'. Banner made by Holly.
Hey! That summary has a picture. How do I add my banner to my story?
To add the banner to your story, you can upload the banner to your account in the Your Images section of your account info page, OR to an image sharing site (imgur.com, etc...). You then enter the image URL (which should end in .jpg, .gif or .png - nothing should be after the file type) into the line marked "Banner URL".
What about betas?
If you have a beta that you worked with for your Called Challenge story, you must credit them in your story notes OR your summary in order for them to be counted as having participated in the event. If they aren't listed in your summary or story notes, we have no way of identifying that they were part of the event.
Is there an event skin?
You betcha. It will be the default skin for the site for the duration of the event. Look for called in the skins listing on the main page. Alternatively, you can set the skin as your default by changing it in your preferences page. Here's a sneak peak:
Will you be featuring regular stories while the Called Challenge is going on?
There won't be any mod-chosen featured stories in October. In the area where we usually have featured stories, we're going to begin the month by highlighting stories written in past years in honour of our 15th anniversary (the reason we hold events in October). Starting on the 1st, each day will highlight one year (1st-2006, 2nd-2007, and so on...), and will contain a random assortment of stories published in that particular year. Starting on the 15th, that section will change to feature a random assortment of fics that are part of this event.
This challenge celebrates the amazing authors and artists at Elysian Fields, but what about the readers?
Of course you guys are included! If you write at least 15 comments in October that contain at least 15 words (for any stories here on EF, not just the challenge ones), you'll meet the requirements of the commenter challenge! You'll see a link to the comment challenge leaderboard on the homepage under the Members of the Month where the all-star commenter list is usually located.
Besides an amazing sense of pride, do we get anything for participating in the event?
Of course you do! Awards made by Amy for the Called Challenge will be distributed during the first week of November. As always, there will be awards for participating authors, artists, betas, and commenters:
A final reminder, to ensure you are meet the eligibility requirements for the awards: authors MUST meet the minimum word count of 1,500 words (posted during October) AND add the fic to the event listing by checking the Called Challenge box, AND have the event tagline in the summary. Betas and artists MUST be credited by the author (see above for how), and commenters need to meet the minimum comment number with the minimum word count per comment.
That about covers it. If there are any additional questions, please reply to this post. And get ready for some amazing new stories!
--The Mods on September 27, 2021 04:28pm 4 Comments
Hello everyone,
This message is going to be kept short and sweet. Timezone differences and spotty wifi has meant this post has gone up several hours later than it usually would for this stage of an event. My bad.
Not only does this news post share with you all the link to the banner request master list, but since the site clock has ticked over to the 12th of September that means the requests are officially live and up for grabs.
If you are an artist in the Elysian Fields community, and you're thinking about signing up to create one of the banners (or if you're just curious to get a sneak peak of some of the fic that will hit the archive come October) then you can browse the list HERE.
Artists, make sure you read over the request information carefully if you’re thinking of claiming one of the art requests.
Elysian Fields has two site requirements for the banner and they are:
Dimensions: Width 900px x Height 250px (maximum).
Text: In a small clear font (approx 8 – 10 pt) along one of the edges:
Designed for the Elysian Fields ‘Called’ Challenge.
To claim a fic request, artists will need to email me with the following information:
Artist penname/user ID:
Permission to share your email with the author(s) you sign up for:
Banner request: List your banner request(s) by fic title and author penname name, in order of preference
(first, second, third).
Number of banners you are willing to create: (max 3)
Each fic will ONLY be allocated to one artist, and it will be in a first come, first serve basis. Artists may sign up to create multiple banners, however we will cap the number to three banners to begin with, to encourage involvement from a lot of people. If we require a secondary sign up, that will happen later on.
If you are successful in claiming a banner request, you will receive a confirmation email along with instructions for how you can contact your author. A gentle reminder: please ensure you follow the request details as set by the author.
Finally, to the participating authors. Even though the request claiming is OPEN, you can still sign up to request art up to the 25th of September. So if you would like to add you request to the list, make sure you email me by then.
That's about it. Any questions? Comment here. If you've gotten to the end of this post, it's time to check out the banner request list. What are you waiting for?
Happy claiming!
--Amy on September 11, 2021 09:44pm 1 Comment
Hello everyone,
With author emails coming in thick and fast for the Called Challenge, I’d rate the enthusiasm level on par with s01e10 Nightmares Willow making fun of Xander for his clown fear. Giddy and bubbly and with a grin from ear to ear.
For any fence-sitting, Watcher-like authors currently pondering the decision of whether or not to sign up: don’t take your brooding lessons from Angel… Be like Spike and swagger up to the challenge like you’re the biggest bad in the room.
Come on, sign up. You know you wanna.
For participating authors: if your visualisation of your fic is as clear as Dru’s visions of stars on the ceiling, and you can picture the art that has to accompany your words, now is the time to get those banner requests in.
All you need to do is shoot me an email (address available at the bottom of this post) with a combination of the following information. The first four dot points are required, the rest are optional.
Required information:
• Fic title:
• Author penname:
• Story blurb (or a short summary if you're not at that point):
• Permission to share your email address with the artist upon claiming: YES / NO
Optional extra requests:
• Season/episode (so the artist knows the kinds of images to look for):
• Feature characters:
• Colour theme:
• Mood/Style (dramatic, simple, light-hearted, happy, etc):
• Other (special requests for objects, specific images, etc):
If you are looking for something specific, give me as much information as you think the artist will need. Alternatively, if you are open to the artist experimenting, then just give me the required info.
We'll be creating a master list of the banner requests for the artists on our site to browse, and let you all know when it's live.
And that's the sitch. Authors, you can email me your requests at: angelic.amy.fic@gmail.com
Happy writing!
--Amy on September 04, 2021 01:02am 7 Comments
As any true fan knows, Buffy was 15 years old when she Called as a slayer. But some of our members may not know that this year on the 28th of October our beloved Elysian Fields celebrates its 15th birthday. Combine the two and what do you get? Our next site challenge theme. Welcome to your intro post for the Called Challenge.
How will the challenge work?
During the month of October, authors (existing and aspiring) are invited to post a fic connected to the theme to celebrate the awesomeness that is our little community.
The theme for the challenge, Called, can be utilised however your creative brains interpret. Struggling for ideas? Here are a few to help spark the muse:
- Being called up from potential to active Slayer
- Being called to duty by the Initiative, the Council, the Powers that Be
- Someone being called out for bad behaviour
- A sire calling a fledge home
- Being called into work
- Someone calling out during at the wrong (or right) time
- Words called out in a moment of passion
- Ot maybe something as simple a phone call. It could be one that: drastically shifts canon, OR is a last minute profession of love, OR shares a previously kept secret, OR is unknowingly overheard by someone else in the room...
And that’s where the I’m going to stop with the ideas because I’m certain you guys have this covered.
Your challenge, should you choose to accept the... calling... is to use the theme of Called as inspiration to write a brand new fic. Your use of the theme can be as small or as large as you want. So long as it's obvious enough for the readers to go "Oh, I see what you did there!" then your fic qualifies with this challenge. Whichever path you choose to take, we'd love to see what you come up with.
Authors:
This news item serves as your sign-up post. By signing up to the challenge, you are agreeing to comply with the rules and regulations, and to write a fic with the following specifics:
- Length: Minimum of 1,500 word count, maximum is completely up to you.
- Characters: Buffy, Spike, and any other BtVS or AtS characters you see fit.
- Content Specifications: The fic MUST address the theme Called. How you decide to incorporate this theme into a fic is entirely up to you, the writer. All theme interpretations, big or small, are welcome.
- Timeline: The fic can be set any time during the BtVS timeline, post series, or pre-series.
- Dates: No posting of the fic onto the archive (or anywhere else) until the 1st of October. As soon as you receive a confirmation email from me regarding your sign-up, consider the writing process time open. The challenge is for new fic only, not to be attached to an existing story.
- The fic DOES NOT need to be complete prior to posting, nor does it need to finished during the month of October. We’d just like them to be started during that time.
- Authors are not limited to writing one story. So if you have more than one idea...great!
- When you post your fic, if you have a lil' something pretty gracing it, please ensure you credit the artist who made the banner in your story notes or fic summary.
- If you have a beta that you worked with as part of your event challenge response, you must credit them in your story notes in order for them to be counted as having participated in the event. If artists or betas are not listed in your summary/story notes, we have no way of identifying that they were part of the event.
- Please note: authors must sign up for the challenge prior to submitting a request for a banner. A further news post with details for banner requests will be posted to the site in the coming days.
Artists:
Of course we want to include the talented bunch of pretty makers we have here at EF. We’ll be connecting you with authors via a banner request list. Prior to the posting of fic on the 1st of October, authors can sign up to request a banner be made for their fic. Participating authors will email a completed form, with their request for a banner to accompany their fic. The request may include things such as: Fic Title, Author Penname, the season the fic is set in, specific character image requests, colour, theme…etc.
This information will be added to a request master list. Artists may then browse the page, and choose to sign up to fulfill a particular request. Each fic will ONLY be allocated to one artist, and it will be in a first come, first served basis. Artists may sign up to create multiple banners; however, we will cap the number to three banners to begin with, to encourage involvement from a lot of people. Secondary sign-ups will also occur at some point. More details regarding the sign-up process for artists will come at a later date.
KEY DATES for the Challenge:
- Writing sign ups: from the 23rd of August through to the 29th of October.
- Writing time: from email confirmation of sign-up until the challenge concludes.
- Author submissions of banner requests: from the 31st of August through to the 25th of September.
- Artist sign-ups: 12th of September.
- Artists to provide banners to authors: by the 30th of September (unless otherwise negotiated with the author).
- Posting of fics to begin: from the 1st of October.
NOTE: fics DO NOT need to be completed by the end of October, but the first part/chapter must be started prior to the end of the month to be included in the Challenge.
Authors, if you decide to sign up, we are asking you to send me (Amy) an email at angelic.amy.fic@gmail.com with the following information:
Author penname:
I intend to participate in the Called Challenge.
And that’s it for now. 
Any questions? Comment on this news post or shoot me an email at the address above. I know I speak for the rest of The Mods when I say we are looking forward to seeing what the authors and artists of our community come up with!
--Amy on August 22, 2021 09:54pm 24 Comments
As we’ve said elsewhere, we had no idea how the Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event would be received. It was so different from our other events. It was timed! There were rigid requirements! The fics had to be complete by a deadline! Really, we were prepared for anything…except maybe what you guys gave us.
Here's the breakdown. Please note the gross (overall total of authors and fics) and the net (qualifying total of those who completed and successfully fulfilled each prompt) totals for each, as we wanted to recognize everyone who participated whether they qualified or not. Awards have been issued to all qualifying authors, as well as all betas, artists, and commenters (whether or not the fic qualified). If you should have received an award and don’t see it on your profile, don’t hesitate to reach out to Holly either by PM or email (ssolace@gmail.com).
- Banners created – 22
- Number of authors (gross) – 34
- Number of authors (net) – 31
- Chapters added (gross) – 167
- Chapters added (net) – 155
- Words added (gross) – 804,668
- Words added (net) – 754,498
- Comments received – 1,843
- Likes received – 3,271
Given that we weren’t sure if you guys would love or hate this, we were fully prepared for this to be a one-off event that we’d never speak of again. As it is, we’ll be back next July with five new prompts. And since some of the feedback we’ve received suggests that we made it too easy…well, all we can say is the Mods are more than happy to accept YOUR challenge. Be careful what you wish for. 
--The Mods on August 16, 2021 06:05am 14 Comments
Welcome to Week 5 of the first Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event!
This is it! The final prompt. Thank you all so much for the awesome response to our slightly different EF event. Your contributions have confirmed something we already knew, but like to prove as much as possible anyway -- our writers are some of the most creative out there. Give yourselves a well-deserved pat on the back.
Curious to see how the prompts are being addressed? Check out the fics on our Event Page.
Your prompt for Week 5 comes from your mostly benevolent emcee, Holly.
YOUR FIC MUST CONCLUDE WITH AN HEA/HFN
Upper right panel artwork credited to: georgaArt
Lower left panel artwork credited to: Jenny Tato
This prompt will be SUPER easy for some of you (many of whom already have their fics labeled thusly, so, you’re welcome) and, well, less so for others. But remember that HFN stands for “Happy for Now,” so if you’re really dead-set on gutting readers, consider your fic’s conclusion a natural stopping place for this particular act of your overall story and continue with the gutting in future installments. Since this fic stands on its own, and future installments are Brand New Fic and not burdened by event prerequisites (unless, say, we do this again and that’s where you decide to continue it), you’re in the clear.
REMINDERS
- Your fic has a HARD goal of 5 chapters. This means THIS CHAPTER is the last one! If you want to write more, great! But that’s sequel fodder, since more chapters should not be added to this fic (even after the event ends). If you want to write less, we get it, but that will likewise disqualify you from the event.
- All chapters MUST be posted within the allotted time-window to qualify for the event.
- Each chapter MUST include that week’s prompt. (This one seems obvious, but better safe than sorry.)
- Each chapter MUST be tagged with the prompt and the fulfilling line/paragraph/passage in your chapter’s end-notes by the time the posting window closes for that prompt. We check and disqualify fics that do not include this, as well as fics posted outside of the weekly time window. If you haven’t added your end-note for Chapter 4, you have until EOD site-time on August 1.
- No NEW fics for this event may be submitted.
- The little complete checkmark MUST BE CHECKED after you post your final prompt chapter.
POSTING WINDOW FOR CHAPTER 5
- Start: August 2
- End: August 8
Happy writing, all!
--The Mods on July 29, 2021 05:00pm 12 Comments
Welcome to Week 4 of the first Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event!
Just two prompts left! Are you ready to start thinking about how to wrap up your fic? Well, we’re here to throw a wrench in your plans. Maybe. You guys are super creative at coming up with great ways to answer these prompts. It’s only fitting, then, that Prompt 4 aims to throw something truly wacky and random your way.
Curious to see how the prompts are being addressed? Check out the fics on our Event Page.
Your prompt for Week 4 comes from our invaluable angelic_amy.
YOUR FIC MUST INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING LINE SPOKEN BY A CHARACTER: “ALIENS HAVE INVADED ZIMBABWE. THERE’S NO TIME FOR RATIONAL SOLUTIONS.”
So, uhh, good luck with that.
REMINDERS
- Your fic has a HARD goal of 5 chapters. This means the NEXT chapter is the last one! If you want to write more, great! But that’s sequel fodder, since more chapters should not be added to this fic (even after the event ends). If you want to write less, we get it, but that will likewise disqualify you from the event.
- All chapters MUST be posted within the allotted time-window to qualify for the event.
- Each chapter MUST include that week’s prompt. (This one seems obvious, but better safe than sorry.)
- Each chapter MUST be tagged with the prompt and the fulfilling line/paragraph/passage in your chapter’s end-notes by the time the posting window closes for that prompt. We will be checking and disqualifying fics (though the ones we’ve checked so far have been solid -- good work, team!). If you haven’t done this yet for Chapter 3, you have until EOD site-time on July 25.
- No NEW fics for this event may be submitted.
POSTING WINDOW FOR CHAPTER 4
- Start: July 26
- End: August 1
PROMPT 5 (AND YOUR FINAL CHAPTER) ANNOUNCED
- July 30
Happy writing, all!
--The Mods on July 22, 2021 05:02pm 13 Comments
Welcome to Week 3 of the first Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event!
Your mostly benevolent mods have been tickled pink by the continued creativity and enthusiasm for our slightly different event. Thank you to all the authors who have ensured we are not short on new Spuffy.
Curious to see how the prompts are being addressed? Check out the fics on our Event Page.
Your prompt for Week 3 comes from the always fabulous Pfeifferpack.
YOUR FIC MUST FEATURE THE USE OF A BBQ FORK
REMINDERS
- Your fic has a HARD goal of 5 chapters. If you want to write more, great! But that’s sequel fodder, since more chapters should not be added to this fic (even after the event ends). If you want to write less, we get it, but that will likewise disqualify you from the event.
- All chapters MUST be posted within the allotted time-window to qualify for the event.
- Each chapter MUST include that week’s prompt. (This one seems obvious, but better safe than sorry.)
- Each chapter MUST be tagged with the prompt and the fulfilling line/paragraph/passage in your chapter’s end-notes by the time the posting window closes for that prompt. We will be checking and disqualifying fics (though the ones we’ve checked so far have been solid -- good work, team!). If you haven’t done this yet for Chapter 2, you have until EOD site-time on July 18.
- No NEW fics for this event may be submitted.
POSTING WINDOW FOR CHAPTER 3
- Start: July 19
- End: July 25
PROMPT 4 ANNOUNCED
- July 23
Happy writing, all!
--The Mods on July 15, 2021 05:00pm 5 Comments
Welcome to Week 2 of the first Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event!
The response to our first prompt has been so exciting. And authors, you still have until July 11 to get your fics in if you want to join in the fun.
Curious to see how the prompts are being addressed? Check out the fics on our Event Page.
All right, enough of that. Your prompt for Week 2 comes from our insanely talented OffYourBird.
YOUR FIC MUST INCLUDE THE LOCATION OF AN ATTIC
REMINDERS
- Your fic has a HARD goal of 5 chapters. If you want to write more, great! But that’s sequel fodder, since more chapters should not be added to this fic (even after the event ends). If you want to write less, we get it, but that will likewise disqualify you from the event.
- All chapters MUST be posted within the allotted time window to qualify for the event.
- Each chapter MUST include that week’s prompt. (This one seems obvious, but better safe than sorry.)
- Each chapter MUST be tagged with the prompt and the fulfilling line/paragraph/passage in your chapter’s end-notes by the time the posting window closes for that prompt. We will begin checking and disqualifying fics as of next week (though the ones we’ve checked so far have been solid -- good work, team!). If you haven’t done this yet for Chapter 1, you have until EOD site-time on July 11.
- No NEW fics for the event will be accepted after July 11.
POSTING WINDOW FOR CHAPTER 2
- Start: July 12
- End: July 18
PROMPT 3 ANNOUNCED
- July 16
Happy writing, all!
--The Mods on July 08, 2021 05:12pm 4 Comments
We decided to give you guys a head start. You're getting this one early.
Let the Mystery Begin!
Your first prompt comes courtesy of the fabulous Megan. And here it is (drumroll if you will…)
YOUR FIC MUST INCLUDE THE CHARACTER(S) ETHAN RAYNE AND/OR MARCIE ROSS
Get your engines running, gang.
How and when do I post my story?
Starting at midnight on July 5 (site time, which is Eastern US time-it's listed under the ShoutBox), you'll see a checkbox on the page where you add a new story:
***Please note: After July 11, the option to join the event will be removed. This is a TIMED event with strictly enforced deadlines.***
How do I find Challenge Stories?
Want to keep up with the fun? All Mystery Event fics will have a little Scooby Doo icon in the byline.
You can also find all of the Mystery Event fics as they are added by visiting the Event Page.
What should my chapter include?
Aside from that week’s prompt, each chapter MUST include a line in the endnotes that identifies the prompt itself and a copy/paste section of the fic where the prompt was fulfilled. This can be a single sentence or a paragraph, depending on the nature of the prompt and how you addressed it. Authors will have until the end of each week’s posting window to include this note. Fics that fail to include this will be removed from the event in real-time, so put this at the top of your to-do list. The Mods REALLY don’t want to remove any fic from the event because that just sucks for everyone involved (and makes us feel crappy, even if you had plenty of advance notice). So do your part to make sure we don’t have to. We don’t wanna play Bad Cop (but we WILL).
What happens if I don’t post my chapter within the time window?
All chapters must be posted within the allotted time window to qualify for the event. Fics that don’t will lose the Scooby icon and be ineligible for author awards. For the first chapter, that means between July 5 - July 11.
Anything else to keep in mind as I start writing?
Unlike past EF events, the Mystery Fic-a-Thon has a HARD cap at five chapters. In addition to fulfilling each week’s prompt, all fics MUST be complete by the event’s end in order to qualify for author awards and remain listed as an event fic with the icon. We know this will be difficult for some of you, especially since you don’t know what we’re going to throw at you next week, but it’s part of the challenge. And, we hope, also part of the fun.
What about betas?
If you have a beta that you worked with as part of your Mystery Fic, you must credit them in your story notes OR your summary in order for them to be counted as having participated in the event. If they aren't listed in your story notes, we have no way of identifying that they were part of the event. And seriously, they need to be recognized. Think of all the work you’re going to throw at them over the next 5 weeks. They deserve all the accolades.
Is there an event skin?
Yes. The Mystery Event skin is now live if you want to make it your default. Scroll down to the skins and select the one labeled “Scoobies” to switch. If you want to keep it, make sure you change it in your preferences page. And if you haven't seen it, the skin looks like this:
Will you be featuring regular stories while the challenge is going on?
Following the first week of the event, the area where we usually have featured stories, we're going to highlight stories written as responses to the Mystery Prompts.
The Mystery Event challenges authors. What about the readers? Won’t you think of the readers?
Obviously, readers deserve all the love. If you write at least 15 comments in July that contain at least 5 words (for any stories here on EF, not just the challenge ones), you'll meet the requirements of the commenter challenge! You'll see a link to the comment challenge leaderboard on the homepage under the Members of the Month where the all-star commenter list is usually located.
Besides an amazing sense of pride, do we get anything for participating in the event?
Of course you do! As always, there will be awards for participating authors, artists, betas, and commenters. Please note, only authors who SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE their fic will receive the author award. Betas, commenters, and artists will be awarded regardless of whether the fic in question was completed (they did their part, after all). So authors, if you want one of these pretties made by OffYourBird on your page, get ready for a fun five weeks.
I’m exhausted. What was the prompt again?
YOUR FIC MUST INCLUDE THE CHARACTER(S) ETHAN RAYNE AND/OR MARCIE ROSS
When will the next prompt be announced?
Prompt #2 will be announced in a new News Item on July 9. It will also be announced on the ShoutBox and on our Facebook group.
--The Mods on June 30, 2021 12:11pm 7 Comments
Jinkies, gang! We’ve got a mystery on our hands.
Elysian Fields is pleased to present the first (and hey, maybe “only”) Elysian Fields Mystery Fic Event. This event is unlike any we’ve done before and we have no idea how it will go, but we’re excited to find out.
So, what IS the big mystery? Are we doing a scavenger hunt? A round-robin? Are we all very stoned? Well, here it is folks. The mystery is actually: your fic.
Okay, you need more than that. We get it.
Starting July 1, Elysian Fields will announce a prompt. This prompt can be anything—a character, a line of dialogue, an object, a trope, a theme, a genre, a category… you get the picture. Each mod is in charge of a prompt. Your objective is to write a chapter per prompt, with the fic CONCLUDING with 5 chapters. One chapter per prompt, one prompt per mod.
In essence, then, there are two mysteries:
- What will the prompt be?
- How will you work with it?
Like we said, a bit different than your standard EF Event.
How It Works
- You must write a 5-chapter fic, each chapter of which must be completed and posted within the designated time window.
- Each chapter will contain one prompt provided by an EF mod. This prompt can be the inclusion of a specific item, character, line of dialogue, theme, trope -- really, it’s whatever we come up with. You’re at our mercy.
- The endnotes of each chapter MUST identify that week’s prompt and include the line or passage that satisfied said prompt. (EXAMPLE: Prompt: A broken refrigerator containing spoiled blood and an excess of mayonnaise. Fulfilled: Copy/paste the relevant lines from the fic)
Rules
These rules will be checked and enforced in real-time. Fics that fail to follow the rules will be disqualified, lose the event icon, and be ineligible for end-of-event awards.
- Chapters must be published during the specified timeframe (ex. Chapter 1 posts July 5-July 11; Chapter 2 posts July 12-July 18).
- Fics must include the end note identifying the prompt and referencing how it was satisfied.
- Fics must not exceed 5 chapters.
- Each chapter must be a minimum of 500 words and a maximum of 14,500 words.
Dates
All dates commence at 12:01am and conclude at 11:59 PM, site time.
Prompt #1 Announced: July 1
Posting Days for Chapter 1: July 5 - July 11
Prompt #2 Announced: July 9
Posting Days for Chapter 2: July 12 - July 18
Prompt #3 Announced: July 16
Posting Days for Chapter 3: July 19 - July 25
Prompt #4 Announced: July 23
Posting Days for Chapter 4: July 26 - August 1
Prompt #5 Announced: July 30
Posting Days for Chapter 5: August 2 - August 8
AWARDS: All authors who successfully complete the Mystery Event will receive a shiny on their author profile.
Other Questions You May Have
So how do I sign up?
Post a chapter of your fic within the first designated time window. The event icon will not be available after July 11, nor will the ability to check that your fic is part of the event.
Really, just 5 chapters?
Yes, really.
But I want to write more!
Great! We love sequels!
What happens if I write more than 5 chapters?
It’s no longer an event fic and you lose the icon and are ineligible for the event award.
What happens if I don’t finish my chapter in the given timeframe?
See above.
What happens if my chapter does not include the prompt?
You should know the answer to this by now.
What happens if I don’t include a note for the mods to find the prompt?
Then the mods don’t know that you’ve included the prompt and…you know where this is going.
What if I forget to include a note just because I am naturally forgetful?
You will have until the end of each chapter’s time window to include the note. So if you post on Monday July 5, then realize on Thursday July 8 that, in your eagerness to post, you forgot to include the note, you have until Sunday July 11 to get that added. The mods will not be sending reminders to authors who neglect to do this (sorry; ain’t nobody got time for that). We encourage all participants to refer to the rules prior to posting each chapter to make sure you don’t forget anything.
What happens if I bribe the mods?
Interesting. How good’s the bribe?
What if I don’t like the prompt?
It’s inevitable that not all prompts will be universally popular. However, in order to receive your award, the fic must be complete within the allotted time frame AND nicely tick off each of the rules. This is why the award is tentatively titled, “I Survived the 2021 Elysian Fields Mystery Fic-a-Thon Event and Have the Story to Prove It.” We know this ain’t gonna be easy.
Excited? Nervous? Scared? Turned on? We’ll take all of the above.
Time to get our mystery on. Tune in on July 1 for the inaugural prompt.
--The Mods on June 24, 2021 02:55am 26 Comments
Get ready, EFers! Something mysterious is heading your way starting in July...
All will be revealed later this week, so stay tuned for our upcoming news post! And in the meantime, enjoy this completely fabulous artwork by Grief Counseling.
--The Mods on June 20, 2021 01:23pm 10 Comments
Hey everyone,
I would like to congratulate and thank everyone who played a role in making the Artistic April Challenge month an incredibly successful event. The Trapped Challenge previously held the title for most new fic for a site event, but you guys have smashed that—this April brought us 59 brand new challenge fic. Yes, you read that right… 59 new fics. 
If you have yet to check out these titles, you can FIND THEM ALL HERE.
Artistic April Challenge month stats:
(For challenge fic only, and accurate at the time of the news item being posted)
- Banners created – 142 (not including chapter art)
- New fic – 59
- Chapters added – 116
- Words added – 424,682
- Comments received – 1,575
- Likes received – 2,895
THANK YOU: to the artists, betas, commenters and authors who contributed to this challenge – it wouldn’t be the raging success it was without all of you and your participation.
Speaking of, if you participated during challenge month as an author, artist or beta, and you followed the event rules, you should find some pretty awards as a thank you for your participation on your profiles. Commenter awards will be posted tomorrow. Update: 3rd May - All commenter awards for challenge month have been delivered. :)
Authors, please remember that for your betas to be eligible to receive an award for their work they must be credited in either the Story Notes for the fic or the Summary itself. I have double-checked through all of them so hopefully none were missed.
Another reminder authors, if you claimed an artwork from the challenge master list the artist must be credited in your story summary (see previous news post here for the information on how to do this).
If you believe you should have an award(s) and you’ve been missed by mistake, please shoot a PM to me (angelic_amy) so I can sort it out.
A note about unclaimed banners
A reminder to the artists of our site – any of your wonderful banners and challenges that were unclaimed by the end of challenge month revert back to artist ownership. Meaning they’re yours to do with as you see fit. If you wish to add your challenge(s) and art to the site challenges page (located here) you are more than welcome to do so, but this is at your discretion and not a requirement.
This art ownership/reclaiming also includes banners that were claimed by authors but did not have a fic posted during the month of April.
Authors: if you claimed a banner but were unable to write and post part of your fic during April, please contact your artist if you intend to still post something connected to their art so that you may retain the banner you selected.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the 2021 Artistic April Challenge month, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
And as always, happy reading!
--Amy on May 01, 2021 11:32pm 8 Comments
Hello everyone,
Can you believe we’re only a day out from posting fic for the Artistic April Challenge Month? 
We know a lot of our authors and readers are excited to get started (and that includes the mods!) so this post serves as a final Q&A for the event.
This post should cover everything, but if there's a burning question you have or something else you're curious about, please let us know in the comments and we'll get back to you ASAP. There's a lot of information here, so grab a bite, get snuggly, and prepare to learn about all the amazing things happening in April...
How and when do I post my story?
Starting at midnight on April 1 (site time, which is Eastern US time-it's listed under the shoutbox), you'll see a checkbox on the page where you add a new story.
As soon as you see that box, you're free to post. If your story is part of the challenge, check the box and you're good to go. Your fic DOES NOT need to be complete prior to posting. In fact, it doesn't even need to be completed during April. So any authors stressing about the timeline, please take a breath because you have the whole month, during which you only need to BEGIN posting the story.
How do I find the stories that are being added to the challenge?
Besides the note in the story summary, challenge stories will have a little artist's palette and brush next to the title:
This will make it easy to spot challenge fics. Also, don't forget that you can browse the site events page where you can view all the stories from previous site events, and all Artistic April Challenge month fics can be located here.
I didn’t sign up, but I still want to participate. Can I still join in on the fun?
You most certainly can. The banner master list still has a bunch of challenges and art that are currently unclaimed. Fence sitters can still sign up to claim one of these beauties right up until the 25th of April. That’s the cut-off date to allow for authors to get something written (and posted on the site) prior to the end of the month and the close of the event.
To claim a banner contact Amy via email at: angelic.amy.fic@gmail.com
You can also write for a standard site challenge, as in previous years. Find all of our site challenges here!
What happens to any unclaimed banners and challenges?
Banners and challenges unclaimed by the end of April revert back to artist ownership. Artists may choose to add their challenge(s) and the accompanying art to the site challenges page if they wish, but this is at the artists' discretion.
Do I need to credit the artist who created my banner?
Yes! All artists must be credited for their wonderful works, and this is done simply through the Summary section when uploading your fic. The following text should be added to the end of all summaries that are part of this event:
Written for the Elysian Fields 'Artistic April Challenge' Month. Banner #00 by [artistname].
Here's a fictional example of what it should look like:
Summary: Willow endeavours to teach Angel how to people. This is thwarted when Angel discovers Buffy and Spike have registered at Bed, Bath & Beyond. Written for the Elysian Fields 'Artistic April Challenge' Month. Banner #0 by Holly. 
Do I have to link to the challenge specifics?
Nope, this is not a requirement. However, if you wish to prepare your readers on what they can expect in your fic, you can do so by linking to the banner master list with this URL: https://dark-solace.org/elysian/2021challengemonth.php
Alternatively, you could copy and paste the challenge specifics into the Story or Chapter Notes of your fic.
How do I get my banner personalised?
Authors, if you’re ready to post on the 1st of April, don’t forget to reach out to your artists for banner personalisation. How to do so was emailed to you during the banner confirmation process. If you have not been able to make contact with your artist, or forgot to contact them, please let Amy know and she'll put you in contact with each other.
How do I add my banner to my story?
To add the banner to your story, you can upload the banner to your account in the Your Images section of your account info page, or to an image sharing site (imgur.com, etc...) . Enter the image URL (which should end in .jpg, .gif or .png - nothing should be after the file type) into the line marked "Banner URL"
What about betas?
If you have a beta that you worked with as part of your challenge story, you must credit them in your story notes OR your summary in order for them to be counted as having participated in the event. If they aren't listed in your story notes, we have no way of identifying that they were part of the event.
Is there an event skin?
Yes. The Challenge Month skin has been switched back on if you want to make it your default. If you want to keep it, make sure you change it in your preferences page. And if you haven't seen it, the skin looks like this:
Will you be featuring regular stories while the challenge is going on?
There won't be any mod-chosen featured stories in April. In the area where we usually have featured stories, we're going to highlight stories written as responses to challenges listed on the site and responses to this event.
This challenge celebrates the amazing authors and artists at Elysian Fields, but what about the readers?
Come on, we couldn’t forget about you guys. If you write at least 15 comments in April that contain at least 5 words (for any stories here on EF, not just the challenge ones), you'll meet the requirements of the commenter challenge! You'll see a link to the comment challenge leaderboard on the homepage under the Members of the Month where the all-star commenter list is usually located.
Besides an amazing sense of pride, do we get anything for participating in the event?
Of course you do! The April awards that match our Challenge Month skin made by Amy have been tweaked for this year's Artistic event. As always, there will be awards for participating authors, artists, betas, and commenters:
That about covers it. Please let us know if there's any additional questions.
And get ready for some amazing new stories!
--The Mods on March 30, 2021 08:30pm 3 Comments
Hi everyone!
Just a quick message to confirm that Round 2 Banner Claims are officially open. The process is exactly the same as Round 1 and all of the details for how to grab a shiny piece of muse enticing prettiness can be found HERE on the last news post.
As our cup has more that runneth over (we've had a happy flood of banners), authors who have successfully claimed a banner during Round 1, and have (or may be planning to) claim a banner for Round 2, will also have the opportunity claim further banners during Round 3.
Round 3 Banner Claims (for authors who have successfully claimed 2 banners already) will open for claims on the 13th of March (site time).
A final note to any potential authors who've yet to sign up: it's not too late to join the party. If you haven't claimed a banner yet, you can do so at any time. Round 2 being open doesn't lock anyone out who has not previously joined the fun. In fact, your request could be a double (claiming your Round 1 and Round 2 requests at the same time).
To the currently participating authors - happy writing!
And to the fence-sitters considering signing up - come on... you know you want to. 
--Amy on March 05, 2021 07:00pm 4 Comments