What is "Thorny Nights"?

This anonymous fic fest is for anyone interested in writing fic that includes darker themes and content that is often accompanied by a dead dove tag.

What is darkfic?

Darkfic primarily refers to stories that depict and explore disturbing or dark themes, often involving sensitive topics or morally dubious situations and characters.

Who are the mods?

mod ⚰️, he/they
We all have the right to engage with art as we want. We all also have the right to create art, convey our thoughts, our stories, even if it unsettles others. To say that anyone has a right to limit, suppress artistic expression or decide what is “good” and what is “bad”, what is “acceptable” or “unacceptable” leads us down the slippery slope of censorship that only exists to uphold systems that harm us all.mod 🕊️, they/them
Fan-fiction is a valuable aspect of fan spaces and writing as an art form. Darkfic can and does exist with other genres of fanfic and deserves to continue to do so. The banning/censoring of fiction is an act of oppression. Writers have suffered and are currently suffering at the hands of authoritarian powers. Various people engage in various things for various reasons. I do not know you. You do not know me. My job is to make sure everything is properly tagged so that people are able to freely and safely decide what to consume.

Why does thorny nights exist?

mod 🕊️ noted a lack of fests that allowed dark topics/themes and decided to organize a darkfic fest. This fest has been months in the making, and we are excited to create a space for darkfic authors and stories!

Schedule

Prompting: July 13 - August 24, opens/closes 7pm EST
Sign-Ups: July 13 - August 24, opens/closes 7pm EST
Claiming: July 27 - November 2, opens/closes 7pm EST
Submission Deadline: November 9, closes 7pm EST
Posting: November 17 - November 21

General Rules

  • Prompts or submissions that include Yujin RPF/RPS will not be accepted.

  • All participants must be 18+.

  • Use of AI is strictly prohibited.

  • Due to the nature of this fest, privacy is a priority. Breaches of privacy will result in contact from the mods and removal from the fest.

  • For any questions or concerns, DM the fest account or email the fest at [email protected].

  • Please note, by signing up, prompting, or claiming through the AO3 collection, your username will be visible. For anonymous options, use our forms.

Prompt Guidelines

Prompts may be submitted through AO3 or the anonymous prompt form. All prompts are subject to review. Participants may submit up to 10 prompts.Self-prompts will be allowed and will be done through the claiming form.Mods will not be accepting prompts that include NSFW depictions of Yujin RPF/RPS.AO3 prompt submissions must use the following format:

  • Content/Trigger Warnings:

  • Pairing(s)/Character(s):

  • Rating:

  • Short summary of prompt/general theme (1 to 4 sentences):

  • Tropes/Tags to Avoid:

  • Other Tropes/Tags to Include:

Claiming Guidelines

  • Participants can claim one (1) prompt.

  • Claiming must be done through the form.

  • Once your claim is confirmed, you may claim the confirmed prompt on AO3.

  • If you are anonymously claiming, the fest account will claim your confirmed prompt.

Submission Guidelines

  • Submissions must be a minimum of 1,500 words.

  • Authors may submit works in progress.

  • Works may be submitted through AO3 or the anonymous form.

  • Detailed instructions and the submission form will be announced closer to the submission deadline.