How This Works (How-to, Rules, Q&A)

[rainbowmods]

Welcome to the challenges community for Rainbow Fiction! This is where you learn about how Rainbow Fiction works, while rainbowfic is where you post your work and rainbowlounge is where discussions, along with games and other things, are based. The top post in Rainbow Fiction, right here, is for introductions; please stop by there. We'd like to get to know you.

How does this work?

RainbowList is the source of our lists of prompts, plus add-ons of styles or supplies. Pieces using the prompts are posted to Rainbowfic. We use colors for the prompt lists, and we have a wide range of themes for the lists. A Color or Color list is a list of related prompts, which can be used in any order. On Rainbowlists, Color or the name of a Color should be capitalized to ensure it's clear that it means the list. Lower case 'color' may refer to all shades of a color, which are tagged as a hue. For example Blue is the color list, and Colors that are shades of blue are tagged 'hue: blue'.

Pick a prompt list (Color) and work through it in any order you want. Every prompt in a list has to be used in different pieces before the Color is complete, but you can abandon lists that aren't working for you. There's no need to say what Color or Colors you've picked, and until you use them, feel free to change your mind as much as you'd like.

You can write prose or poetry; create art, comics, crafts, or games; or other things, so long as it's original work, not related to a fandom. (We do have a way to create minor crossovers with fandom or to borrow from media sources, the style called Mosaic and the supply called Gesso.)

Any one piece can have up to three prompts from different Colors, as well as many supplies or styles as you can make work. Prompts can be interpreted as strictly or as loosely as you want; no one will be policing your interpretation.

Once you finish a Color list, you can get a banner for your achievement by commenting on the completed challenges post or taking one of the generic banners (available on the Color List posts). Then feel free to choose another Color.

What are Styles? Styles are additional optional challenges that can earn banners. Most are add-ons for a single piece. Paint-by-Numbers, Bichromatics, and Tapestries each involve an entire Color list and require as many pieces as there are prompts to complete. In a Saturation, you use the entire prompt list in one piece. Diptychs and Triptychs are multiple pieces that go together thematically, which can be posted together or separately.

What are Supplies? Supplies are additional sources of prompts or themes that can optionally be used (the line between a supply and a style can be fuzzy, but it doesn't matter.) Like with styles, using them earns you banners.

The Color of the Day works much like our other supplies, except it also functions as a color, so instead of finding an appropriate prompt for what you want to write, you can simply use it. It can be one of the three Colors for a piece.

What are Palettes? A Palette is a group of Color Lists. Completing one earns you a banner. Palettes include completing several lists of the same hue, as well as themed collections like flowers, jewelry, and candy.

What are Masterpieces? Masterpieces are a combination of Colors, Palettes, Styles, and/or Supplies that earn you a banner. This includes completing a certain number of colors (Crayon Box), trying out different Supplies or Styles (Sampler), or specific mixes of things. Masterpieces are purely optional, but completing one means you put in a ton of work.

What are Games and Challenges? Games and Challenges are optional activities hosted on our discussion community, rainbowlounge. They can be started by mods or members. Sometimes they involve Custom Colors - a prompt list made especially for that challenge. Pieces posted in response get tagged with the style 'Graffiti' and participating in them earns you Novelty Beads. Novelty Beads are additional image, music, or text prompts that you can use. Anyone can participate in a game.

There are additional Q&As specific to the pages on Styles, Supplies, Palettes, and Masterpieces

Rules
There are, of course, some rules, and those are below. Take a moment to read them over before you get started.

Posting

1. You may have up to five Color lists active at one time, plus one Custom Color and two Color lists for Paint-by-Numbers, Bichromatics, and/or Tapestries. (see the q&a below) That's a minimum of fifty prompts at the outset.


2. We ask that all pieces be posted within the community; if they're off-community, other members may not be able to view them for one reason or another. Your pieces are, of course, yours to do with as you wish, but for purposes of the community as an archive, they should be here as well as wherever else you choose to post.


3. In the header for your post, please include your name or pen name, the title of the overall story, the word count, a rating, challenges, and any applicable warnings. Anything beyond that is up to you. A suggested format is:
   

   Name:
   Story:
   Colors:
   Supplies and Styles:
   Word Count:
   Rating:
   Warnings:

   This may, of course, be varied or added to as you see fit.


4. Tag your posts as appropriate. Tags are for the author name, the larger story's name, the Color list, and any Supplies or Styles used. If you need a tag that doesn't yet exist, please use the tag '! needs tags' and add a reply with what tags you need. The mods will add it as soon as possible.


5. All posts must be cut to minimize scrolling. Posts also must not use a hardcoded font, as it may cause reading difficulties for any members with low vision. Preview text outside the cut should be no more than one or two reasonably-sized sentences.


6. Please do not post more than five times a day. Generally each post should have only one piece

Content Notes & Trigger Warnings

1. Triggers and explicit material should be warned for, or have the statement 'I don't use warnings' in the header. Be aware that if you don't use warnings, you may get fewer readers. If you do use warnings and want to hide them, you can use the following code:

   <a title="Skip this Warning" href="#skip">skip</a>
   <span title="This is a spoiler. Highlight to read." style="color:#666;background-color:#666;">Warning text</span>
   <a name="skip"></a>.



2. No warning of any sort is needed for queer or asexual characters, nor activity beyond any normal rating for explicit content. We're friendly to it all.


3. No content is currently forbidden so long as it is tagged appropriately or the poster states "I don't use warnings."


4. If your story contains explicit material, absolutely label it as such. If it contains any sexual material with a participant under the age of eighteen, label it as such to prevent problems for any members who are prohibited from reading such material by local law.


5. We're sex and kink friendly. However, if it's violent (such as choking, breathplay, or bloodplay), this should be warned for with other triggers. We ask that you mention kinks in your summary, should you summarize.


6. If your story contains abuse, rape, sexual assault, child abuse, self-injury, eating disorders, or suicide, you must either warn for said content or state in your header, "I don't use warnings."
   
   If you have a trigger that you would like added to the warning list, please contact the mods. For discussion of why trigger warnings are opt-out instead of opt-in, please read shipwreck_light's excellent post on the subject right here.

Commenting

1. Please reply to any comments left on your posts. Even if you have nothing else to say, a simple, “Thank you for reading!” goes a long way.


2. Please offer constructive criticism only if it is requested by the author. Criticism must be constructive, as discussed in an article hosted on Writing World. Along those lines, if you request criticism, please accept it graciously.


3. We encourage, but don't require, members to comment on each other's posts. Even something as simple as 'I like this' or 'Cool' helps build the community.

General Behavior

1. Above all else, be considerate of other members. If there's a conflict with another member, handle it as calmly as you can; if you can't, let a mod know, and they'll step in to settle things, whether privately or in the thread.


2. This community doesn't have 'unspoken rules' - if you have a question or concern, feel free to ask the mods, either by DM or in RainbowLounge.


3. In the event of a major infraction, such as fighting or provoking other members or refusing to note that one does not use trigger warnings when one has been notified of the presence of a trigger, the mods will issue one warning. If another infraction occurs within three months, a one-week temporary ban will be issued. If there is a third infraction within three months, the ban will be permanent. Major infractions are at the mods' discretion and will be explicitly pointed out, rather than letting the member wonder what they might have done wrong.

Questions & Answers

• Do pieces have to be created for RainbowFic? Or can I post old pieces? Can I post things that have been posted elsewhere? You're allowed to post old pieces and apply prompts after the fact. Or write something and then realize additional prompts (Colors or Supplies) apply. You can post things to RainbowFic that have been elsewhere, and you can post elsewhere after as well.


• Can I lock a post so only community members see it? Yes, you may.


• What's the breakdown of the number of Color lists exactly? Generally speaking, you can have five lists going for stories. You can also have a sixth list that's a Custom Color created by a mod (or with permission of a mod) for a game. On top of that, there are a few Styles that allow for additional lists:
  
  • If you're writing a Saturation, that list doesn't count toward total, since Saturations are a single piece.
  
  
  • You can have up to two additional lists (besides the five basic) going for Paint-by-Numbers, Tapestries, and/or Bichromatics. This means if you have a Bichromatic going plus five colors, you can't start a Tapestry or Paint-by-Numbers until one of those colors is finished.
  
  This means that, potentially, you could have eight lists total at a time (5 basic + 1 Special color + 2 for Paint-by-Numbers & etc)


• What counts as a piece? A piece is the thing you post: this can be text, a music mix/play list, art, a recording or video, digital art or physical media, games or a mix of things. These may also qualify as Styles. A piece should be posted on its own. An art piece or Folk Art piece that uses the same prompt as a writing piece can be posted with it. A piece may use up to three prompts from different Colors, or two Color prompts and the Color of the Day, or be a Saturation.


• Can I have more than one series going or multiple 'verses? Absolutely! You can ask for tags for them when you post a piece in one for the first time


• What if I need to change my author tag or a story tag? Let a mod know in RainbowLounge, by DM, or by a comment (with the '! needs tags' tag) on the post and we'll get it fixed.


• Is it possible to stop using a Color list before I finish it? Yes! We want RainbowFic to be low stress, so if you want to abandon a Color for any reason, go ahead, even if you've already posted work with prompts from it. You don't need to announce it anywhere, just like you don't need to tell us what Colors you're using.


• Can I write in the same universe as someone else? Absolutely, as long as you have their permission


• What's the minimum and maximum number of words? A piece that is less than 100 words is allowed (and fills the Miniature challenge). There is no maximum; pieces that exceed Dreamwidth's character limit can be posted in multiple parts.


• What's the minimum and maximum number of supplies and styles allowed? You're not required to use supplies or styles at all. You can use as many as you can make work in a piece - there's no set upper limit.


• Can I suggest a Color, Supply, Style, Masterpiece, or Palette? You can, but we can't guarantee we'll include it. Post about it in rainbowlounge


• Can I advertise RainbowFic on other communities? Please go ahead! Let us know as well.


• Can a non-moderator post a specialty color (Custom Palette) or other challenge? Yes! Go for it! Post about it in rainbowlounge and participants can get Graffiti credit and Novelty Beads (either you or a mod can issue the prompts for the Novelty Beads)


• Can I use the prompts or prompts lists in my personal journal or for fanfic? We'd say no, but it's not like we can stop you. If you do, please point people toward here with the note that the community is for original content


• What do I do if I need to ask a mod a question or I have a suggestion? The most reliable way is to DM them or post to rainbowlounge

That's everything you need to know! Pick a color or five, join the communities, and start writing.

Updated: September 20, 2024 (spelling and grammar)