Site Glossary
Just a few notes on terminology here, to avoid confusion.
Category: The basic set of classifications for fests – the way we organize them here. All fests listed on the site are classified according to seven categories, each with its own tag:
--The central character or characters around whom the fest revolves --The pairing (or threesome, etc.) around which the fest revolves, if it is a pairing-oriented fest --The genre of the fest with regard to pairings – gen, het, slash, femmeslash, etc. --Any special theme or themes of the fest, beyond character and/or pairing --The season of the year during which entries are posted --The media of eligible entries – fic, art, or both --The type of fest – anonymous exchange, prompt ficathon, Choose Your Own Author, etc.
Genre: Here on HPFL this term refers only to the broadest pairing-based genres: gen, het, slash, and femmeslash. Fests in which fic/art of multiple genres is possible will be tagged “multiple.”
Pairing: This term is used loosely here on HPFL, and encompasses threesomes (Draco/Harry/Severus) and moresomes.
Prompted: Refers to fests in which participants choose/are given a prompt or set of prompts from which to work.
Reverse: A type of fest in which participants pick the person who will create their gift, usually based on submitted prompts/ads for the work the author/artist wishes to create. Also known as “Choose Your Own Author/Artist.”
Season: The time of year when fic and/or art is publically posted for the first time. There are four seasons for our purposes here:
--Spring: posting between March 1 – May 31 --Summer: June 1 – August 31 --Fall: September 1 – November 30 --Winter: December 1 – February 28/29
Status: Refers to the nature of the fest as a one-time or recurring event. Fests that are going into, in the midst of, or have just finished their first round are considered new. Fests that re-occur periodically are recurring, while fests that were one-time events and have completed posting, or recurring ones that have decided to forgo future rounds, are considered past.
Theme: Many fests are organized not just around character but also around some theme – holidays, character birthdays, smut, a particular approach to writing a character, and so on.
Type: The basic way a fest works, and/or the organizational template for the fest – some are anonymous exchanges, some let you pick your author/artist, some have participants pick from a list of prompts for their work. Big Bangs and Fuh-Q-Fests are considered types as well.