HP Never After

HP Never After was 2010 Harry Potter challenge dedicated to unhappy endings. It ran for only one round, though it was originally intended to be a recurring fest.mod_neverafter. F.A.Q. 09 May 2009. (Accessed 24 July 2012.)
:"Ever read a story that you know is going to end horribly, but then the author turns around and makes it a happily ever after? Do you ever want a story that leads down the path of destruction and stays on that path? Or how about a story that seems like it's headed for a happy ending, and then twists your gut around to make things painful and not-so-happy? Then this is the prompt fest for you."hp_neverafter. LiveJournal Community Profile. (Accessed 24 July 2012.)
The fest was moderated by Jay (masteroftrouble), Li, and Timber, the latter two who did not have LiveJournal accounts. It was affiliated with HP Emofest and HP DIDI Fest.
== Rules ==
=== Fest Structure ===
HP Never After was scheduled as a gift exchange for both fanfiction and fanart. Participants submitted prompts for works they would like to receive and specified the kinds of works they were willing to create.mod_neverafter. Untitled sign-up post. 01 January 2010. (Accessed 24 July 2012.) The mods then assigned each participant a prompt to fill.
Submissions were posted anonymously over a span of several weeks. Once all were posted, the mods revealed who had created each work.
Stories were required to be a minimum of 1,000 words, and artwork was required a comparable effort. All submissions were required to be complete, could not be based on a participant's previous work, and could not be posted elsewhere until the completion of the fest. Participants were required to display their age on their journal, and those under 18 were not permitted to request or receive sexually explicit material.mod_neverafter. Rules. 10 May 2009. (Accessed 24 July 2012.)
=== Work Content ===
The only thematic requirements for submissions was that they could not have a happy ending. The mods clarified this as meaning that works "where the good overcomes the evil" were not allowed, such as those in which "Harry gets what he wants, Ginny gets that promotion, and even Voldemort winning IF that's your main character -- it's obviously good and happy for him."
Otherwise, the only content restriction was that works could not depict sexual activities with characters under 16, though allusions to "off-screen" underage sex was permitted. All other content was permitted, though participants were asked to give appropriate ratings and warnings in the works' headers.
== Timeline ==
The challenge followed the following timeline:
* January 1, 2010: Sign-ups opened.
* January 10, 2010: Sign-ups closed. (Originally scheduled for January 07.)
* January 8–14, 2010: Assignments issued.
* April 14, 2010: Deadline to submit art and fics.
* April 21, 2010: Second submission deadline.
* April 25 - June 1, 2010: Art and fics posted. (Originally scheduled to begin April 15.)
* June 4, 2010: Author and artist reveals.
Posting was originally scheduled to begin January 7, but was pushed back to allow for a second deadline for those who had missed the first.mod_neverafter. Untitled LiveJournal post. 16 April 2010. (Accessed 24 July 2012.)
== Submitted Works ==
There were 15 stories and three pieces of art produced for the challenge:mod_neverafter. Reveals! 04 June 2010. (Accessed 24 July 2012.)
=== Fanfiction ===
* The State of Leaving by gala_apples (for a_shadow_there)R, 2,257 words. Regulus/James, Regulus/Sirius, Regulus/Bartemius Crouch. Warnings: pre-sixteen undescribed sexual relations.Sometimes, the moment you step out of your cage is the moment the cat comes along to devour you.
* To Loathe Another by crazyparakiss (for frellen_rocks)NC-17, 3,200 words. Harry/Draco, Teddy. Warnings: suicide, gore, sex, AU, cross dressing.In the post Voldemort world the Muggle Ministry has oppressed the magical beings of society, killing them off in hopes to avoid the uprising of Wizards against them. Forcing all magical folks into hiding and into killing those they once protected, but now they must protect their own.
* Thus We Spiral Downwards by alley_skywalker (for The Community)PG-13, ~8,000 words. Death Eater-centric, angst. No warnings given.The training of young Death Eaters, their friendship, the dangers they face, and the War that will inevitably take its toll.
* World Behind Our Wall by thilia (for crazyparakiss)R, ~5,000 words. Albus/Scorpius with Scorpius/Lily, Lucius/Narcissa, Sirius/Narcissa . Warnings: character death, suicide.Scorpius reads his grandmother's old diaries and finds unexpected similarities between their lives.
* Quid Pro Quo by gyzym (for thilia)NC-17, 3,425 words. Draco/Albus Severus with Albus/Scorpius, Draco/Harry. Warnings: dub-con that borders on non-con, dark!fic, rimming, mild biting, restraints.Albus Potter needs a job, and Draco Malfoy has one to offer. Really, it's just a matter of what the kid will do to get it.
* Try Being by phys_nut (for The Community)NC-17, 1,796 words. Molly II/Roxanne, Albus/Scorpius. Warnings: bloodplay, knifeplay, incest, self-harm, underage sex, girl-on-girl sex.Try being the child of the only traitor in a family of heroes. Now that’s not easy.
* Everything You've Ever Dreamed Of by frellen_rocks (for phys_nut)PG-13, ~4,000 words. Albus/Scorpius, Teddy/James. Warnings: character death.Why can't everything just be too perfect?
* Pitseleh by a_shadow_there (for gala_apples)NC-17, 2,325 words. Dean/Seamus. Warnings: angst, implied drug use + addiction, explicit M/M sex, brief implications of a kind of dirty talk.Dean watches Seamus' long, slender fingers manoeuvre; gracing the fret board with his steady touch, the strings bending to his will. Succumbing.
* The Darker Days of Me and Him by seatbeltdrivein (for The Community)R, ~6,600 words. Harry/Luna. Warnings: character death, violence, and non-graphic sex.After Dean was murdered, Luna, the last person to see him alive, doesn't know what to do. When an old friend of his comes to town asking questions, Luna is drawn to him. Perhaps, she told herself, Harry potter would help her move on.
* Different Kinds of Chains by masteroftrouble, Li, and Timber (for scarletladyy)PG-13, ~1,300 words. Draco/Pansy, Harry/Pansy, past Draco/Hermione. Warnings: mentions of abuse, rough situations, language, murder, suicide.When Draco upsets Pansy, she does the only thing she could think of to piss him off: date Harry Potter.
* Accidents Have Large Repercussions by scarletladyy (for venturous1)NC-17, 3,818 words. Lucius/Hermione. Warnings: intense torture, violence, character death.In a duel, Hermione accidentally killed Draco, and now his father wants to avenge his death.
* Never On Time by masteroftrouble (for serpenscript)PG-13, ~5,900 words. Harry/Draco, Dudley. Warnings: main character death.After the final battle, Harry disappeared. A few years later, nobody can save him. Not even Draco Malfoy.
* Five Times It Rained by serpenscript (for alley_skywalker)R, ~13,000 words. Severus/Lucius, Severus/Draco. Warnings: AU, short on-screen torture, implied sex, implied chan.
* Mudblood by reikokatsura (for The Community)NC-17, ~730 words (plus art). Hermione Granger. Warnings: execution, major character deaths.After a war won by the dark, Mudbloods get treatment slightly different than everyone else.
* Azkaban by masteroftrouble (for seatbeltdrivein)R, ~1,900 words. Neville (Neville/Draco), Padma. Warnings: some blood, slight violence, sexual situations.Azkaban. It isn't somewhere you'd want to be… Not all of us were old Death Eaters, either.
=== Fanart ===
* Last Stand by masteroftrouble (for gyzym)PG-13. James Potter Jr. (mentions of James/Roxanne). Warnings: blood, zombies.Seven stupid people tried to spell Voldemort back. They got everybody else instead.
* The Beast Within by venturous1 (for girlofavalon)NC-17. Draco.Ron. Warnings: non-con, rape.Ron loses his cool while interrogating Malfoy.
* Mudblood by reikokatsura (for The Community)NC-17. Hermione Granger. Warnings: execution, major character death, nudity.After a war won by the dark, Mudbloods get treatment slightly different than everyone else.
== References ==
Category:2010 Challenges