Crowdfunding: Connecting Creators and Patrons

elf boosted the signal for a friend's project, The Fujoshi Guide to Web Development. "Help us put the means of website production back into the hands of those best suited to receive them: fandom people."

"Learn web development from hot anime guys in a dating sim. Well, not actually a dating sim. But it looks like a dating sim."

Here is a sample of the GIT Zine. (Do not read with mouth full.) This looks like a great guide for visual thinkers, even in its early, sketchy stage. It is even legible for me, and I don't code. Also, decorating an instruction manual with hawt catboys will definitely make fans look at it.

I am delighted to see someone doing concrete things to encourage more folks to create websites and services, as alternatives to the current ones that mostly suck. Take back the web!

Also, promoting this project may help us get things that we want.  The more people know how to make websites, the more likely it becomes that someone will create a crowdfunding hub site that hosts all types of projects, rather than just being a storefront or just hosting one type.  Several times, we've talked here about how to set up such a thing, and the leading reason it's never gone farther than talk is that nobody interested in it knows how to build the kind of website  for it.

This landing page presents information about a recurring activity in this community, including the general parameters, past sessions and themes, etc. The Crowdfunding Creative Jam is held about once a month here in  crowdfunding.   This provides a regular opportunity for people to post prompts, claim prompts, post things they've created, sponsor goodies, explore each other's projects, collaborate, and generally hang out with other creative folks.

For background, you can read the original discussion posts ("Creative Jam, Anyone?" and "Further Discussion of the Creative Jam") and the parameters poll.  See a list of themes.


About the Creative Jam
The Crowdfunding Creative Jam customarily takes place on the third weekend of the month.  It can run Saturday-Sunday or Sunday-Monday, depending on the preferance of that month's manager.  Any member of the community can volunteer to manage the jam session.

Everyone is eligible to post prompts, which may be words or phrases, titles, images, etc. Prompters may request a specific creator, but everyone else may still use that prompt if they wish. Prompts may specify a particular character/world/etc. but creators may use the prompt for something else anyway and post the results. Prompters are still encouraged to post mostly prompts that anyone could use anywhere, as this maximizes the chance of having creators make something based on your prompt. Please title your comment "Prompt" or "Prompts" when providing inspiration so these are easy to find.

Prompt responses may also be treated as prompts and used for further inspiration. For example, a prompt may lead to a sketch which leads to a story, and so on. This kind of cascading inspiration is one of the most fun things about a collective jam session.

Everyone is eligible to use prompts, and everyone who wants to use a given prompt may do so, for maximum flexibility of creator choice in inspiration. You do not have to post a "Claim" reply when you decide to use a prompt, but this does help indicate what is going on so that other prompters can spread out their choice of prompts if they wish.

Creators are encouraged, but not required, to post at least one item free. Likewise, sharing a private copy of material with the prompter is encouraged but not required. Creative material resulting from prompts should be indicated in a reply to the prompt, with a link to the full content elsewhere on the creator's site (if desired); a brief excerpt and/or description of the material may be included in the reply (if desired). It helps to title your comment "Prompt Filled" or something like that so these are easy to identify. There is no time limit on responding to prompts. However, creators are encouraged to post replies sooner rather than later, as the attention of prompters will be highest during and shortly after the session.

Some items created from prompts may become available for sponsorship. Some creators may offer perks for donations, linkbacks, or other activity relating to this project. Check creator comments and links for their respective offerings.

Prompters, creators, and bystanders are expected to behave in a responsible and civil manner. If the moderators have to drag someone out of the sandbox for improper behavior, we will not be amused. Please respect other people's territory and intellectual property rights, and only play with someone else's characters/setting/etc. if you have permission. (Fanfic/fanart freebies are okay.) If you want to invite folks to play with something of yours, title the comment something like "Open Playground" so it's easy to spot. This can be a good way to attract new people to a shared world or open-source project, or just have some good non-canon fun.

Boost the signal! The more people who participate, the more fun this activity becomes. You can link to this landing page, or to individual session posts, to encourage more folks to get involved.


Open Projects

There are a number of shared worlds, open-source fandoms, and other projects which are open to new creative input.  If you want to explore a creative endeavor that already has resources such as setting and characters, check out these options ...

The Blueshift Troupers
Imagine a science fiction television series with all the hope, adventure, and sense of wonder from the classics.  The hiveship Omphalos  is one of the regular characters, providing a home for the crew of shapeshifters who travel the galaxy through jump gates to solve problems on distant planets.  Human colonization has spread civilization far and wide, but most planets have one or a few dominant races and some of them are pretty xenophobic. Each season of the show features a different planet, ethnic group, and culture where the main characters would be portrayed by new actors.  This would create a shifting opportunity for large numbers of ethnic actors on film or stage; in its current version, it's a way for authors or artists to portray different races and cultures.  The main page linked above presently holds a description of the setting and main characters along with links to published works.

Nine for the Nebula's Heart
This is envisioned as a movie or movie series which is science fantasy mythpunk with feminist/intersectional themes.  The main characters are diverse along lines of race, sexuality, social background, ability, etc. but the team is all women except for one man.  You can read the core canon, guidelines, and masterlist of works online.  Anyone may create new works using these materials, but in order to count as canon, works must use the same CC BY-SA license as the core.

Schrodinger's Heroes
Everyone is welcome to play with Schrodinger's Heroes. (If you're new to this project, you can start here.) This is an imaginary fandom for an apocryphal television show. A team of heroes practice quantum physics and other hijinks to protect Earth against invaders from other dimensions. The team is racially, sexually, and culturally diverse. Because the subject naturally deals with alternate realities, it lends itself well to crossovers and alternate-universe interpretations; you can use my version or make up your own.

Torn World
Torn World is a science fantasy shared world available for writing and creating in. Sea monsters! Giant furred unicorns! Crystals that control time! People of changing gender, or no gender!  For more information about the setting, prompters should start here and contributors should start here. For specific information about submitting your work to our world continuity, rights and allowances, please see our contributor's rules. We have a space for sharing non-canon work on our site, so don't be shy about jumping in, even if you aren't familiar with the setting yet!

The Ursulan Cycle
Based on the Arthurian Cycle, the Ursulan Cycle uses genderbending to tell old legends in new ways.  Most of the characters are female, which changes the relationships and politics dramatically.  Themes include court intrigue, adventure, romance, and magic/spirituality.  Everyone is welcome to play since it's based on ancient cultural material. Come explore the characters, plot, macguffins, and content.

2018 Sessions
May 2018 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Sense of Wonder"
April 2018 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Awakening"
March 2018 (Saturday 17-Sunday 18) "Hurt/Comfort"
February 2018 (Saturday 17-Sunday 18) "Trust & Vulnerability"
January 2018 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Unicorns"

2017 Sessions
November 2017 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Stretching and Reaching"
October 2017 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Moving the Body"
September 2017 (Saturday 23-Sunday 24) "Black Swans"
August 2017 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Moving the Body"
July 2017 (none)
June 2017 (Saturday 17-Sunday 18) "Sufficient or Indulgent"
May 2017 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Baker's Dozen"
April 2017 (Saturday 15-Sunday 16) "Twists"
March 2017 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Skeptical, Not Blind"
February 2017 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Love"
January 2017 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Laughter"

2016 Sessions
November 2016 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Happy Stories"
October 2016 (Saturday 15-Sunday 16) "Games"
September 2016 (hosted by DW user Dialecticdreamer)
August 2016 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Fashion"
July 2016 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Good and Evil"
June 2016 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Changing Society Around the Individual"
May 2016 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Surprises and the Unexpected"
April 2016 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Ideas"
March 2016 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Highly Distinctive People"
February 2016 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Comfortable and Uncomfortable Situations"
January 2016 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Art and Artisans"

2015 Sessions
November 2016 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Books"
October 2015 (Saturday 17-Sunday 19) "Abilities and Disabilities"
September 2015 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Contradictions"
August 2015 (Saturday 15-Sunday 16) "Science and Scientists"
July 2015 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Nobody Would Ever Write This"
June 2015 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Broken Relationships"
May 2015 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Hope"
April 2015 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Impossible"
March 2015 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Portents of the Past and Future"
February 2015 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Resources"
January 2015 (Saturday, January 17-Sunday, January 18) "Dreaming and Waking"

2014 Sessions
December 2014 (none)
November 2014 (Saturday, November 15-Sunday, November 16) "Salvaging or Repairing People or Ideas"
October 2014 (Saturday, October 18-Sunday, October 19) "Paradigm Shifting Without a Clutch"
September 2014 (Saturday, September 20-Sunday, September 21) "New Ideas in Old Problems"
August 2014 (Saturday, August 16-Sunday, August 17) "Community and Communication"
July 2014 (Saturday, July 19-Sunday, July 20) "Conflicts Where No One Is Wrong"
June 2014 (Saturday, June 14-Sunday, June 15) "Places That Matter"
May 2014 (Saturday, May 17-Sunday, May 18) "Quests"
April 2014 (Saturday, April 19-Sunday, April 20) "Characterization"
March 2014 (Saturday, March 14-Sunday, March 15) "Far Future"
February 2014 (Saturday, February 15-Sunday, February 16) "Mysteries & Enigmas"
January 2014 (Saturday, January 25-Sunday, January 26) "Historical Fantasy"

2013 Sessions
December 2013 (none)
November 2013 (Saturday, November 16-Sunday, November 17) "Seasonal Changes"
October 2013 (Saturday, October 19-Sunday, October-20) "Artificial Intelligences and Noncorporeal Beings"
September 2013 (Saturday September 14-Sunday September 15) "Emotions"
August 2013 (Saturday August 17-Sunday August 18) "Technology"
July 2013 (Saturday July 20-Sunday July 21) "Families of Choice"
June 2013 (Saturday June 15-Sunday June 16) "Space Travel"
May 2013 (Saturday May 18-Sunday May 19) "Magic"
April 2013 (Saturday April 20-Sunday April 21) "Conflict"
March 2013 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Memory"
February 2013 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Twisted Tropes"
January 2013 (Saturday 19-Sunday 20) "Nonviolence"

2012 Sessions
December 2012 (none)
November 2012 (Saturday 17-Sunday 18) "Portals"
October 2012 (Saturday 20-Sunday 21) "Kink"
September 2012 (Saturday 15-Sunday 16) "Characters of Color"
August 2012 (Sunday 19-Monday 20) "Preservation/Conservation"
July 2012 (Saturday 21-Sunday 22) "Women in Sensible Armor"
June 2012 (Saturday 16-Sunday 17) "Outer Space"
May 2012 (Saturday 26-Sunday 27) "Food"
April 2012 (Sunday 22-Monday 23) "Blood"
March 2012 (Sunday 18-Monday 19) "Respect"
February 2012 (Saturday 18-Sunday 19) "Alternative Sexualities / QUILTBAG"
January 2012 (Saturday 14-Sunday 15) "Disabled Characters (Visibly & Invisibly Disabled)"

2011 Sessions
November 2011 (Sunday 20-Monday 21) "Inner Worlds"
October 2011 (Monday 17-Tuesday 18) "Misfits"

Someone is crowdfunding the first pr0n video in space. <3 My inner fanboy will be in his bunk.

Adam Nimoy is crowdfunding a documentary about his father Leonard Nimoy. Live long and prosper!

My June Poetry Fishbowl is now open in LiveJournal and in Dreamwidth with a theme of "outgrowing old ideas."  Come give me prompts!

Our theme this month was "gentlemen in distress." I worked from 12:30 PM to to 4:30 AM, so about 14 hours accounting for breaks. I wrote 9 poems on Tuesday and another 19 later.

There was good participation, with 49 comments on LiveJournal and 43 on Dreamwidth. A total of 22 people sent prompts. Please welcome new prompters liliane and LJ user Starcat_jewel. You have them to thank for the second freebie.


Read Some Poetry!
The following poems from the May 5, 2015 Poetry Fishbowl have been posted:
"All Mingle Their Waters"
"Attainable Goals"
"A Cultural Control Problem"
"A Gentleman in Distress"
"If You Do Not Change Direction"
"The Nature of the Season"
"Riding from the Rescue"
"Scrambling for Crumbs"
"Surviving Hell's Kitchen"
"These Tiny Little Steps"
"Tomato Pie and Ice Cream"
"The Whole Universe Surrenders"

"Dangerous Refuges" (A Conflagration of Dragons, 6/14/14 Creative Jam)
"Heard for Himself" (Clay of Life, 4/3/15 Poetry Fishbowl)


Buy some poetry!
If you plan to sponsor some poetry but haven't made up your mind yet, see the unsold poetry list for May 5, 2015. That includes the title, length, price, and the original thumbnail description for the poems still available.

All of the sponsored poems from May have been posted. Backchannel copies of the rest have been sent to the prompters. Per the $200 goal, "Heard for Himself" was the free epic. Per the $250 goal, that's one tally toward a bonus fishbowl. Per the $300 goal, "Quiet Rooms" is the bonus material. This month's donors included rix_scaedu, Anonymous gifting to stardreamer and janetmiles, gingicat, LJ user Clockworklady, janetmiles, redsixwing, LJ user Starcat_jewel, lone_cat, mdlbear, and Anthony & Shirley Barrette. Please welcome new donor LJ user Clockworklady.


The Poetry Fishbowl project also has a permanent landing page.