Welcome and Introduction Post

[florianschild]

Come one, come all! Step right up to the very first Sunshine Revival challenge!

Is that popcorn and funnel cakes that I smell? And if you listen carefully you can hear the cheerful notes of the Calliope in the distance. You may have noticed we've got some summer carnival sounds and aromas in the air. Which is fitting, since that is our theme this year! Prompts will be inspired by elements of our summer carnival, but don't worry: the prompts themselves are very open-ended and you can write about whatever strikes your fancy.

The format of the Challenge posts will be a little new. Each challenge post will have two prompts: one will be for general journaling (for example, reflecting on personal experiences or sharing thoughts about a topic) and another will be asking you to create something (such as a written or visual work) based on a theme. You're welcome to choose one or both prompts and they are very flexible so if the prompt says "write a story" you can of course write a poem, share a plot bunny, make a mixtape, draw a picture, or do anything else you want; it's up to you how you want to participate!

The Sunshine Revival will kick off with the first prompts on July 1st, but I wanted to say hello and get everyone acquainted before we get started. We'll have a few "pre-challenge" posts over the next few days. Here's the schedule if you need it:

June 28 - Introduction Post
June 29 - Meet the Mods Post
June 30 - Friending Meme
July 1-25 - Challenge Posts every 4 days (7 in total)
July 31 - Wrap up post

I encourage everyone to take some time over the next few days to shake the dust (or pollen perhaps?) off your journals. Clean up your sticky post, add new interests to your profile and remove old ones, consider adding a Transformative Works policy or an AI policy to your profile, and my own special request: Please consider linking to your blog from your AO3 profile! Encourage your friends to do it too! It's fun to find an author you like and then follow them to see what they're reading and doing.

I think that's all for now, but stay tuned for lots more. I'm really happy to be reviving this celebration of summer for the community. I hope it's a lot of fun for everyone!

Comments

[kitarella_imagines]

Good evening!

What a lovely introduction post, very atmospheric.

I hope I can join in this year as my paid work is taking a pause.

[florianschild]

Thank you, I’m glad it hit the mark! I hope you’re able to join in too! Thanks for being here. :D

[luna_moon]

Thank you for hosting! I look forward to participating :]

[florianschild]

My pleasure! Welcome to the challenge!

[linky]

Thank you so much for hosting this event! Excited to take part. <3

[florianschild]

Aww you’re welcome! Thank you for being here!

[pauraque]

I'm looking forward to participating!

[florianschild]

Yay! Happy you’re here!

[used_songs]

This looks like it will be fun! Thank you for hosting. :)

[florianschild]

I hope so! :D Thanks for being here!

[author_by_night]

Thanks again for doing this!

[florianschild]

My pleasure! I’m glad you’re here!

[minoanmiss]

I really like the double daily prompt idea!

[florianschild]

Oh, I’m really glad to hear that! Thanks for the feedback! Welcome to the challenge!

[thewitchlingshelf]

I’m really looking forward to joining in, dusting off my journal, and seeing what kind of carnival magic we all create together. Thank you for bringing this to life—it feels like exactly the kind of summer spell we need. 🌞🎪✨

[florianschild]

You get it! :D I hope you have a magical summer!

[but_can_i_be_trusted]

I've never participated in something like this before. My curiosity is piqued!

[florianschild]

Oh well in that case extra welcome to you! I hope you enjoy the challenge!

[badfalcon]

I'm trying to come back to using my DW so I'm excited for this!

[florianschild]

That’s amazing! Welcome back!

[haunted_cherries]

Such a lovely intro post!! ; u; Thank you so so much for running this event, and I can't WAIT to participate!! ❤️

[florianschild]

Ahhh thank you!! Thank you for being here! :D

[alchemicink]

Sounds like fun! Thanks for running this, I'm really looking forward to it 😊

[florianschild]

Yay, welcome to the challenge! Thanks for being here.

[sisterdivinium]

Very curious to see the challenge in action (as well as thankful for the reminder to link from AO3 to one's journal...I had been meaning to do that for ages)!

[florianschild]

Me too lol. I’m so happy you’re going to link from AO3 to your blog! I love when writers do that! :D

Welcome to the challenge!

[octahedrite]

I'm excited for this! Thanks for hosting!

[florianschild]

You’re welcome! I’m glad you’re here!

[xeena]

I am excited for this! Ty for hosting.

[florianschild]

Of course, thank you for being here!

[berryfairyghost]

Yaay! So fun! ^^ I smiled all throughout reading the intro post because I'm just excited about it. haha~
Happy sunshine carnival, everyone! I can't wait to write and to read participating posts! 🌞🎆✨🎟️🎠🎡🎪

[florianschild]

Ahhh thank you for saying that; I’m so glad I made you smile!

Welcome to the challenge!