Archive of Our Own

HTML is a markup language used to tell a web browser how to display content. You might be aware of simple uses of HTML, such as bold and italics but HTML can be used to do so much more! Do you like r/AITA stories? Have you ever been interested in including realistic text messages into your fics? Did you like choose-your-own-adventure books as a kid? HTML can be used for all of these things and more!

Join us for HTML Tryhards 2025, where we bully our friends (and you? 👀) into making fanfiction super extra shiny using the power of HTML.

There are two (optional) prompts per day, one to influence the format and one to influence the story. You can generate your own custom prompt list here. Use as many or as few of the prompts as you like.

send me an ask, cowards

• All fandoms welcome.
• Submissions must include a significant portion of HTML. We'd prefer the entire work be HTML, but mixed prose and HTML is also acceptable.
• Submissions MUST be HTML and not images or screenshots of text logs/tweets/etc.
• There is no required minimum word count, but the suggested minimum word count is 500 words.
• The prompts are OPTIONAL, use as many or as few as you'd like.
• HTML/CSS guides are accepted (and encouraged!) as submissions.
• Submissions should include the #HTML Tryhard tag on AO3.
• Submissions should be added to the collection on AO3.
• You can start posting submissions January 13th. The last date of the event is January 17th, though if you're running behind you can still post to the collection after that date.