Story Notes: Many thanks to SamusAran/SeverelyLupine for the prompt.
So here's the challenge: Write a fanfic. Any fandom, but you've got to label what fandom it is when you post it to give the reader a fighting chance. There are only three rules:
- Don't use any character names (at least not of any characters who are in the story; it's okay to reference ones that aren't physically present in the fic)
- Don't use any obvious physical descriptions (e.g. glasses/scar/green eyes for Harry, black robes/big nose for Snape, bushy hair for Hermione).
- Don't use titles for characters that would give it away ('Potions master', 'Headmaster', etc.)
Write a fic where the reader can still tell who the characters are just by how they're portrayed (as well as perhaps the world around them and the situation they find themselves in). Also, try to really write the characters in such a way that people who aren't from your particular corner of fandom (at least for the bigger fandoms) can still recognize them. (Like, if you write Snape-centered romance, don't just write Snape assuming that everyone knows he's totally sexy. Write it so that even someone who only reads canon-compliant fics will recognize him, too, even if it's still a Snape romance.) To get around using names, you could stick to pronouns or, if you want, make up different names for the characters (as long as the new names don't give it away, like turning Remus into Romulus or Loup). You can reveal the characters at the end of the fic or let people guess in comments. This could be especially challenging to fanfic writers who usually write non-canon pairings or 'fanon' version of characters, but the challenge is the whole point.