Maybe you could have self-reccing rec events where people were allowed to rec one of their fics for the particular theme.

This is something I've been thinking about too, but I can't really figure out how to work it logistically. Like, would we only do it once in a while, or would we have a certain period where it's allowed on every challenge? And if we do that, would it just confuse people or take away the point of having the rule at all?