Even though I lost you over a decade ago, part of you is still with me. Memories of carefree summer days spent climbing trees, sitting on the swing in the park and building sand castles on the beach.
Perhaps one day I’ll go back to our home town and check if that one tree still bears our mark.
When we last saw each other your hair was beginning to turn grey. You had started smoking, which really surprised me. But you talked so fondly of your partner. We grabbed coffee and sat by the fountain. I wonder if I knew that this would be the last time we would see each other. I think, I did.
The last time I spoke to your mom, she gave me your new phone number. I promised her to call you. But I knew I would never do it.
Today I realized, I’m finally ready to let you go. Because until today I wasn’t aware I was still holding on to you.
The world is small and there’s always a chance for us to meet again. But I truly hope it will never happen.
Happy New Year🥳🎇🎆✨
Can't believe I survived 2024 😮💨 It's been a wild ride🫠
And while I'm still processing things, have a wip of my beloved husband Xavier⭐️
Sign-ups for the 2nd Death Stranding Secret Santa have been extended for a few days! They will now close on November 3rd.
Click on the banner or the link below to sign-up. Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated! 👍
💙[SIGN-UP FORM] 💙
Hello deliverers! Sign-ups for the 2nd Death Stranding Secret Santa will close on November 1st 💙
Click on the banner or the link below to sign-up. Likes and reblogs are greatly appreciated! 👍
💙[SIGN-UP FORM] 💙
Sign Up Form | Pinch Hitters Sign Up | AO3 Collection | 2023, 2022, 2021 Works Masterlist
Schedule:
Sign-ups: October 7th 6:00PM UTC - October 27th 9:00PM UTC
Assignments out by (latest): October 30th 9:00PM UTC
Check In: December 1st - 5th 9:00PM UTC
Gift Posting: December 30th - January 3rd 9:00PM UTC
Creation Requirements:
Fic: Minimum 1000 words of complete fic - no WIP. All fic must be new and original, and created specifically for your recipient’s request. The fic cannot be a sequel to another fic or part of a series or specific AU of yours that the recipient did not request.
Art: One drawing, digital or traditional. Art doesn’t need to be fully colored or a fully rendered illustration, but should look finished - no WIPs or sketches! Both digital and traditional art is allowed. Art pieces must be new and original, and created specifically for your recipient’s request. In the case of traditional art, it can’t be on lined paper and the quality of the digital picture must not be so bad as to not be recognizable (i.e. no blurry pictures).
What is this?
Simply, it’s an anonymous fandom gift exchange held during the last months of the year. Fanfic writers and fan artists sign up, giving their offers and requests, and are then given someone else’s request to create for. Who you’re creating for is kept secret until gifts are posted.
Who can participate?
Any fic writer or digital/traditional artist (of age 18 and up). You must simply be able to meet the minimum requirements, detailed above.
Full rules below the cut or here on gdocs.
Where is this happening?
Tumblr; optionally on discord, and on AO3 for fic (and art) posting. Important information will be posted to the event tumblr. You don’t have to join the discord server - I can send you your assignment over email, if you say you want that when signing up. If you do join, I will be using the discord @everyone function to remind people of upcoming deadlines and such. There will be an AO3 collection.
How does gifter/giftee matching happen?
On a basis of offers and requests.
At sign up, you will first provide a list of characters and relationships (be they platonic or romantic/sexual) you offer, as well as things you will absolutely not create for.
After that, you will detail your request, again giving characters and relationships, and what you do not want in your gift (DNWs). You can also optionally, meaning your creator is not required to take these into account when making your gift, put in Likes (tropes, characterization, AUs, aspects of the relationships/characters you’d like a focus on, things you like in art, etc.) and Prompts (any specific story and art prompts you may have). There’s also a space to put any of your V details, if you have a custom one/s - visual references, background details that aren’t in the game, etc.; these are again optional for both you and your creator.
You can offer and request fic, art or both.
You are only expected to create one piece. You may offer to create fic, art, or both, but you’re only expected to do one.
Is NSFW/18+ content allowed?
Yes. The game itself is 18+ and contains sex scenes, and as stated above and in the rules, the exchange itself is 18+ participants only. When you sign up, you will be askedif you’re okay with having your gift contain sex/be of explicit sexual nature (full frontal nudity included for art) or not. NSFW content is opt-in. Additionally, if you say ‘yes’ it is not guaranteed you will for sure get NSFW fic/art. Note that this is not a smut exchange so you can’t request only NSFW fic/art.
Is this game-canon only or are things from Edgerunners or the tabletop allowed as well?
This is focused on the game, but Edgerunners and TTRPG are both allowed. Though make sure to respect it if your recipient says they don’t want anything outside of the game!
Rules
You must be aged 18 and up to participate in this exchange.
Maintain full anonymity! Do not talk anywhere about who you have as a recipient and do not post WIPs of your work either on social media or on discord. Don’t speculate about who your creator is either. After posting, you’re free to talk about it wherever you want. (If you’re a writer who uses a beta, you can tell them, but they are also expected to follow the ‘don’t talk about it’ rules.)
You must request and offer at least one character or relationship.
Requesting a character and requesting a relationship are two different things. Meaning: if you request a character, you will get matched with someone offering that character, NOT a relationship containing that character. The reverse also holds: requesting/offering a relationship will NOT get you matched with someone offering/requesting one of the characters in the relationship.
Please specify V’s gender when offering/requesting them. If you do not, I’ll assume you’re fine with any/all possibilities.
Ships between two Vs are only allowed if you have at least one other requested character/relationship as well. Same goes for OCs, in a ship or on their own. This is to ensure there’s someone who can actually make you a thing.
Respect your recipient’s Do Not Want’s (DNWs). Failure to do so will get your gift disqualified (and send your recipient for emergency pinch hitting) and if I find out you did it on purpose/maliciously, you will be banned from any future rounds of the exchange.
If you don’t put a character/relationship/trope/etc. in the DNW section in your sign up, I can’t do anything if you receive a gift containing that thing-you-don’t-like. Please take care and write out your DNWs; a long and exhaustive list of what you don’t want is perfectly fine, so don’t be shy. Short is fine as well. Just don’t leave it blank unless you’re really sure you’re fine with everything!
Optional details are optional! Meaning: even if something is in the Likes and Prompts boxes, the creator is not required to follow them. The only thing a creator MUST take into account when creating a gift is: DNWs, characters/relationships, yes or no to receiving NSFW.
You may change your sign-up details at any point before sign-ups close. Do so by messaging the official tumblr or via discord (#help-desk) (discord is likely to get you the fastest response). After sign-ups close, your details are final and cannot be changed.
Matching is based on ONE character OR relationship. Obviously I will try to match people with multiple offers to those who request multiple of the same characters and/or relationships, but it may end up not possible for some. Therefore, make sure all the characters and relationships you offer are ones you’re sure you can create for - each one may end up your only actual option.
Matching is final! Barring any errors I may make (accidentally giving you someone whose only request is a character you didn’t offer), no changes will be made.
During the check-in period you are required to affirm you’re still actively participating. This will happen the same way assignments are handed out, either over email or Discord DMs. You should strive to be at least halfway done by this point, but it’s not required and there’s no penalty to being behind or anything. People who don’t respond to the check-in will be assumed to have dropped out.
In case you cannot finish your gift, please say so as early as possible. I don’t need to know why, I just need to know quickly so I can find someone else to create a gift.
If you can finish your gift, but need an extension past the deadline, reach out to me via discord DMs or email.
In the event that you withdraw from the exchange and then your assigned creator does as well, you will not get sent to PHs and you will not receive a gift. Sorry!
As long as you submit a gift for your recipient, you are guaranteed a gift in return.
AI-generated writing or art is banned.
Approach all with good faith. Straightforward rule: don’t be a dick.
Remember to comment on your gift! I’m not going to hunt people down if they don’t comment on their gifts (I won’t be keeping track), but please do remember that it’s polite and feels good to have the work you put in acknowledged. If you don’t have anything to say, a simple thank you will suffice! And commenting late is better than never, so don’t feel bad if you forget/get distracted.
FAQ
What is ‘DNW’ exactly?
DNW stands for Do Not Want. That is, anything that you don’t want to appear in your gift and anything you will not create. This includes: any and all triggers, squicks, relationships/characters/tropes/interpretations/AUs/etc. that for whatever reason you don’t want to create or receive. An explanation for why you DNW something is not needed or expected. Respecting DNWs when creating gifts is mandatory.
What is a ‘pinch hit’/’pinch hitter’?
A pinch hit is a fanwork produced for a request that’s in need of fulfillment either because there were no offers that could be matched to it or because the participant assigned the request withdrew from the exchange (or because, after posting, the work turned out to contain something that was DNW’d). A pinch hitter is the person who does the pinch hit - they may be regular participants of the exchange, or they may have signed up to be only pinch hitters. If one signs up to be only a pinch hitter, they will not receive a gift work.
My recipient has a mile long list of characters and relationships! Do I have to include ALL of them in my fic/art?
No. You only HAVE to make something for ONE of their requested characters or relationships.
I got a recipient who says they’re OK with NSFW art/fic, but I am not comfortable with creating NSFW art/fic, what do I do?
Create non-NSFW art/fic that matches their requested relationships and/or characters as usual. As stated above, NSFW content is opt-in and no one can request only that. Yes to receiving NSFW content is only relevant if you, the creator, are also willing to create such. Otherwise, feel free to ignore it.
I got matched with someone on one thing, but one of their other requests looks cool - is it okay to fulfill that request even though it’s not what we matched on originally?
It is! Basically, I just need everyone to receive fic/art for ONE of their requests. If you get inspired by something even if that isn’t what you originally offered, go on ahead and create!
Will there be organized beta reading for writers?
No, sorry. There isn’t a requirement that all fic be beta-read. If you really feel like you need a beta for your writing and don’t already have one, I’d suggest asking someone you know isn’t participating to do it for you!
If you have any unanswered questions, send a message or an ask!
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ellievsbear
gracieabrams
snowghoul
