Giftstuck 2015

Tumblr for Giftstuck, a Homestuck fanworks holiday exchange.

[hseverafterexchange-blog]

Welcome to the Homestuck Ever After Exchange!

It’s a gift exchange (like a secret santa) that aims to put colorful band-aids on your heart after Homestuck ends. The two mods are @thescribblingartist and @nonfatteingpopcorn, who can be reached at [email protected].

Find us on AO3.

Schedule: Sign-ups open: April 1st, 2016 Sign-ups close: April 13th, 2016 Assignments sent out: April 14th, 2016 Default deadline: May 13th, 2016 Assignments due: May 31st, 2016 Works revealed: June 2nd, 2016 Authors revealed: June 13th, 2016

FAQ:

What if I don’t have an AO3 account?

Email us/request an invite ASAP! I (Scribble) have a few spare invites and if all else fails we’ll work something out.

What if I can’t finish? I’d love for everyone to finish but alas, life sometimes gets in the way. The default deadline is May 13th, so dropping before that is totally ok! You can also get an extension, or if you really can’t finish (and that’s okay!) I’ll try to find a pinch-hitter. Everyone will receive a gift!

Pinch-hitter? These are the gods awesome people that step in when someone has to drop out and save the day! You can sign up as one via tumblr, email or write it in your sign-up. Volunteering as a pinch-hitter doesn’t obligate you to do anything. I’ll send out prompts, and until you choose to claim one there’s no pressure!

What am I supposed to make though? A fic of at least 1,000 words or artwork that’s at least 500x500 pixels. Do you want to make fanvids, fanmixes, gifsets or something else entirely? Write it up in your offer and contact me to work something out.

Do I have to fulfill all of these requests?

Only one fill is required for this exchange, however you’re welcome to make as many as you want! Keep in mind that only the first fill needs to meet the requirements.

I’m stuck with my assignment/I didn’t like it. What do I do now? We’ll match you to the best of our ability, but sometimes things go wrong. Contact us with your username and we’ll send you a new assignment or help you look at it from a new angle. You’re welcome to ask us any questions you might have, brainstorm ideas or simply say hi!

What if I have questions for my giftee? Please don’t contact them on your own! Contact us and we’ll ask them for you so everything stays anonymous until reveals. Part of the fun is guessing the identity of your gifter!

How do I post my finished assignment? We’ll be posting a tutorial soon!

I missed the sign-up period but I still want to participate! Can I? Unfortunately, we can’t do much to get you a gift (Maybe if you ask Scribble nicely they’ll do a trade with you) but we will make a separate collection for treats! Treats are works based on the requests (which we’ll make public once reveals are over) and don’t have to meet any requirements. 

You can also sign up as a pinch-hitter. Every single one of them will get a special thanks for their efforts and our eternal gratitude!

Rules:

Please be nice to each other! Don’t complain to your giftee about their tastes/tell at them. Everyone is doing their very best!

It’d be nice for you to leave a comment/kudos on your gift, however it’s not mandatory and the mods won’t be enforcing anything.

Only finished pieces please, posting incomplete works that may never be completed isn’t fair to your giftee and puts us in an uncomfortable position. Ask for help instead, we’ll do as much as we possibly can to make this work!

[giftstuck]

Authors Revealed!

Authors have been revealed on AO3, so go check out who your gifter was!

[giftstuck]

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Hello all!

As you may have seen, works have been revealed for this year's Giftstuck -- a whole hour early!

To look at the collection, just click the link above.

(To those receiving gifts: We of course do not require you all to leave comments on your gifts, though we highly encourage it! This will let your gifter know that you saw their work, and probably make them feel good and full of holiday cheer!!)

A big thank you to all of our pinch hitters: awespic, BlueTigerTime, Capitola, LumeinFusco, Prim_the_Amazing, and SpectralRadiance!

Authors/artists will be revealed on January 1st, 2016!

[giftstuck]

Looking for pinch hitters!

If you’d be willing to do a last-minute pinch hit for Giftstuck 2015, this year’s Homestuck holiday gift exchange, please let us know! You can either email [email protected] or send an ask to this blog.

Thank you so much!

[giftstuck]

Hello! I realize this may be a bit late to be asking, so I apologize, but when posting the gift, do you do so by clicking "post to collection" while on the Giftstuck AO3 page or by fulfilling the request under "assignments" in your dashboard? I did the latter but I wasn't entirely sure, and since it isn't specified anywhere I figured I'd ask. I realize that you'll be away so I don't wish to rush you; I just don't want my gift to not count despite having completed it on time.

Sorry about my delay in response! You should fill the request under “Assignments”!

[giftstuck]

Submission day!!!

It's finally arrived! Please submit your gifts by 11:59 PM PST today! If you do not submit your gift and have not requested an extension, you will be defaulted. (P.S. In a cruel twist of fate, I'm spending about 12 hours traveling today, so if you try to contact me and I don't respond for a long time: that's why.)

[giftstuck]

Check-in period is over. Non-responders have been defaulted. Pinch hitters, watch your inboxes.

[giftstuck]

Dear person who responded to the Giftstuck Check-In Survey under the name Squidhead: who are you?

There is no one with that AO3 username or email address currently in the gift exchange, so if you’re this person and you’re reading this, please message me or email me at [email protected]

Chances are you just filled out the survey thinking it was for another gift exchange, but let me know just in case-- I don’t want to have to default somebody because they accidentally put down the wrong AO3 username!

[giftstuck]

Hey everybody!

Quick reminder to fill out the Giftstuck 2015 Check-In Form if you have not done so already. You should have received a link via email, but if not, here you go: http://goo.gl/forms/YUxz03MQmm

You have 22 hours left to fill out the form, or you will be automatically defaulted.

Also, for anybody who requested an extension, you should have received a follow-up email from me. Please respond as soon as possible, so I can get all the extensions sorted out quickly!

If anyone believes they are not receiving my emails, please let me know so I can be sure I have your correct contact info.

[giftstuck]

Giftstuck 2015 participants!

Please remember to check your emails and fill out the check-in form that should have been sent out to you! If you did not received an email with the link to the form, let me know and I’ll be sure it gets to you.

[giftstuck]

Hi, I have some questions about the treat thing? Do you only show unused requests in the request summary page? Do you update it whenever someone fills a certain request? I'd just like to avoid writing a treat that has already been given by someone else.

For those playing along at home, a refresher of what a treat is: (link).

The Request Summary page shows all of the requests, filled or not. I don’t want to remove filled requests because, first of all, I’d like to preserve as much of the mystery of the gifts as possible-- having one of your requests removed from the list isn’t perhaps quite comparable to, for example, being told what you’re getting for Christmas ahead of time, but it might be like someone letting you know which store they’re shopping at! Even if I were to edit the list to remove requests as they were filled, I have no way of knowing which requests are in the process being drawn/written, and therefore would still be duplicated by kind treat-creating souls like yourself :)

Basically, all of this is to say that there’s only so much one can worry about filling same request for a second time. Go ahead and write/draw what inspires you, and don’t worry about double-filling. I don’t know who among us would turn down a second gift, even if it were written in response to the same prompt! Besides, I have faith that each of the participants in this challenge would create markedly different gifts even if you all received exactly the same prompt-- everyone’s individual take is unique in some way.

(Quick reminder to those who have not yet submitted: I recommend concentrating on your main gifts before writing any treats!)

[giftstuck]

Just curious, is it too late to sign up as a pinch hitter? :O

It sure isn’t! You can sign up to be a pinch hitter until... well, I guess until the very end of the exchange!

If you’re interested, please head on over to the Dreamwidth pinch hitter sign-up post and leave a comment to be added to the list.

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Am I supposed to only have one possibly request to fullfill, or am I doing this wrong?

Don’t worry, you’re doing this right! The sign-up form allowed 1-5 requests, and it appears that the person for whom you are creating chose to submit only one request.

Other participants may find that they also have only one request to fill, or five different requests to choose from, or anywhere in between.

[giftstuck]

Assignments Sent

Hooray! Hurrah! Giftstuck 2015 assignments have been sent out!

Reminders:

You are not required to use all the characters or pairings listed.  You have to include at least one (and you can include more than one if you want).

You are only required to make a single fanwork gift, though you can make more than one gift if you wish.

You don’t have to use all the prompts—just one.  You can use more if you’re so inclined, though.

The deadline is Dec. 18, 2015 @ 11:59PM PST. (Here’s a countdown timer and a time zone converter.)

The work minimum is 1,000 words (fic) or 600 x 400 pixels (art), no max work limit, no WIPs, fics should be beta’d.  For more details, check our rules HERE.

If you feel your assignment was made in error, please let the mod know ASAP!

In general, if you’re having any trouble/need help or if you need to drop, please tell the mod promptly. Just send an ask to the giftstuck tumblr or e-mail [email protected].

DO NOT CONTACT THE PERSON YOU’RE ASSIGNED TO.  If you have any questions, need clarification, etc., contact the mod and they’ll ask them for you.

Try to keep your assignment a secret as much as possible so that it’s a surprise! :)

Happy fanwork-ing!

[giftstuck]

How will I be contacted with my exchange partner? Was I supposed to add my email address or will I be contacted through AO3/tumblr? (AO3 is talkinghands)

When I (and AO3′s algorithms) have finished matching everyone, your assignment will show up under “My Assignments” on AO3, and you’ll receive an automated message to whatever email you used when you signed up for AO3.

I’ll let everyone know, here on tumblr and on Dreamwidth, when assignments have been sent out, which should be by the end of the day.

[giftstuck]

Hey everyone!

It’s arrived-- the last day to sign up for Giftstuck, everyone’s favorite Homestuck holiday gift exchange!

Sign-ups close at 11:59PM Pacific Standard Time, a.k.a. just under twelve hours from now. So if you want to be a part of the festivities you should get a move on and head over to the AO3 gift exchange page, where you can get more info on the exchange and sign up to participate!

P.S. If you see this message too late but still want to write fic for the exchange, never fear! You can always sign up to be a pinch hitter, and help out in the event that someone has to drop out of the exchange.

[giftstuck]

So, I've selected my pairings, characters, and notps for the sign up. But I can't think of anything more to narrow stuff down for my writer. Is what I already have enough, or should I try to come up with more? Do you have any suggestions?

What you have right now is enough, but I would encourage you to come up with a little more if you can! If you just have characters and pairings, especially if they’re popular pairings, your gifter might have trouble knowing where to start. Is there anything in particular you always love to see in homestuck fanfic/art, or something you’ve never seen but would love to? Try checking out this post I made about Dear Gifter letters to see what kind of stuff you could include in the Description section of your sign up.

On the other hand, if you don’t have any specific prompt ideas and really would be happy with anything about those characters/pairings, you certainly don’t have to include anything else.