#udge2026

[untildawn-secretsanta]

Sign-Ups for the 2026 Until Dawn Gift Exchange are now OPEN!

If you are interested in signing up, please fill out this form!

(In case you missed it, the annual exchange has been moved to the game's anniversary for the foreseeable future, meaning that there WILL NOT be a winter exchange this year.)

[samgiddings]

Hello! It is I, your UDGE 2026 gift person!

So, I currently have two ideas that I’m kicking around. The first is a really angsty shipfic that’s honestly a lot more depressing than it is romantic, to the point where there’s a serious gray area as to whether or not you can fully call it “romantic” or ship-centric but idk.

My second idea is a friendship fic. I honestly want to write both but I wanted to see which one you preferred for your gift. Can’t wait to share my fic with you!

Why hello there!!

Honestly, both sound so intriguing, but I’m really 👀 about the first one

That being said, I’d love to read whichever one YOURE more interested in writing! I’m excited either way! >:3c

[untildawn-secretsanta]

Posting Guidelines - 2026 Gift Exchange

For anyone participating in the current gift exchange, please be sure to follow the guidelines below when posting your gifts.

You have all day of August 25, 2026 to post your gifts (12:01AM MT until 11:59PM MT)!

If you need an extension, please reach out ASAP (try, if possible, to avoid waiting until the day of the exchange to request an extension).

If you don't receive your gift by the end of the day, please reach out after August 25th.

General (applies to all):

Create a post on tumblr.

State the name of the individual your gift is for and be sure to TAG THEM.

Include whether you chose to work with the individual’s OTP, BROTP, or Favourite Character.

Use the specific guidelines for your gift (see below).

At the bottom of your post, be sure to TAG @untildawn-secretsanta. If you are unable to tag me (because tumblr does that sometimes), make sure you DM the post to me as I need to be able to find it.

Use the following hashtags: “#until dawn” “#until dawn gift exchange 2026” “#udge2026” as well as the relevant character tags (ex. “#Matthew Taylor” "#Emily Davis"). If you are unsure about a character’s full name, let me know. You are welcome to add any other hashtags that you like, but those ones MUST be included.

PLEASE double check to ensure that your gift meets the requirements and follows the creation rules (I will include them below the cut on this post as a refresher).

Fanfiction:

If your gift is primarily written material, follow these steps while posting:

Complete the general guidelines.

Upload your gift to the fanfiction website of your choosing. If you are unable to upload to a fanfiction website, you may also use Google Docs which will allow you to use a shareable link, or you can post directly to tumblr. (If you use Google Docs, please make sure that your settings won’t allow someone else to come in and edit your work.)

DO NOT POST THE FULL WRITTEN PIECE ONTO TUMBLR WITHOUT A "READ MORE" CUT. I will not reblog long posts as they can be overwhelming! If you absolutely cannot upload anywhere else, you MUST use tumblr’s “Read More”.

Create a quick (three to five sentences) teaser or choose a snippet of the story to post to tumblr.

Below the teaser/snippet, be sure to include a link to the full story. It would be after this point that you would add the “Read More…” with the rest of the story, ONLY if you cannot upload elsewhere.

(Optional) If you have a cover, include that image on tumblr.

Fanart:

If your gift is fanart, follow these steps while posting:

Complete the general guidelines.

Upload your image(s) to tumblr.

In the caption, provide a quick explanation of the image (ex. “Since you listed your OTP as Jess and Emily, I drew them enjoying a day on the beach”)

If you are planing to post from a blog URL that is different than the one you are participating under (using an art sideblog, for example), please let me know.

These guidelines are created to be a base for your post. You are welcome to add anything in addition to what was stated above, and you are always welcome to contact me should you require clarification on anything. Have fun creating!

Creation rules for a refresher below the cut:

CREATION RULES

(These are all rules that have been discussed in the Discord server, which all active participants agreed to keep up with when signing up for this exchange.)

Gifts are not to be posted (in part or in full) ANYWHERE public until the exchange date (August 25, 2025).

CONTENT WARNINGS:

If you are creating anything with gore/body horror, please anonymously double check with your gift recipient to make sure they're okay with that!

Anything NSFW shouldn't be taken further than what the game does. We all know Jess' iconic monologue outside of the guest cabin, and I'd say that's about as far as it should go dialogue-wise. In terms of fanart, you can ask with me if you're unsure. This has never really been an issue in previous years, so I'm not too worried about it. I don't want to censor things super harshly, so if you have any concerns/questions, just ask!

CREATION MINIMUMS:

Word count minimum is 2000 WORDS

Art is a little tricky to create a minimum for, but try to put at least 3 hours into your piece, and include a background of some sort (patterns are okay, we just want to avoid having just a white void). You want to present a finished drawing to your recipient! No sketches/super rough drawings, please.

NO USING GENERATIVE AI FOR GIFTS

OTHER:

Something I would like to touch on is the use of the W word. I think that if we are going to be celebrating Until Dawn, the least we could do is show respect by retiring the use of that word in our fanfic and fanart (many of you already mentioned this in your notes). Instead, I would like to recommend terms like monster/creature instead.

Also, please be careful to not whitewash Josh! Some photo references from the game can make him look pretty pale, so I recommend taking a look at photos of Rami Malek as well!

MODERATION STUFF: Tumblr is silly and sometimes doesn't give DM notifications, if I (@chris-hartley) do not reply within 24 hours, please poke me again -- or worst case scenario, message me on Discord! Thank you for your patience :)

‼️IF YOU ONLY READ ONE THING, LET IT BE THIS: IF YOU ARE NOT ABLE TO FINISH YOUR GIFT, LET ME KNOW ASAP!!! DON'T HIDE BECAUSE THEN I CAN'T CONTACT A BACK-UP AND YOUR GIFTEE MAY NOT GET A GIFT‼️