It’s time once again for Giftstuck, the Homestuck holiday gift exchange, where you create a gift for someone and receive one in return! Both fic and art are accepted, all characters and ships are welcome, and everyone is welcome to participate! (Yes, that means YOU!)

TIMELINE

Oct. 15, 2015: Sign-Ups Open
Nov. 15, 2015: Sign-Ups End @ 11:59PM PST
Nov. 16, 2015: Assignments sent out
Dec. 5, 2015: Check In
Dec. 18, 2015: Gifts Due @ 11:59PM PST
Dec. 18-25, 2015: Pinch Hitting Period
Dec. 25, 2015: Gifts Posted

For more information and to sign up, CLICK HERE, and consider following our tumblr for updates!

Please reblog this if you can—the more participants, the merrier!

Pinch hitters step in while the exchange is already underway and take the place of a writer or artist who's had to drop. That way, participants don't go giftless!

You do not need to sign up for the exchange to join this list. We welcome any and all pinch hitters, whether participants or not! Additionally, joining the pinch hitter list doesn't mean that you're required to write a pinch hit; it only lets you know when opportunities arise.

All you have to do is leave your e-mail address and AO3 username as a comment to this post. All comments are screened. If you do not have an AO3 username, e-mail demieren.ssr@gmail.com and we'll send you an invite.

Thank you for your interest!

THIS SIGN UP IS NOW CLOSED!
Please direct all 2015 beta offers to this year's sign up!


If you can offer your betaing services to the Giftstuck community, here's where you do so! You do not need to sign up for the exchange to join this list.

Just copy-and-paste this textbox into a comment below. Leave the HTML alone, and delete the stuff in parentheses.

<b>AO3 Username:</b> <br /><b>Contact:</b> (e-mail, IM, any method you actually use)<br /><br /><b>Willing to beta for...</b> <br /><i>Characters:</i> (list specifics or groups like "trolls" or "felt")<br /><i>Ships:</i> (list specifics or groups like "slash" or "femslash"<br /><i>Ratings:</i> <br /><br /><b>Prefer to avoid:</b> (squicks, pairings, etc.)<br /><br /><b>Other notes:</b> (For example, are you willing to do spelling/grammar checks for any fic as long as you don't have to check characterization?)<br />

If you need a beta, browse through the comments and reach out to a beta that seems to fit what you're writing. Remember to double-check their AO3 username to make sure you don't accidentally contact your recipient!

Thank you!

All assignments have been sent out, so please check your e-mail!

If you have not received your assignment, please send us an ask, leave a comment on this post, or e-mail passerine.cloud@gmail.com. Please mention your AO3 username so we know who you are!

There are some general reminders in the e-mail itself, but just in case, we'll say them again here.

1) 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).

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

3) Reminders: the deadline is 11:59PM PST December 21, 2013. The work minimum is 1,000 words or an art piece with flat coloring, no max work limit, no WIPs, fics should be beta'd. For more details, check our rules here.

4) If you absolutely cannot work with this prompt, please let us know ASAP! And in general, if you're having any trouble/need help or if you need to drop, please let us know promptly. Just send an ask to the giftstuck tumblr or e-mail passerine.cloud@gmail.com.

5) DO NOT CONTACT THE PERSON YOU'RE ASSIGNED TO. If you have any questions, need clarification, etc., contact us and we'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 sign-ups are closing TODAY (Nov. 20) at 11:59PM PST!

READ THE RULES HERE!

SIGN UP HERE!

REBLOG OUR AD FOR YOUR DASH HERE!

If you don’t know if you’ll have time to participate but still want to help, you can SIGN UP TO BE A PINCH HITTER or a BETA READER!

Now’s also a good time to double-check your sign-up.

• Make sure you’ve mentioned everything you want to mention in your request, especially things you don’t want.
• Some people haven’t listed anything in the characters section—that will affect how you’re matched, so please fill that out if you can. 
• Some people’s dear author letter links don’t seem to link to the right places.

We have 41 sign-ups so far.  Please sign up if you’ve been hesitating, and especially PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!

ABOUT

Giftstuck is Homestuck fandom’s holiday fanwork exchange! Both fanfic and fanart are accepted. Sign up, create a gift, and receive a gift!

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TIMELINE

Oct. 20: Sign-Ups Open
Nov. 20: Sign-Ups End @ 11:59PM PST
Nov. 21: Assignments sent out
Dec. 13: Check-in; Last day to drop
Dec. 21: Gifts Due @ 11:59PM PST
Dec. 28: Gifts posted on AO3

Check the time?

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RULES

This is a drama free exchange. Character bashing, ship wars, hate, and other such unpleasantness are not welcome here. If we see it, we’ll ban everyone involved in it from the exchange. (GIF) Follow Thumper’s good example and be excellent to each other. This also applies to sign-ups and Dear Author letters—play nice!

Fics must be at least 1,000 words and in English.

Artwork should use at least flat coloring. Examples: Jake/Brobot (warning for fighting, bruises), Roxy/Calliope, Aradia/Sollux (humanstuck).

Giftstuck is run on Archive of our Own, so you need an AO3 account to play. (See the following section for more info.)

We match everyone based on their sign-ups; you can’t pick whether you receive fic or art. However, if you have a disability or special consideration that we should take into account during match-ups, please contact the mods (see the final section of this page) with your AO3 username so we can accommodate you.

Fics MUST be beta-read. If you need one, refer to our beta list. Consider adding your name to the list, too!

The last day to drop without penalty is December 13. Dropping after that will lead to a ban from future giftstucks. :( Regardless of the date, if you have to drop, please let us know as soon as possible!! We promise we won’t get mad at you. The earlier you drop, the more time your pinch hitter has to work.

Dec. 13 is also when we will be holding an e-mail check-in.  If you do not respond to the e-mail within 48 hours, we’ll assume you’re dropping from the exchange and call in a pinch hitter. Please check your e-mail on Dec. 13! (We will be reminding everyone on the day of the check-in here on tumblr and at our dreamwidth comm.)

Speaking of which, we welcome anyone and everyone to join our pinch hitter list. If you’re not sure you’ll have time to participate but still want to help the exchange, the pinch hitter list is for you!

Please do not cross-post your gifts until AFTER Dec. 28.  After that date you can post your fic/art anywhere and everywhere, but keep them under wraps until they’re officially posted by Giftstuck.  Thanks!

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SIGNING UP

1. Create an account on Archive of Our Own, if you don’t already have one. You can request an invite code here (it should take less than a day to get to you), or you can ask the Giftstuck mods for one. (For our contact info, see the final section.)

2. Click here to be taken to the Giftstuck exchange, and click the “Sign Up” button near the top of the page.

3. For your fandom, input “Homestuck”. (DO NOT PUT “MS PAINT ADVENTURES”. You won’t be able to complete the signup if you do, and even if you do magically find some way to submit the form we won’t be able to match you.)

4. Then enter from 1 to 20 characters you’d like your gift to be about, or click the “Any” box if the characters are not that important to you. You also need to include the rating(s) of the work you’d like to receive (from General Audiences to Explicit) and the relationship category/categories you’d prefer (F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Multi (for multiple relationships), or Gen). If you aren’t particularly fussed about either of those, “Any” is also an option here.  You can enter as many ships as you want.

5. Write a description of what you’d like to receive in the “Description” box. If your request is especially long or detailed, you may consider putting an abbreviated version of it in this box and using the “Link to Dear Author letter” box to link to a more detailed request elsewhere—on your Tumblr or Dreamwidth would be ideal.

6. In the “Optional tags” box, enter any specific pairings you’d be interested in seeing. (The site will let you enter any tags here, not just pairing tags, but for the purposes of this challenge the matching algorithm will only take pairings into account in this box.) If you’d prefer gen then don’t enter anything, and check only the Gen box under “Category”.

7. Repeat steps 3-5 for your offer. In this case, you are inputting the characters, rating, etc. that you are willing to write or draw for. Do next not check “any” unless you actually, sincerely mean that you will write or draw anything you are assigned.

8. Once your signup is finished, click the submit button. Then sit back and wait for your assignment to arrive on November 21!

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FAQ

→ What’s a Dear Author letter?

A “Dear Author” letter is a post on your own blog—tumblr, DW, LJ, etc.—where you can talk to your gift-giver. In it, you can list what you like and don’t like so that your artist/writer has a place to start from. Don’t forget to mention your AO3 username so they know who you are, as well as what characters and ships you signed up for!

For more guidance and details, please read these two posts on Dear Author letters, written by penknife and liviapenn. They were written for Yuletide (another exchange), but the core ideas of the posts still hold true for Giftstuck.

N.B. - The term “Dear Author letter” is widely used throughout fanwork exchanges, which is why we’re using it here, but it totally applies to artists too!

→ What’s a pinch hitter?

Pinch hitters are writers and artists who are called in after someone drops to create something in their place, ensuring that their recipient still gets a gift.  Pinch hitter sign ups are here. They’re crucial to the success of any exchange, so please consider offering your talents! Both participants and non-participants can sign up.

→ How will you ensure that everyone gets a gift? // How do you handle drops?

We have a few methods (because redundancy ensures success).  First of all, the Dec. 13 check-in catches early drops and gives pinch hitters maximum time to work.  Secondly, there’s a one-week period between when gifts are due and when gifts are posted.  This means that people who need a bit more time can ask for one-week extensions to finish their gifts, so they don’t have to drop.  It also means that pinch hitters who step in at the end of the exchange will get at least a week to create something for their recipient.  That way, everybody gets something!

→What happens if my recipient drops from the exchange?

Your gift will be given to the community at large for everyone to enjoy! You will still receive a gift yourself.

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MOD CONTACT

The mods are Sonata and Ketsu (female pronouns for both, please.)

Send us an ask

Send a Dreamwidth PM

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FURTHER QUESTIONS

If there’s anything else you would like to know or don’t understand, send us an ask or leave a comment here and we’ll answer for you!