2012 Information Post
Sep. 18th, 2012 11:34 am![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
merlin-hols.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
merlin_holidaysHello! Welcome to the third round of ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
merlin_holidays! This is an anonymous exchange fest for Merlin fandom. All pairings and ratings are welcome! Below you will find community rules and the schedule. This is not the sign-up post. This is an information post so you can decide if this fest is for you!
1. This fest has a limit of 50 writers, and artists are unlimited. There will be two sign up posts: one for artists, and one for writers. If you can do both, please pick one.
2. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
3. If you join and request a fic or artwork, you must agree to create a fic or artwork in return. Artwork in this fest includes traditional art, graphics and fanvids.
4. You cannot choose the person for whom you will create fanwork. You will be assigned a challenge via email by a community moderator.
5. All fics must be at least 1,000 words. Fanvids must be at least 45 seconds long. Fanarts must be a complete piece and more than a sketch or preview (lines inked or seams blended). For icons, it must be a batch of at least 10 icons with a tying theme. There is no upper limit as to length or quality. If you are unsure about the “value” of your fanwork, please feel free to ask the mods.
6. In order to preserve anonymity, all fanworks must be able to stand on their own and not be part of another series or a sequel/prequel to other works by the same fan.
7. All works must be cleaned up and beta-ed.
8. The moderators reserve the right to return any fanwork for revision if they feel it does not meet the recipient's request, or does not meet the quality standards (beta-ed and cleaned-up).
9. All works will be posted anonymously to the Merlin Holidays collection on AO3 by the writer/artist on the date provided to them by the mods.* All fanworks posted to the collection will be exclusive to Merlin Holidays until the names of the creators have been revealed. Please do not post them elsewhere on the Internet until that time.
10. All works should be emailed to a community moderator at merlinholidays@gmail.com by the due date. Please do not submit your work until you are completely satisfied with it. Requests for extensions will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Once your submission is proof-read we will return it to you along with the date for you to post it to AO3.
*Why AO3?
There are actually a number of reasons. The first being that AO3 allows a set-up of collections and for members to post under these collections anonymously. Then, after the reveal, your AO3 account allows you to keep the kudos/comments under the collections page. Isn’t that neat? You won’t have to repost to AO3! It’s magical. We love the support and the features of AO3, especially the ease of posting longer fic over there and the ability to download work to your computer/e-reader. But we also love the community hang-out of livejournal. So we’ll use both to our advantage! This does mean that you will have to have an AO3 account. Please indicate in your sign-up if you require an invite to AO3. If you’re new to AO3 and aren’t sure about posting, let alone posting anon to a collection, don’t worry! We’ll have a posting instructions up for you. (It’s also super easy!)
Revised process for Artists: Artists will email their finished art and accompanying thumbnail to us by the assigned due date. We will upload the art to merlinholidays.imgur.com. We will send you a link to the location and the date you will be responsible for posting it to AO3*. If AO3 posting is a concern, notify the mods when you submit your art and we'll make arrangements to post on your behalf.
Once the entry is posted to AO3, the thumbnail and the art (under lj-cut) will be posted onmerlin_holidays.
*We will provide an invite code for anyone without an AO3 account.
2012 Schedule
Sign-ups open: MONDAY, September 24, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST)
Sign-ups close: THURSDAY, September 27, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST)
Assignments out: MONDAY, October 1
Fanworks Due: MONDAY, November 19, (for newcomers and returnees who needed extensions last year*)
Fanworks Due: MONDAY, November 26, (for returnees who did NOT require an extension*)
Posting begins: MONDAY, Dec 3
*If you are new tomerlin_holidays, dropped out last year, or required an extension to finish, then your due date will be Monday, November 19. If you are returning for the second round and did NOT drop out or require an extension, then your due date is Monday, November 26. While a little confusing, tiered submissions are a big help in spreading out the work for the mods, who will be proofing each entry, dealing with extensions, and arranging pinch-hitters.
This is not the sign-up post. Below is the sign-up form for you to easily read over, along with a handy little box you can copy & paste the pre-coded form to fill out for a quick sign up on Monday.
LJ Name:
AO3 Name: (if you do not have an account/require an invite let us know here)
email address: Please give us the email you check most frequently.
I am over 18: Please answer YES or NO.
For the gift you want to receive
Gift type. Choose one of the following: 'art only' or 'fic only' or 'either' (Please note that requests for 'art only' may or may not be fulfilled depending on how many artists join the community this year.)
If you chose art only or either, please answer the following. There are several kinds of art. This post will help you decide which art you would prefer to receive. Art types include: drawings (no matter the medium), graphics, or vids. Choose 'drawings' or 'graphics' or 'vids' or 'any art'. (If you want to give more details on the style of art you are looking for, use this space for that purpose, but please understand that receiving a particular style of art is dependent upon the number of artists who sign up for this fest.)
Would you prefer to request only Merlin/Arthur? Please answer YES or NO. If you said yes, feel free to provide a list of supporting characters you'd like in your fic. Otherwise indicate your Requested pairings below.
Requested pairings option: List 3-5 pairings and characters you’d like featured in your gift, (including Merlin/Arthur if you want them as a choice) Please spell out names. Note that you may receive any of the pairings listed.
Rating: (Please give us the lowest AND highest rating you'd be happy to receive. For example, if you want to ensure explicit sex is in your gift, you'll type: NC-17. If you're happy with lower, you can put PG-13 to NC-17.)
Preferred Era: Canon, Modern, or Either.
Kinks/Tropes you'd like to see in your gift: Please provide a list of your favorite kinks and tropes (For example: jealous!Arthur, hipster!Merlin, reformed!Morgana, spanking, h/c, coffee shop fic, magic reveal, bottom!Arthur, switching, fingering, detailed kissing, the-gang-gets-them-together-fic, etc.) Be as detailed as you'd like, but be aware that your gifter will use your list as a starting point, and may not be able to use everything you list.
Prompts: Give your gifter some ideas for inspiration! You can provide a few key words, 2 or 3 pictures, song lyrics, or a detailed scenario. Go wild! Please note, however, that your gifter is not obligated to use all of your prompts.
Squicks (Indicate here if you do not want spoilers for S5 in your gift.): Please let us know what you do not want in your gift. This can include characters, pairings, situations, tropes, characterizations, or anything else you can think of. For example: (Naked Gaius, jealous!Arthur, D/s, club fic, non-con, food porn, etc.)
For the gift you are going to give someone else
Give the highest and lowest rating you ARE WILLING to write/create:
Kinks you would prefer NOT to write/create: (examples include: food porn, cross dressing, non-con, fluff, etc. It will be assumed you will write/create anything not listed here.)
Preferred Era to write/create: Canon, Modern, or Either.
Would you prefer to have an assignment with only Merlin/Arthur? Please answer YES or NO
If you said NO, please list the pairings/threesomes you'd prefer to write/create: (Take your time with this one. List all pairings and characters you enjoy writing.)
Anything else we need to know about what you don't want to write/create?
Contact Person/Link: List a contact person your gifter can get a hold of concerning your gift, or provide a link to a post listing your likes and dislikes, whichever is easiest.
If you'd like to fill out your sign up form in advance to be ready for the sign up post, here's a handy box for you to copy/paste and work on. The sign up post will go up MONDAY, September 24, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST). This fest has a limit of 50 writers, and artists are unlimited. Signing up by proxy is permitted.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please leave them here. :)
Help us spread the word!
Sign-ups formerlin_holidays begin Sept 24 at 10 am Eastern
More banners here!
merlin_holidays! This is an anonymous exchange fest for Merlin fandom. All pairings and ratings are welcome! Below you will find community rules and the schedule. This is not the sign-up post. This is an information post so you can decide if this fest is for you!1. This fest has a limit of 50 writers, and artists are unlimited. There will be two sign up posts: one for artists, and one for writers. If you can do both, please pick one.
2. All participants must be at least 18 years of age.
3. If you join and request a fic or artwork, you must agree to create a fic or artwork in return. Artwork in this fest includes traditional art, graphics and fanvids.
4. You cannot choose the person for whom you will create fanwork. You will be assigned a challenge via email by a community moderator.
5. All fics must be at least 1,000 words. Fanvids must be at least 45 seconds long. Fanarts must be a complete piece and more than a sketch or preview (lines inked or seams blended). For icons, it must be a batch of at least 10 icons with a tying theme. There is no upper limit as to length or quality. If you are unsure about the “value” of your fanwork, please feel free to ask the mods.
6. In order to preserve anonymity, all fanworks must be able to stand on their own and not be part of another series or a sequel/prequel to other works by the same fan.
7. All works must be cleaned up and beta-ed.
8. The moderators reserve the right to return any fanwork for revision if they feel it does not meet the recipient's request, or does not meet the quality standards (beta-ed and cleaned-up).
9. All works will be posted anonymously to the Merlin Holidays collection on AO3 by the writer/artist on the date provided to them by the mods.* All fanworks posted to the collection will be exclusive to Merlin Holidays until the names of the creators have been revealed. Please do not post them elsewhere on the Internet until that time.
10. All works should be emailed to a community moderator at merlinholidays@gmail.com by the due date. Please do not submit your work until you are completely satisfied with it. Requests for extensions will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Once your submission is proof-read we will return it to you along with the date for you to post it to AO3.
*Why AO3?
There are actually a number of reasons. The first being that AO3 allows a set-up of collections and for members to post under these collections anonymously. Then, after the reveal, your AO3 account allows you to keep the kudos/comments under the collections page. Isn’t that neat? You won’t have to repost to AO3! It’s magical. We love the support and the features of AO3, especially the ease of posting longer fic over there and the ability to download work to your computer/e-reader. But we also love the community hang-out of livejournal. So we’ll use both to our advantage! This does mean that you will have to have an AO3 account. Please indicate in your sign-up if you require an invite to AO3. If you’re new to AO3 and aren’t sure about posting, let alone posting anon to a collection, don’t worry! We’ll have a posting instructions up for you. (It’s also super easy!)
Revised process for Artists: Artists will email their finished art and accompanying thumbnail to us by the assigned due date. We will upload the art to merlinholidays.imgur.com. We will send you a link to the location and the date you will be responsible for posting it to AO3*. If AO3 posting is a concern, notify the mods when you submit your art and we'll make arrangements to post on your behalf.
Once the entry is posted to AO3, the thumbnail and the art (under lj-cut) will be posted on
merlin_holidays. *We will provide an invite code for anyone without an AO3 account.
Sign-ups open: MONDAY, September 24, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST)
Sign-ups close: THURSDAY, September 27, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST)
Assignments out: MONDAY, October 1
Fanworks Due: MONDAY, November 19, (for newcomers and returnees who needed extensions last year*)
Fanworks Due: MONDAY, November 26, (for returnees who did NOT require an extension*)
Posting begins: MONDAY, Dec 3
*If you are new to
merlin_holidays, dropped out last year, or required an extension to finish, then your due date will be Monday, November 19. If you are returning for the second round and did NOT drop out or require an extension, then your due date is Monday, November 26. While a little confusing, tiered submissions are a big help in spreading out the work for the mods, who will be proofing each entry, dealing with extensions, and arranging pinch-hitters.This is not the sign-up post. Below is the sign-up form for you to easily read over, along with a handy little box you can copy & paste the pre-coded form to fill out for a quick sign up on Monday.
LJ Name:
AO3 Name: (if you do not have an account/require an invite let us know here)
email address: Please give us the email you check most frequently.
I am over 18: Please answer YES or NO.
For the gift you want to receive
Gift type. Choose one of the following: 'art only' or 'fic only' or 'either' (Please note that requests for 'art only' may or may not be fulfilled depending on how many artists join the community this year.)
If you chose art only or either, please answer the following. There are several kinds of art. This post will help you decide which art you would prefer to receive. Art types include: drawings (no matter the medium), graphics, or vids. Choose 'drawings' or 'graphics' or 'vids' or 'any art'. (If you want to give more details on the style of art you are looking for, use this space for that purpose, but please understand that receiving a particular style of art is dependent upon the number of artists who sign up for this fest.)
Would you prefer to request only Merlin/Arthur? Please answer YES or NO. If you said yes, feel free to provide a list of supporting characters you'd like in your fic. Otherwise indicate your Requested pairings below.
Requested pairings option: List 3-5 pairings and characters you’d like featured in your gift, (including Merlin/Arthur if you want them as a choice) Please spell out names. Note that you may receive any of the pairings listed.
Rating: (Please give us the lowest AND highest rating you'd be happy to receive. For example, if you want to ensure explicit sex is in your gift, you'll type: NC-17. If you're happy with lower, you can put PG-13 to NC-17.)
Preferred Era: Canon, Modern, or Either.
Kinks/Tropes you'd like to see in your gift: Please provide a list of your favorite kinks and tropes (For example: jealous!Arthur, hipster!Merlin, reformed!Morgana, spanking, h/c, coffee shop fic, magic reveal, bottom!Arthur, switching, fingering, detailed kissing, the-gang-gets-them-together-fic, etc.) Be as detailed as you'd like, but be aware that your gifter will use your list as a starting point, and may not be able to use everything you list.
Prompts: Give your gifter some ideas for inspiration! You can provide a few key words, 2 or 3 pictures, song lyrics, or a detailed scenario. Go wild! Please note, however, that your gifter is not obligated to use all of your prompts.
Squicks (Indicate here if you do not want spoilers for S5 in your gift.): Please let us know what you do not want in your gift. This can include characters, pairings, situations, tropes, characterizations, or anything else you can think of. For example: (Naked Gaius, jealous!Arthur, D/s, club fic, non-con, food porn, etc.)
For the gift you are going to give someone else
Give the highest and lowest rating you ARE WILLING to write/create:
Kinks you would prefer NOT to write/create: (examples include: food porn, cross dressing, non-con, fluff, etc. It will be assumed you will write/create anything not listed here.)
Preferred Era to write/create: Canon, Modern, or Either.
Would you prefer to have an assignment with only Merlin/Arthur? Please answer YES or NO
If you said NO, please list the pairings/threesomes you'd prefer to write/create: (Take your time with this one. List all pairings and characters you enjoy writing.)
Anything else we need to know about what you don't want to write/create?
Contact Person/Link: List a contact person your gifter can get a hold of concerning your gift, or provide a link to a post listing your likes and dislikes, whichever is easiest.
If you'd like to fill out your sign up form in advance to be ready for the sign up post, here's a handy box for you to copy/paste and work on. The sign up post will go up MONDAY, September 24, (10AM EDT/2PM GMT/3PM BST). This fest has a limit of 50 writers, and artists are unlimited. Signing up by proxy is permitted.
Thanks for reading! If you have any questions, please leave them here. :)
Help us spread the word!
Sign-ups for
merlin_holidays begin Sept 24 at 10 am Eastern More banners here!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 04:01 pm (UTC)Hope you are planning to sign up again. :)
no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 05:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 05:21 pm (UTC)or maybe you could pinch for us?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 05:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-18 07:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:22 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 12:56 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 01:00 am (UTC)That said I just need to say I'm not happy merlin_holidays decided to move hosting to AO3.
I can actually give some input why I don't use AO3. They just aren't yet able to accommodate artists on their site and for me to use the site would be a hassle. I still have to host the art on another site, there's no way to separate fic from art when you browse (everything looks like it's a fic, aka no thumbnail previews which LJ allows for), and to me it's an inferior version of deviantART (if I'm going to make any kind of comparison). I'm sorry to say it, but at the moment it's such a writer focused site I don't want to settle when there are better options out there.
I'm going to be honest and say I'm on the fence participating this year if AO3 is going to be the host site.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:38 pm (UTC)So for people following the fest on LJ, art posts will appear as they usually do except instead of following an lj-cut, they will follow a link to the A03 page.
For the people just viewing from AO3, there's always the option of putting ART in the title and in the tags.
We will still be posting our usual weekly round ups on LJ as we have in previous years which will continue to list art separate from fic.
I hope this helps explain what the differences will be so you can decide if you are comfortable signing up.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:45 pm (UTC)(see my replies below)
There may be other issues going on here? If there are other artists with similar or different concerns with what we are purposing we'd like to hear about it. At this point it's hard to tell what the issues are for artists that are considering signing up for this fest.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 02:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:39 pm (UTC)Anonymous hosting is available for free at imgur (http://imgur.com/). So we've updated our info post to recommend artists use that if they don't have any other options.
If the issue is artists wanting us to host the anon art, then we can talk about other options. But we do want the art posted to A03, with LJ containing a link to the A03 post to be consistent with how we are handling fic.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 02:03 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-20 03:28 pm (UTC)I actually quite like xsmoonshine's suggestion about using LJ for art (like in past years), but I completely understand if you don't want to bend over backwards for one person.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 01:33 pm (UTC)We do apologize if this feels like an inconvenience to you, but we really want all of our entries to be posted in one place. If the art entries were posted somewhere else then the people following the fest only on AO3 would miss out! We LOVE art, and sincerely hope this doesn't stop any of you from signing up.
(We've updated our info post to reflect this information as well).
no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 02:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 02:47 pm (UTC)I don't think anonymity is an issue. Personally, there is no such thing as anonymity for me because you can easily pick out my work in a line up. Same with a lot of other artists.
I'm not looking forward to having an AO3 account, but I'll jump the hoops because I want to play. If there is an alternative, I'd be up for it. Maybe like how Merlin_Games did it?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-22 03:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 03:39 pm (UTC)If so, where should the post be?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:41 pm (UTC)If a gifter has specific questions and there is no contact person, they can also post anon question to their giftee in the signup post.
Does that answer your question?
no subject
Date: 2012-09-19 11:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 07:18 pm (UTC)I have a kind of dumb question, but I thought I'd just make doubly sure. When it says 'Merlin/Arthur only' it refers to Merlin/Arthur as a mainpairing only, and not like saying no to other side-pairings right? I realise that's probably a really dumb question but I just wanted to make extra sure XD I have a habit of confusing myself XD
no subject
Date: 2012-09-21 08:06 pm (UTC)It's not a dumb question at all. What we are referring to is participants who only want Merlin/Arthur as a main pairing. As in they do not want to receive any other MAIN pairings (or don't want to write any other MAIN pairings).
If there are side pairings that you want to see (or don't want to see) you can also list those in your sign up somewhere.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-23 04:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-23 04:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-24 12:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-24 12:47 pm (UTC)When you sign up just make it clear in your sign up what pairing you would prefer receiving (listing as many as possible would help make matching you easier, for example: het only, preferably A/G or Merlin/Morgana) and clearly indicate the pairings you are able to write.
We will do our best to match you. Feel free to check out our pairing tags to see what pairings have been written in previous years if that will make you more comfortable.
no subject
Date: 2012-09-24 12:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-09-24 12:59 pm (UTC)Hope to see you sign up. :)