A Secret Santa Gift Exchange is an event where you make a fanwork gift for someone you're assigned to and receive a gift back in return!Gifts are made under the form of fanarts and fanfics - including both SFW and NSFW works.All gifts will be submitted to AO3 under an unrevealed collection and made visible on Christmas (December 25th) so everyone gets their gifts at the same time!For more information, please read the Schedule below before signing up.

Roles & Requirements

• WRITERS

• ARTISTS

• PINCH-HITTERS

Schedule

Gifting on AO3^{Please make sure that you have gifting enabled on your AO3 account, this is how you will be able to receive your gift from your Secret Santa.To enable gifting, go to your AO3 page and hover over your username on the dashboard and click on "My Preferences".}

^{Then scroll down to "Collections, Challenges and Gifts" where you can fill in the checkbox that says "Allow anyone to gift me works."}

Giftee Assignments^{You will receive an email on November 4th EST containing details about your giftee assignment. Please reply back as soon as possible to let us know whether you have no problems with it or if you would like to be re-assigned.If you have any questions about your gift assignment, do not directly ask your giftee as it is supposed to be a secret on who is making their gift! Instead, please reply to the assignment email with your question so we can forward your question anonymously.}

Posting to AO3^{Once you are done creating your gift, you must submit it to our AO3 Collection with proper tags / ratings / warnings / etc.}

^{If it is art, please refer to this tutorial on how to embed images onto an AO3 work!Once you post it to the collection, the organizer will be able to see that you finished early but no one else can publicly see the work yet so you can still edit your work and put finishing touches.Remember, your work should be submitted as a gift on AO3 to your giftee. When submitting, make sure it says your work will be posted to our Collection and fill out the "Gift this work to" section so your giftee can find your gift easily!}

^{All entries must be in by December 24th at 11:59 PM EST
_{Further details and information will be clarified through email.}}

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I don't have an AO3 account, what do I do?
A: You can sign up here and generally make an account within 3 days. If you are really cutting it close to the deadline on filling out the form and still don't have an account, just write "N/A" and we'll follow up with an email - as long as you can still make an account before we send out gift assignments on November 4th you are good! We may also be able to help you out by getting you an expedited invite code.
Q: Would someone with no prior experience doing something like this be allowed to join?
A: Yes! New writers/artists are all welcome and encouraged to join!
Q: Can we choose the person we are assigned to give presents to, or is it random? How do you decide who is making a gift for whom?
A: No, the organizers will look over everyone's preferences based on what you've submitted in the Sign-Up form and try their best to match up similar tastes or preferences. You can request NOT to make/receive gift from a particular user, though it isn't recommended.
Q: I don't like my prompts/giftee, what should I do?
A: Email us ASAP so we can try to arrange a reassignment!
Q: What if I end up writing over 1k words but my work isn't complete?
A: While we would highly prefer complete works, you may submit what you have and we won't hold it against you as long as you meet the 1,000-word count on AO3.
Q: Can I do traditional art instead of digital art?
A: Of course! As long as you can upload an image of it on AO3 you can use any medium you prefer.
Q: Can my fic be in any language?
A: Your fic must be in English unless you and your giftee somehow share the same second language and you ask them (anonymously through us) if they are okay with a different language fic and they reply with yes!
Q: I suspect someone used AI to make a fic/art piece, what should I do?
A: Please email us ([email protected]) about your concerns so we can investigate.
Q: Do I need to join Discord to participate?
A: No, Turning Secret Santa is an event that doesn't require Discord to participate, though you must have at least one (1) active communication method (email, twitter, etc.) to ensure smooth updates from the organizers.
Q: Can I share/publicize the progress of making my gift? Can I reveal who my giftee is?
A: No. All progress must be kept secret due to the surprise element of the event. The same goes with revealing your giftee, and your gifter.
We understand that you are excited, but please keep it as a surprise for everyone!
Q: Can I post my gift somewhere other than AO3?
A: After all gifts are revealed on December 25th, you can repost your work anywhere you want! You must submit your gift to AO3 first though as that's how everyone will be able to find their gift - if you are having trouble posting to AO3 feel free to email us and we will do our best to help!
Q: Will the event allow NSFW work?
A: Yes, all not-safe-for-work (NSFW) works are allowed as long as they include proper tags/warnings in their summary for fanfics and posted in appropriate sites for fanarts that are shared on social media.
(Recommended R18 sites: Poipiku, Pixiv, Privatter)Participants under 18 are allowed to join the event but they will not be allowed to make/receive NSFW works. Other participants can also choose to only create or only receive NSFW works instead of both!
Q: Will there be pinch-hitters? How does being a pinch-hitter work?
A: Yes, participants can volunteer to become a pinch-hitter alongside their main role(s) or join as a pinch-hitter only.
Pinch-hitters are backup writers/artists who will be contacted in case someone withdraws or needs a reassignment. The organizers will go through their list of pinch-hitters one by one via email to see if they are interested in picking up the gift assignment based on their preferences!
Q: Regarding the check-in, I usually write a lot near the deadline so is it fine if I don't meet the requirements but I'm still interested in the event?
A: No, please try your best to meet the requirements since there's only one check-in throughout the whole event. Therefore, please contact the organizers immediately if you feel like you can't finish by the final deadline and we will do our best to re-pair with a pinch-hitter.
Q: What happens if I drop?
A: We will re-assign your assigned giftee to a pinch-hitter! You may still receive a gift, but we will not re-assign your prompts if your gifter also decides to drop.
Q: It's Christmas and I didn't get a gift?
A: We are so sorry, someone seems to have defaulted. But one of the mods/pinch-hitters will do their best to get you a gift by new years (Jan 1st) so please hold tight!
Have a question that is not listed here? Feel free to send us an email ([email protected]) or leave a question on our Tumblr and we will answer as soon as possible!

Event Organizers

ROSE

YUN