Yuletide Sign-Ups Are Now Open
Please read this post carefully, even if you have signed up before.
Requests
You can make 3-6 requests, each in a different fandom.
For each fandom, you can request 0 to 4 (nominated) characters.
If you request 0 characters, your writer may write about any of the nominated characters they want, or about the fandom universe in general.
You may not request 0 characters and then insist on specific characters (nominated or not) in your optional details.
Optional Details
"Optional details" = the space on the form where you can give extra information about the kind of story you want to receive. Optional details are optional (ODAO)! You don't have to write anything here, and your writer doesn't have to include any of the details listed as “optional details" in their story.
It is a good idea to warn your writer of any triggers or squicks in your Optional Details. Writers are expected to take note of these Do-Not-Wants (DNWs) and make a good-faith effort to avoid them. If they post a story that disregards DNWs, they may be penalised at the discretion of the mods.
If you would be happy with a gift that does not use all of your selected characters, please make this clear in your optional details.
“Optional details" are meant to allow a writer to understand some of your favorite things so they can better craft a story for you. But please don’t expect any specific prompts to be followed.
Please use minimal html in the optional details field. Rich media causes problems (and won’t appear if you are sent out as a pinch hit).
More explanation and details about optional details
Offers
You can make 4-10 offers with 2-8 specific characters in each.
If you want to offer a fandom that has 0-1 characters available, tick the "Any" box instead of specifying characters.
You can also tick the “Any” box for characters if you are willing to offer all of the characters in the tag set for that fandom. This means that you are fine with writing any combination of the nominated characters.
If you have multiple fandoms in which you want to offer to write Any nominated characters, you can make your last offer a "Bucket List". How to do a bucket offer? Please do not put more than 20 fandoms in a bucket offer.
The Optional Tags field is only used for bucket offers. Please don’t try to use it for any other information.
How to Sign Up
You can find Yuletide sign-ups here. Signups will remain open until 9am UTC on 10 October (check what that is in your time zone). You will be able to edit your sign-up until then.
There is a screencast guide to signing up, with transcript (thanks to Morbane and Moriann). There is also more info and tutorials linked in the faq about how to sign up.
Only fandoms and characters in the 2016 tag set are available to offer and request.
The autocomplete on the fandom and character fields of the form will draw from this year’s tag set. When you input a fandom name, all characters available for that fandom should come up in the autocomplete. There is a known bug where some characters don't appear in the autocomplete. Please make sure you check the tag set before offering or requesting the fandom. If a character listed on the tag set does not come up as you type under the appropriate fandom, you can copy & paste their tag from the tag set. The form will submit correctly so long as you ensure that the tag matches exactly.
How Character Matching Works
For requests, the character matching is AND. Your writer will be expected to include every character you select. If you request 0 characters in a fandom (functionally “Any”), you could be matched with anyone who has offered this fandom - whatever characters they have offered. Be prepared to receive a story about whichever characters they offered!
For example, say you request Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold with characters Elli Quinn, Oliver Jole, Aral Vorkosigan, and Alys Vorpatril. Then you'll only match to someone offering ALL of those (or offering Any), but you can’t match to someone who only offers Oliver Jole and Aral Vorkosigan.
However, for offers, matching is OR. You can be matched to someone who requests any combination of the characters you have offered, or 0 characters.
For example, if you offer Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold with characters Duv Galeni, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Elli Quinn, Oliver Jole, Gregor Vorbarra and Kareen Koudelka, you could match with someone who requested:
and Miles Vorkosigan (because you did not offer Miles).
Signup Summary
The list of requested/offered fandoms will be available after five people have signed up. Bucket offers do not show up in the list (due to current AO3 code). Checking the sign-up summary for people you may be able to write for is a good idea - although many people sign up at the last minute.
Fandoms at 1-1 may mean that the same person is offering and requesting the fandom, not that there is a match.
Requests
You can make 3-6 requests, each in a different fandom.
For each fandom, you can request 0 to 4 (nominated) characters.
If you request 0 characters, your writer may write about any of the nominated characters they want, or about the fandom universe in general.
You may not request 0 characters and then insist on specific characters (nominated or not) in your optional details.
Optional Details
"Optional details" = the space on the form where you can give extra information about the kind of story you want to receive. Optional details are optional (ODAO)! You don't have to write anything here, and your writer doesn't have to include any of the details listed as “optional details" in their story.
It is a good idea to warn your writer of any triggers or squicks in your Optional Details. Writers are expected to take note of these Do-Not-Wants (DNWs) and make a good-faith effort to avoid them. If they post a story that disregards DNWs, they may be penalised at the discretion of the mods.
If you would be happy with a gift that does not use all of your selected characters, please make this clear in your optional details.
“Optional details" are meant to allow a writer to understand some of your favorite things so they can better craft a story for you. But please don’t expect any specific prompts to be followed.
Please use minimal html in the optional details field. Rich media causes problems (and won’t appear if you are sent out as a pinch hit).
More explanation and details about optional details
Offers
You can make 4-10 offers with 2-8 specific characters in each.
If you want to offer a fandom that has 0-1 characters available, tick the "Any" box instead of specifying characters.
You can also tick the “Any” box for characters if you are willing to offer all of the characters in the tag set for that fandom. This means that you are fine with writing any combination of the nominated characters.
If you have multiple fandoms in which you want to offer to write Any nominated characters, you can make your last offer a "Bucket List". How to do a bucket offer? Please do not put more than 20 fandoms in a bucket offer.
The Optional Tags field is only used for bucket offers. Please don’t try to use it for any other information.
How to Sign Up
You can find Yuletide sign-ups here. Signups will remain open until 9am UTC on 10 October (check what that is in your time zone). You will be able to edit your sign-up until then.
There is a screencast guide to signing up, with transcript (thanks to Morbane and Moriann). There is also more info and tutorials linked in the faq about how to sign up.
Only fandoms and characters in the 2016 tag set are available to offer and request.
The autocomplete on the fandom and character fields of the form will draw from this year’s tag set. When you input a fandom name, all characters available for that fandom should come up in the autocomplete. There is a known bug where some characters don't appear in the autocomplete. Please make sure you check the tag set before offering or requesting the fandom. If a character listed on the tag set does not come up as you type under the appropriate fandom, you can copy & paste their tag from the tag set. The form will submit correctly so long as you ensure that the tag matches exactly.
How Character Matching Works
For requests, the character matching is AND. Your writer will be expected to include every character you select. If you request 0 characters in a fandom (functionally “Any”), you could be matched with anyone who has offered this fandom - whatever characters they have offered. Be prepared to receive a story about whichever characters they offered!
For example, say you request Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold with characters Elli Quinn, Oliver Jole, Aral Vorkosigan, and Alys Vorpatril. Then you'll only match to someone offering ALL of those (or offering Any), but you can’t match to someone who only offers Oliver Jole and Aral Vorkosigan.
However, for offers, matching is OR. You can be matched to someone who requests any combination of the characters you have offered, or 0 characters.
For example, if you offer Vorkosigan Saga - Lois McMaster Bujold with characters Duv Galeni, Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Elli Quinn, Oliver Jole, Gregor Vorbarra and Kareen Koudelka, you could match with someone who requested:
- Duv Galeni, Gregor Vorbarra
- Cordelia Naismith Vorkosigan, Elli Quinn, Oliver Jole, and Kareen Koudelka
- 0 characters
- etc
and Miles Vorkosigan (because you did not offer Miles).
Signup Summary
The list of requested/offered fandoms will be available after five people have signed up. Bucket offers do not show up in the list (due to current AO3 code). Checking the sign-up summary for people you may be able to write for is a good idea - although many people sign up at the last minute.
Fandoms at 1-1 may mean that the same person is offering and requesting the fandom, not that there is a match.