ante_up_losers | That's right, we're back! (Reply)

Life has been a roller coaster, but this fandom has always been such a happy place full of talented, amazing fans, so better late than never... Ante Up is back!

Sign ups for the 2017 Ante Up Losers Fanwork Exchange are open! Please see below for the endgame (including size requirements (heh)), deadlines, and FAQ.

THE ENDGAME:

This is a fanwork exchange for The Losers. Comics and movie canon are welcome.

There are minimum size requirements for fanworks (no maximum). Please see table below.

This is an anonymous gift exchange, so please DO NOT post your fanworks anywhere except the Archive of Our Own (AO3) until the mods do the big reveal.

Posted items must be complete, so no works in progress please. As long as your fanwork is in the AO3 and complete, you can continue to tweak until and after reveals.

Remember that this is a gift exchange and you're creating a gift for someone else. If you can no longer participate for any reason, then contact the mods ASAP. We want to make sure that everyone receives a gift and will need to arrange a pinch hitter.

Table of Minimum Size Requirements (there is no maximum limit)

Type of Fanwork	Minimum Size	Notes
2D Art	1 small complete piece or two or three sketches/melodies or a full page of doodles/musical phrases.	2D art includes but is not limited to: hand-drawn art whether on paper/canvas or computer, hand-painted art whether on paper/canvas or computer, photoshopped pieces, photography, musical composition, collages, greeting cards, font creation, and anything else created for the Losers fandom in two dimensions (or sort of two dimensions). For hand-created pieces, a scan or photograph is the submission method. For musical compositions, an audio file is the submission method (and a .pdf or scan of the score, if you are willing to share).
3D Art	1 project of mild complexity.	3D art includes but is not limited to: pottery, fiber arts, chain mail, jewelrymaking, metalworking, woodworking, soap bubble sculptures, macaroni castles, and anything created for the Losers fandom in three dimensions. Submission method is photographs (and instructions if you are willing to share).
Graphics other than those listed below	1 small to medium piece	Graphics are not NOT art - they are simply digital media created to specific sizes for a specific purpose (icons, banners, wallpapers, etc.) These are included under the art category.
Icons	10 icons	.
Wallpaper	1 wallpaper	.
Banner	1 medium or two small banners	.
Fic	1000 words	.
Podfic	1000 words OR 5 minutes of recorded time	.
Vid	45 seconds	.
Rec Set	10 recs	.
Coloring	1 piece	.
Poetry	5 lines	.
Fanmix	10 songs	.
Remix (Fic)	1000 wds (remixed story may be of any size)	Check out our opt-in post here!
Remix (Art)	1 small complete piece or two or three sketches or a full page of doodles (original art may be any size).	Check out our opt-in post here!
Remix (Other)	See requirements for type of fanwork.	See requirements for type of fanwork.	.
Picspam	10 pictures	.
Screencaps	75 screencaps	.
Comics	1 page or 2 panels	.
Other fanworks	Determined on a case by case basis	Contact A Mod to discuss size requirement

DEADLINES:

Sign up until: February 3, 2017
Assignments will be handed out: February 5, 2017
First check in: mid-February
Final check in: late March
Fanworks should be posted to the AO3 no later than: April 21, 2017, 5 a.m. ET
Fanworks will go live: April 28, 2017
Creators will be revealed: May 5, 2017

FAQ:
So how do I play in the sandbox?

All you have to do is complete this handy dandy form at the AO3. We advise that you follow the Dreamwidth comm (

ante_up_losers) for important updates and information.

What if I don't have a Dreamwidth or Archive of Our Own (AO3) account?

You do not have to have a Dreamwidth account to participate in this exchange. Dreamwidth allows you to join, subscribe, and comment to community posts with Open ID, and we've created an LJ feed of the comm so you can still keep up with community posts on Livejournal.

However, if you'd like a Dreamwidth account, you can go to their create a free account page to create one.

If you need an AO3 invite code, you can either visit Archive of Our Own and put your name and e-mail address in the queue (this may take a while, so please do so immediately to get it in time for the due date). You can also go to our Invite post and request an AO3 code.

What if I defaulted in a previous year and want to play this year?

Then you must create an item of exchange size (see the table above) and post it to the Scramble collection before sign-ups close. If you have any trouble with posting or have any questions, please contact the mods and we'll help you out.

What kind of gift can I make?

Just like last year and the year before, we are allowing items other than fic into the exchange - so pretty much, if you can make it, you can sign up and give it to someone! Check the table above for minimum size requirements (there are no maximum size limits, so go as big as you want!

How exactly do remixes and podfic work?

If you are requesting a remix or podfic, please give a list of works you would like remixed or podficced. Please include several sizes and types of works (especially if there are any possible triggers in your list so the remixer/podficcer can avoid if necessary) - don't put down a single 35k fic and expect that to be podficced or remixed for you. You can put it on the list, but please have some works closer to the minimum size limit to help your gift-giver out. It would be nice if you checked to see if the creators have given remix/podfic permission, but the mods will do it for the remixer/podficcer if you haven't done it and linked to the permission in your Dear Creator letter.

You can also opt-in to have your fanworks remixed or podficced by posting your information on the Dreamwidth opt-in post.

What's a Dear Creator letter?

The sign-up form asks you to pick your fandom (movies, comics, or both), character (up to 3 or any), pairings (up to 3 or any (GEN=CANON PAIRINGS)), and types of fanwork you would like to receive (up to 5 or any). There are a few other items, like rating and category, and a text box to tell us your big no-nos, but it's basically a bare bones sketch of what you might like to receive. Your Dear Creator letter is a post in your LJ/DW/Tumblr/Facebook/whatever blogging platform you prefer where you can explain more fully what you like or don't like, the kinds of fanworks you were hoping for, triggers to stay away from, anything. It's a way to give your fanwork creator can use to make something specifically tailored to you. Also, if you are requesting podfic or a remix, you can put items you might want podficced or remixed in your Dear Creator letter (please give your creator a variety of items to choose from so they can pick something that will fit in the time frame and also so they can avoid triggers).

You're not required to write a Dear Creator letter, but keep in mind that more people than your fanwork creator read those letters, and if you write a prompt that strikes someone else's fancy, you might get a gift in the scramble, too! It's like a bonus gift! If you do write one, or if you plan to, please enter a link into your sign-up. You can either post a placeholder and use that link, or, once you've written the letter, go back in and edit your sign-up to include it. 2012 and 2013 were fic-only exchanges, so keep that in mind while writing your Dear Creator letter, but if you'd like to take a look at a few, this is the !letters tag over on Dreamwidth to give you suggestions (look in the comments for links to letters).

Do I have to have a beta?

That'd be awesome. Need a beta? You can request one by commenting to the Beta Services post. And if you're willing to beta, please comment to the same post to let participants know (using the form in the text box of the post).

What if I can't make the deadline?

If you won't be able to write or complete your fanwork for any reason, please CONTACT THE MODS ASAP. We understand that things happen, but this is an exchange. We want to make sure that everyone receives a gift. The sooner you let us know that you will not be able to participate, the sooner we can find a pinch hitter, so when fanworks go live, everyone will have a gift waiting for them.

Defaulters will not be allowed to sign up for the next Ante Up challenge until they have completed a fanwork of acceptable size and posted to the Scramble collection. It may be posted to the AO3 collection any time after the reveal (May 7, 2017), and your name will be cleared for the next go-round.

So what's this pinch hitting thing?

Pinch hitters are awesome. If a creator can't complete their fanwork for any reason, a pinch hitter steps in and creates a fanwork so that everyone who participates gets a gift. Sometimes pinch hits come in early; some come in a rush before the posting date, but you will always be able to refuse for whatever reason. If you don't feel like you can do the exchange itself, please consider being on our pinch hit list.

And what's this I hear about a Scramble?

The Scramble will open as soon as sign-ups close. Should you be inspired to create a gift for someone in the exchange who is not your assigned giftee, you can make them a little something and put it into the Scramble. There are no size limits on the Scramble, and no real rules. The gifts will go live and be revealed on the same day as the exchange collection. Why not make someone a little gift?

How do I contact the mods?

Your friendly mod for this challenge is lady_krysis.

You can send a PM at Dreamwidth, e-mail them at lady.krysis@gmail.com, or comment on this post.

I have more questions.

Groovy. Leave them in a comment to this Dreamwidth post and one of the mods will get back to you.

And we'd love it if you'd spread the word! Please feel free to take the banner and links below and advertise anywhere you like!

Admin Post: That's right, we're back!

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