Tachibana Makoto Birthday Fanworks Exchange

Happy Makoto’s Birthday, everyone!

Thanks to this year’s participants and our rockstar pinch hitters, all the birthday fanworks created for the exchange are now live on AO3!

So far we have 69 works of Makoto-centric art, comics, fic, and manips for you to enjoy. With a wide range of characters/pairings, genres, and ratings, there’s sure to be something for all Makoto fans! We hope you’ll come over when you have a chance and check it out.

And it’s not too late to join in on the fun! Party Favors, the free-for-all bonus round open to everyone (whether or not you were an original participant), is running now through November 24th.

Two notes for main round participants:

You are free to crosspost your work anywhere you like now! (Mention of the exchange and/or a link to the collection on AO3 would be much appreciated, so more people can enjoy all the excellent fanworks.)

Please be sure to leave kudos/comments for your gifter, even if you defaulted. Regardless of your situation, your gifter worked really hard for you and would love to hear from you!

 

No matter how you celebrate it, hope you have an amazing Makoto’s birthday. ♥♥♥

The deadline for the 2014 Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange is approaching rapidly (works are due in a little under 12 hours, at the time of posting this).

To avoid time zone confusion, here is a countdown clock to the deadline:

COUNTDOWN CLOCK

So far over half of you have posted to AO3, which is great—congratulations!

To those still working on it, good luck! The rest of this post is for you.

USEFUL LINKS:

• how to drop out (end of linked post)
• how to post to AO3 (end of linked post)
• how to post images on AO3
• important into about posting multi-chapter works

SPECIAL NOTE:

You do not have to post a completely finished/polished version of your fill by the deadline. You can still edit your posted work during the pinch hit period. (Look for a post about the editing period after the deadline has passed, once I’ve had a chance to get a handle on how things stand with pinch hits.)

By pressing “Fulfill” and posting, you are promising that you have finished the best possible version of the gift you are giving, or that you will finish it by the pinch hit deadline.

Please think carefully before using this option. There are no extenuating circumstances or acceptable excuses once the deadline has passed. Be aware that if you suddenly become unable to finish after the deadline, you will be putting the pinch hitter and the exchange itself in a bad position. 

Speaking of pinch hitters, it’s not too late to join us as one! You can learn more here.

Anyone who has not posted by the deadline will be defaulted and those assignments sent to the pinch hit list for claiming.

Go go go! :D

Reminder for everyone participating in this year’s Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange: fanworks are due in ten days, on November 5th.

COUNTDOWN CLOCK

We’ve already several completed assignments—congratulations to those who have finished and good luck to everyone who is still working on it!

If you need to drop out for any reason, sooner is better than later as that will give the pinch hitter who takes the assignment more time.

Speaking of pinch hitters, it’s not too late to join us as one! You can learn more here.

We’re also still open for betas. More info is at this post—and if you’re an exchange participant in need of a beta, have a look through the comments there to see if anyone can help you.

Basic instructions on posting and dropping out are at the end of the Assignment Guidelines.

For artists and anyone else posting images, there’s more info behind the cut, if you need it.

( posting images to AO3 )

Here are some basic text instructions:

1. Upload your image off-site.

AO3 does not have native image hosting yet, so the first thing you will need to do is upload the image elsewhere. You can use a free site like postimage.org, which allows adult content, or another one of your choice; or you can make a private post on a site like tumblr.

NOTE: If you use an account somewhere  (like tumblr, livejournal, deviantart, etc.), be sure to to post privately. Works should not be posted publicly until after the collection is live on AO3.

2. Obtain the direct link or embed code.

Once you have the image uploaded, get the direct link. One way to do this is to use the “view image” option from the context/right-click menu.

Some image hosting sites will give you the option of an “embed code” or an “embed link” after you’ve uploaded the picture. You can also use this. 


3. Posting on AO3.

Log into your AO3 account, go to your “Assignments” page (linked in the side menu of your dashboard), and find the Makoto Birthday Exchange.

Press “Fulfill”. This will take you to the page where you add your work. The collection and recipient fields will be filled out already. Fill out the other fields (self-explanatory; note that many of them are optional, so it’s up to you how much to include).

If you are using a direct link:

In the “Work Text” field, choose the “Rich Text” tab. Click the “insert/edit image” button (7th from the left). Paste the direct link in the pop up form.

If you are using an embed code:
In the “Work Text” field, choose the “HTML” option. Paste the embed code.


4. Confirming

Press “Preview” to make sure it looks the way you want it to. You can edit to make any changed you want.

When you’re happy with how it looks, press “Post”.

The 2014 Tachibana Makoto Birthday Fanworks Exchange is underway! We've received two amazing gifts so far and hope the rest of you are having fun with your assignments. :D

Here's the countdown to when works are due: countdown clock

If you missed sign ups but still want to join us, we're looking for pinch hitters and we'd love to have you!

PINCH HITTING MINI-FAQ

What is a pinch hitter?
When a participant drops out for whatever reason, a pinch hitter is someone who steps up and accepts the assignment in their place (sometimes on very short notice). Pinch hitters are absolutely essential to the success of any exchange.

How does pinch hitting work?
Unlike regular assignments, pinch hits are not automatically assigned. Whenever one comes up, it goes out for claiming to all potential pinch hitters on a mailing list. If you’re interested in taking the assignment, you reply to the email. If you're not interested, you don't have to do anything. Pinch hits are assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Do I have to be a participant in the exchange in order to be a pinch hitter?
Definitely not! We'll take anyone who's interested.

To learn more and/or to join the pinch hitter mailing list, please go here.

 

If assignments aren't your thing but NSFW prompts are, you might want to check out Tachibottom Festival 2K14 on tumblr! (Festival Schedule & FAQ)

[ @ao3 | @dw | @tumblr | email ]

Thank you for your interest in being a pinch hitter for the 2014 Tachibana Makoto Birthday Exchange! Here's some info for you:

What is a pinch hitter?
When a participant drops out for whatever reason, a pinch hitter is someone who steps up and accepts the assignment in their place (sometimes on very short notice). Pinch hitters are absolutely essential to the success of any exchange.

How does pinch hitting work?
Unlike regular assignments, pinch hits are not automatically assigned. Whenever one comes up, it goes out for claiming to all potential pinch hitters on a mailing list. If you’re interested in taking the assignment, you reply to the email. If you're not interested, you don't have to do anything. Pinch hits are assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Do I have to be a participant in the exchange in order to be a pinch hitter?
Definitely not! We'll take anyone who's interested.

So then, how can I join the pinch hitter mailing list?
Leave a comment here with your name and a reliable email address you check regularly.

Do I need an account anywhere in particular to participate?
Yes—the exchange is running through AO3 this year so, in order to accept a pinch hit assignment you will need an AO3 account. If you don't have one, you can go here to request a free account.

And how much do you love me for signing up to be a pinch hitter?
A lot. So flippin' much, you don't even know!

Just in case you missed it above: to sign up as a pinch hitter, please leave a comment here (all comments are screened) with the following:

• your name
• a reliable email address you check regularly

Thank you! ♥

Welcome to the Matching Requests/Assignment Claiming Post for the 2014 Tachibana Makoto Birthday Fanworks Exchange!

Matching Requests for 2014 are now closed.

( Matching Requests - Instructions, FAQ, & Form )
MATCHING REQUESTS MINI-FAQ

1. Do I have to do this part?

Yes, this is an official part of the sign up. If you don't complete this step, we don't have any way of knowing what you would and would not be willing to do, so unfortunately we will have to drop you from the exchange.
 

2. For the list of prompts we want to take (the “prefer to take” list), is it possible to state a preference level with them?  For instance, a list of prompts we especially want to do and a second list of prompts we would still be interested in taking but not as interested as the first group?

Yes! You can divide your list into “most preferred” and “next preferred” tiers, with a list within each tier; the combined total just has to meet or exceed the minimum number.

Whether or not you choose to use tiers, you can also rank-order your list (with your first choice at the front/top of the list).

3. Can I just tell you what I do and don’t like in general?

Short answer: No. Please do not do this.

Long answer: Well, that would have been one way to go—but it would have relied on some mindreading and guesswork on my part. I thought it would give a happier outcome if everyone got to see the exact, specific prompts and make decisions based on the details, since I’m pretty sure you all know yourselves better than I do. :D

To that end, please list participant names in your reply; please do not make generalizations of the kinds of things you do or don’t like. (Experience tells me we’ll all be happier this way; in the past, I’ve done what I thought was a perfect match based on the info and generalizations, only to have the participant drop out because they hated the assignment. orz)
 

4. Am I guaranteed my top choice or something from my "Prefer To Take" list?

I will do the best I can to give you something off your "prefer" list. If I can't, I will contact you through AO3 to work something out. I've never had to do this but, just in case, I don't want to make promises I may not be able to deliver on. Your understanding is greatly appreciated!


5. I don't understand what to do.

Ah, very sorry about that! Just shoot me an email and I'll walk you through it.


Additional questions are being answered and clarifications are being made here as they come up.


Thanks, everyone! Have fun looking through our awesome prompts. :D