caitlin (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
sailor) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
lastminutesub2018-08-15 12:09 am
sailor) wrote in lastminutesub2018-08-15 12:09 am
Sign Ups are OPEN!!
Click here to sign up for Last Minute Sub 2018.
Below we have a quick refresher on how sign-ups/matching work, including pictures and examples.
Examples
If it helps you to see the request/offer forms in action, we have put up an example gallery here. Don’t worry that the available fandoms don’t match — we’re reusing the same images from our first year. The principles are still the same though!
For more wordy details on each section, see below!
Requests
Requests are for what you would like to receive as a gift.
You must make a minimum of 3 requests, but you can make up to 8 requests. Each request must be for 1 fandom, and 1 - 4 characters within that fandom. You will be allowed to repeat fandom and character tags over multiple requests, but you must request at least 3 unique characters. You do not have to request more than one fandom.
Each request must indicate if it’s a request for fic, art, or either.
There is a required details field — you can write as much or as little as you’d like about your request here, but you do have to include something! There is also an optional Dear Artist/Author letter field, where you can link to a letter you’ve hosted elsewhere (dreamwidth, livejournal, tumblr, a public Google doc, etc.) that goes into greater detail about your requests.
Each request should be treated as its own “prompt.” i.e. Rather than throwing every Arsenal player you want to request into one request, use separate requests for each character combination that you are interested in. This makes it more likely for you to match to someone who has offered the characters you’re interested in. Of course, if you really want a whole gaggle of Arsenal players in one single request, you can do that.
Offers
Offers are for what you are willing to draw art of or write and gift to your recipient.
You must make a minimum of 3 offers, but you can make up to 8 offers. Each offer must be for 1 fandom, and 2 - 5 characters within that fandom. You will be allowed to repeat fandom and character tags over multiple offers, but you must offer at least 3 unique characters. You do not have to offer more than one fandom.
Each offer must indicate if it’s a request for fic, art, or either.
For any characters you offer together, you should be comfortable being assigned any of them in any combination. This is because of how AO3’s matching algorithm works. See “How does matching work?” below for more details on that.
Can I see the requests?
We will be making the request summary visible toward the end of the sign-up period — roughly around August 20 — and will announce when it’s visible, so you have a chance to clean up any draft prompts that are most capslock rambly feels. (No judgment! We do it too ;) This allows you to get an idea of what people are requesting, and it might even spark some ideas for requests/offers that you didn’t think of before!
Can I edit my requests/offers?
You can edit your sign-up form up until sign-ups close. This means you are not locked into your requests/offers until we close sign-ups on August 22 at 11:59 PM PST (What time is that for me?)
How does matching work?
The Last Minute Sub 2018 matching algorithm runs first for fandoms, then for characters.
Characters are attached to fandoms, so offering a character in one fandom will not match you to someone requesting that same character in a different fandom (e.g. If you only offer Olivier Giroud under Football RPF, you will not be matched to a request for Olivier Giroud in the Crossover Fandom).
As a recipient, someone will only match with you if they have offered to write the exact fandom and all of the characters you have requested. This means if one of your requests involves four characters, you can only be matched to someone who offered to write all four of those characters.
As an artist/author, you can be assigned any and all combinations of characters within each offer you make. This is why it’s generally better to keep each offer to a group of characters you feel comfortable writing in any combination. (e.g. If you offer Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué in the same offer, you could be assigned anycombination of those four characters. You could be assigned a request that just asks for a Piqué character study, or a request for Xavi/Iniesta, or a request for Messi/Piqué/Xavi, or any other combination therein. Basically, look at each offer you’re making and ask yourself if you would be happy receiving an assignment for any potential grouping of characters.)
These are not reciprocal matches — this means that the author/artist assigned to you is not necessarily the same person you are assigned to. (This may happen by pure chance, but AO3 does not prioritize direct matches, so they are very uncommon.)
I still have a question!
Totally understandable!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have about your sign-up. We’re happy to help. You can reach us by email (lastminutesubmods@gmail.com), tumblr ask or the Contact-A-Mod post.
Below we have a quick refresher on how sign-ups/matching work, including pictures and examples.
Examples
If it helps you to see the request/offer forms in action, we have put up an example gallery here. Don’t worry that the available fandoms don’t match — we’re reusing the same images from our first year. The principles are still the same though!
For more wordy details on each section, see below!
Requests
Requests are for what you would like to receive as a gift.
You must make a minimum of 3 requests, but you can make up to 8 requests. Each request must be for 1 fandom, and 1 - 4 characters within that fandom. You will be allowed to repeat fandom and character tags over multiple requests, but you must request at least 3 unique characters. You do not have to request more than one fandom.
Each request must indicate if it’s a request for fic, art, or either.
There is a required details field — you can write as much or as little as you’d like about your request here, but you do have to include something! There is also an optional Dear Artist/Author letter field, where you can link to a letter you’ve hosted elsewhere (dreamwidth, livejournal, tumblr, a public Google doc, etc.) that goes into greater detail about your requests.
Each request should be treated as its own “prompt.” i.e. Rather than throwing every Arsenal player you want to request into one request, use separate requests for each character combination that you are interested in. This makes it more likely for you to match to someone who has offered the characters you’re interested in. Of course, if you really want a whole gaggle of Arsenal players in one single request, you can do that.
Offers
Offers are for what you are willing to draw art of or write and gift to your recipient.
You must make a minimum of 3 offers, but you can make up to 8 offers. Each offer must be for 1 fandom, and 2 - 5 characters within that fandom. You will be allowed to repeat fandom and character tags over multiple offers, but you must offer at least 3 unique characters. You do not have to offer more than one fandom.
Each offer must indicate if it’s a request for fic, art, or either.
For any characters you offer together, you should be comfortable being assigned any of them in any combination. This is because of how AO3’s matching algorithm works. See “How does matching work?” below for more details on that.
Can I see the requests?
We will be making the request summary visible toward the end of the sign-up period — roughly around August 20 — and will announce when it’s visible, so you have a chance to clean up any draft prompts that are most capslock rambly feels. (No judgment! We do it too ;) This allows you to get an idea of what people are requesting, and it might even spark some ideas for requests/offers that you didn’t think of before!
Can I edit my requests/offers?
You can edit your sign-up form up until sign-ups close. This means you are not locked into your requests/offers until we close sign-ups on August 22 at 11:59 PM PST (What time is that for me?)
How does matching work?
The Last Minute Sub 2018 matching algorithm runs first for fandoms, then for characters.
Characters are attached to fandoms, so offering a character in one fandom will not match you to someone requesting that same character in a different fandom (e.g. If you only offer Olivier Giroud under Football RPF, you will not be matched to a request for Olivier Giroud in the Crossover Fandom).
As a recipient, someone will only match with you if they have offered to write the exact fandom and all of the characters you have requested. This means if one of your requests involves four characters, you can only be matched to someone who offered to write all four of those characters.
As an artist/author, you can be assigned any and all combinations of characters within each offer you make. This is why it’s generally better to keep each offer to a group of characters you feel comfortable writing in any combination. (e.g. If you offer Lionel Messi, Xavi Hernández, Andrés Iniesta and Gerard Piqué in the same offer, you could be assigned anycombination of those four characters. You could be assigned a request that just asks for a Piqué character study, or a request for Xavi/Iniesta, or a request for Messi/Piqué/Xavi, or any other combination therein. Basically, look at each offer you’re making and ask yourself if you would be happy receiving an assignment for any potential grouping of characters.)
These are not reciprocal matches — this means that the author/artist assigned to you is not necessarily the same person you are assigned to. (This may happen by pure chance, but AO3 does not prioritize direct matches, so they are very uncommon.)
I still have a question!
Totally understandable!
Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any questions you may have about your sign-up. We’re happy to help. You can reach us by email (lastminutesubmods@gmail.com), tumblr ask or the Contact-A-Mod post.