#ihx2014

Reveals are tomorrow and we have important information for you!

If you're still editing your work, your hard deadline is 8:00PM UTC, Nov. 10, 2014 (time zone converter). No extensions! Please check your gift(s) one last time before then and make sure everything's to your satisfaction.

You'll get an e-mail from AO3 when gifts go live, and we'll also announce it on our tumblr. (Protip: reveals can't happen before noon PST. Don't sit at your computer waiting!)

PLEASE LEAVE A THANK-YOU COMMENT on your gift(s). Please!!! If you like a fanwork then say so, even if it wasn't made for you. Even if you don't like your present, at least thank your gifter for their effort. Especially if you had to default, please drop by and thank your gift-giver for their hard work!

Works are anonymous until author/artist reveals on the 16. Your AO3 username will automatically appear on your work on that date. Please don't say who made what gift until author/artist reveals, and please don't cross-post your work until Nov. 16! It'll ruin the fun. You can reply to comments made on your work--AO3 renders all your replies anonymous until the 16, too.

Feel free to link to the gifts you've received and your favorite IHX fanworks on tumblr/twitter/etc. Spread the sports anime love far and wide! (Using the #inter high exchange tag will make the mod referees happy, btw!)

Some gifts are only visible if you're signed into AO3. Keep this in mind if you can't find your gift!

Many people are receiving multiple gifts/treats. Some of these are because a pinch hitter and the original gifter came through, while others are sheer generosity. The mod referees had no control over this, so please just enjoy all the gifts!

Fanworks are due in about seven hours, at 11:55PM UTC November 1, 2014 (countdown here / time zone converter here). Congratulations and thank you to those of you who are done already. If you're not, you can do it, go for the gold!!

Need help submitting your gift? CLICK HERE. 

Watch your e-mail today! As the deadline looms, we may need to get in touch with you. If you need something and it's time-sensitive, e-mail us: [email protected]. We are not monitoring our askbox closely right now.

It's not too late to ask for an extension. We'd rather give you one than call in a pinch hitter. Don't be afraid to talk to us. Also, your work doesn't have to be 100% polished by tonight's deadline! You just have to get something in. You can edit your work throughout the pinch hit period (Nov. 2-9) to clean it up to your satisfaction, get it beta-read, etc.

Want to hang out with your fellow participants as you all work on your fanworks, or want to catch a mod to livechat with? Use the chat!

Busily working on your IHX fanwork? Want to hang out with other IHX participants, cheer each other on, brainstorm, and talk about sports? Join the chat!

Rules:

This is a drama free zone. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Please keep all chatter PG-13.

Your work should still be anonymous, so don't namedrop your recipient or give away who you're creating for!

How to join:

Click the link above (here it is again just in case)

Where it says "Nick" type in your username

Where it says "Channel" type in #ihx2014 , don't forget the # symbol that's very important

Click "Connect"

You're in!

Sonata and Porto are your mod referees in the chat, so look for them if you need any specific help. You can always e-mail us at [email protected], too.

Thank you to everyone who has checked in so far! We're still waiting on some of you, so if you haven't yet checked your email please do so now. Some notes:

Some people have expressed confusion about how many fics or artworks they need to create. You're only required to create one (1) piece for your recipient!! If you want to create more than one, you're welcome to. If you don't have any ideas for some of the things your recipient asked for, skip them! If you don't have the time to make more than one thing, that's totally ok. And if you want to create a billion treats and make people super happy, then go for it! But as long as you have one fanwork for your recipient submitted by the deadline you're in the clear with us. Any "extra" fanworks besides your one required are called treats.

If you're stumped by the requests that were given to you, you still have options! You don't have to follow your prompts strictly. As long as you create at least one fanwork about a character or ship they like, you're in the clear. For example, if your recipient asked for an AU but you only write canon fic, then go ahead and write canon fic. If your person asked for a plotty story but you're an artist and you can't draw sequential art, then just draw a single image as you can. However, do try to find other things in their prompt that might guide your creation process. For example, if they're asking for a coffee shop AU, they're probably a fan of the slice-of-life genre, so they'll probably like a lighthearted happy piece even if it's not an AU work. Remember that if you're really drawing a blank, our inbox is always open. Don't give up or panic, you can do this!

You can post your treats anytime you want. We require that you have at least one fanwork in by the November 1st deadline. If you fill more requests than that, you can post them any time - now or later, spaced out or all at once! But if you want to be part of the collection's ~grand reveal ~ on November 10th, please get your treats in before that date.

We know our FAQ is long, but please read the

"Assignments"

and

"Posting"

sections at the end since that's most relevant right now. Again, don't hesitate to

contact us

Hello there, sports fans. Just a heads up that the mods are experiencing some minor technical difficulties and as such the check in emails and post will be handled tomorrow after three PM Eastern time. They are coming, however, so watch your inboxes, and thanks for your patience!

We've gotten a few messages asking about placeholder dear creator letters that are still unfinished. If your dear creator letter is still empty, please fill it out as soon as possible!

If you take too long, there's a good chance your writer/artist will just ignore it and create whatever they want (and in fact, we'd encourage them to). At least list your general likes and dislikes so they have something to start from!

If you make your letter late and didn't link to it in your sign up, or otherwise want to make sure your gift giver sees it, you can use our handy Dear Creator Letter Masterlist.

Everyone’s all matched up, so check your e-mail for your assignment! If it doesn’t show up by noon today, please let us know (remember to mention your AO3 username).

This also means that the AO3 collection is open to both assigned works and treats. Post at will! (If you don’t know how to submit works to the collection, refer to the “Posting” section of Our FAQ.)

Works are due on NOVEMBER 1 at 11:55PM UTC. (Countdown here / time zone converter here.)

Work Minimums: 1,000 words of fic in English, or fanart 600 x 400 pixels in size; no WIPs; mixed media works must meet one of those minimums. There’s no max work cap.

Please read the “Assignments” section of Our FAQ for more useful info!

If your assignment is an actual error (it matches you to none of the fandoms/characters you requested), please contact us ASAP via email: [email protected]. (Remember to mention your AO3 username, and do not send a tumblr ask!)

Here is our dear creator letter masterlist for your use!

If you want to ask your assigned person any questions, please use the mod referees as proxies! Do not contact them directly, even on anon.

The check-in will take place on October 15, so please watch IHX’s tumblr on that date. (For more info, refer to our FAQ.)