#ssge24

2024 Secret Sleuth Gift Guidelines

Gift types & minimum requirements

You will only be required to make one gift for your match. Whatever type of fanwork you create, it should meet these requirements:

Fanfiction: 1,500 word minimum, 10,000 words maximum. Completed works only (i.e., please do not gift someone the first chapter of a work-in-progress fic that you haven't finished)

Graphics/gifsets: 2 gif/image minimum

Fanart: at least 1 panel/piece of fanart (you can do more if you wish)

Playlist: 15 song minimum, 1 cover image, and a link to the playlist on Spotify or Apple Music

Fanvids/edits: A minimum of at least 1m30s of video content. We will accept either 1 or 2 videos, but the total run-time of both videos combined must meet the minimum requirement of at least 1m30s. Longer videos are, of course, allowed.

When should I post my gift?

Gifts will be posted over 1st to 12th January 2025.

During check-in #2 (around December 16th 2024) one of the Secret Sleuth Mods will be in touch to schedule which day your gift should posted/revealed. You will be able to request a specific day, or we can provide a few different slots to choose from. Please do not reveal your gift before this day.

Fanfiction gifts can be submitted ahead of time to the ao3 collection, and our mod team will reveal them on the scheduled day.

How/where should I post my gift?

You can post your gifts to whatever platform you'd like (Tumblr, Twitter/X, AO3, YouTube, etc.) Alternatively, you can also submit your gift to this blog and we will post it for you.

If you are posting on TUMBLR:

Ideally, schedule your gift to post on the day you have been assigned ahead of time

Tag this blog in the post (@secretsleuthexchange)

Tag your giftee's blog in the post (if they have tumblr)

Add #secretsleuthgiftexchange and your giftee's tumblr handle as a hashtag to the tags of the post (this helps us find stuff when you have posted it!)

If you are posting on TWITTER / X:

Tag the Secret Sleuth Twitter/X account: (@ssgiftexchange)

Tag your giftee's Twitter/X account (if they have Twitter/X)

If you are posting on AO3:

Submit to our 2024 Secret Sleuth collection here.

Make sure to 'gift' the work to your giftee's AO3 account. See how to do that here.

If you are posting on another platform, such as YouTube, feel free to cross-post on Tumblr or Twitter. If you do not plan on cross-posting, please let us know so we can do it for you.

When submitting your gift, please make sure it meets the minimum requirements mentioned above.

Sleuthy's back, tell a friend!

Hate to tell you, but that doll was ABSOLUTELY possessed. Also pretty likely that the boiler was too. But you survived! So that's a win on surviving possessed or cursed objects! Go Sleuthy!

or: Nace get engaged and have smut about it.

Bahahaha okay. Well. We ended up having a small registry office with just family for the official getting married bit, and then a big party with vows in front of all our friends a couple of months later, so had two different ones for two different occasions.

The first, I had a gorgeous blue flower hair clip that I had found on the ground when I was in high school. It was really pretty so I ended up keeping it all these years, and had it in my hair for our registry office wedding.

The second was the wedding dress itself - an original 1950s dress that I found in a vintage shop, and even though I'd intended to wear something colourful, it was love at first try on and I absolutely adored it. I loved the extra feeling of history to it, knowing that someone(s) had worn it before and had it be part of their story too.

Hello my lovely sleuth!

Nancy is an easy top pick, that has to be Ace (because Ace is great), but I think Nick comes second. They were good together and I really loved the two of them at the very start of the show (although I am a big Fanson fan). Next probably Tamura? Sure they never kissed, but the chemistry was insane and I loved it. Then Park, I think. I really liked him (I got very used to pretending age gaps just didn't exist thanks to the CW logic over the years, so I don't find Park as problematic as some). I think Owen next? I liked Owen, but he was always a little bit too 'shiny' for me. I can't think of a better word. I almost forget about him, which is never a good look... Last is Gil. Gil is a poop.

Ace's top pick is Nancy (obvs). Then Laura, the chaotic insanity of the two of them was such a joy. Then Amanda. I liked her, but she never stood a chance against the chemistry Ace has with Nancy. I can't think of anyone else...