#polyswap 2024

[homestuckpolyswap]

What IS Polyswap? How does it work?

Consider this a quick & dirty overview of what Polyswap is for all the newcomers... just in case you veterans wanted to include someone fresh but weren't sure how to pitch!

[By the way... A polyship is any configuration of characters totaling three... or more!]

POLYSWAP: SIMPLIFIED

Polyswap, or the Polyamorous Ship Swap, is a Homestuck-specific event localized to AO3. That means it is hosted on the website Archive Of Our Own dot ORG. This event focuses on "gifting" and "receiving" anonymous creations with polyships in mind.

Event participants can choose from two subcategories, the ALL-AGES Prospit with a rating cap of T, or the ALL-RATINGS Derse where everyone is 18+ and stuff can get freaky. When you join Derse or Prospit [or BOTH], you will write out three-to-six prompts for three-to-six different polyships you want to see more Stuff for. Then, you write up an offer which dictates the kind of things YOU want to make stuff about.

Your requests are then matched to someone who offered things similar to what you're seeking, while YOU are matched to someone else's requests to create wondrous fanworks all about their super awesome ship ideas. Everyone only HAS to fulfill one prompt... but you could fulfill more if your giftee has really good ideas.

All of this takes place under the cover of anonymity, very hush-hush. Then, at the very end, gifters are revealed and you're able to celebrate the folks who made your favorite new polyship fanworks! What a thrill!

There are some rules and expectations, because of course there are. It's an event, you see. We'll be posting a bit about that soon. Stay alert!

[And if you're new to AO3, we'll be posting a simple guide for signing up / participating soon as well.]

[caledfwlchthat]

Still wishing everyone a happy 4/13 in the US time zones, and reblogging a few of my own Greatest Hits to celebrate. This period about four years ago was one of my most productive times for writing in terms of spontaneity and overall quality of output.

A few other fics I'm proud of that came out after I posted this list:

the ballad of catelyn cowl, for Ladystuck 2020. The prompt was "Meowrails Robin Hood", so here we have newbie FLARPER Nepeta who robs from the highbloods and gives to the lowbloods. Inspired this great cover art from my giftee that still makes me smile, many thanks to them <3

Moonshine Under Manhattan, for Polyswap Derse 2020. A crazy Bonnie-and-Bonnie-and-Bonnie-and-Bonnie (NO CLYDE ONLY BONNIES) OT4 shenanigans AU set in Prohibition-era New York. Story told through transcripts of FBI interrogations. Terepy The Movie refrances liberally scattered throughout.

MEENCEPTION, a gift for @hussianphilosopher in 2022 but secretly also for myself. Taking dreambubble Roxy/Meenah spades to its logical and semi-farcical conclusion.

This year's contribution, Quantum Bugsort, written for 4/13/2024 i.e. finished yesterday in my time zone. A roughly canon-compliant fic set before SGRUB, in which Sollux invents (discovers?) ~ATH and uses it to sort lists quickly by dooming timelines.

In case one of these is what someone out there just needs to read today!

happy new fic year, homestucks!

Oh man, it’s been stupid forever since I actually posted anything about the content I am, despite appearances, continuing to create on this here very internet.  I might consider getting better at promoting myself, though I suspect that if I raise that aspiration to the status of an actual resolution, it will probably fizzle and go limp.  But, who knows.  Maybe 2020 will be the year it happens anyway, and, dare I say, keeps happening.

So what the hell, might as well start here.

Looking back on it, 2019 was a good year for writing fic! 

I added over 60,000 words to my long-running meteorfic serial, Rose: Remember (Rashomon Roshambo) – usually tagged and abbreviated as “R^4″.  In the process it has transformed from a fairly pedestrian dream-bubble sadstuck about GAME OVER into an epic tale of one dead Rose’s quest to forge an alternate path to victory.  There are also, naturally, endearing Rosemary and awkward Davekat moments along the way.  Come for the meta, but stay for the shipping.

I also threw my hat in for Polyswap Derse 2019, yielding a new 20,000-word JohnDaveKat fic, cozy as fuck in there, which is also set in the dream bubbles.  It’s rapidly catching up to R^4 in kudos and bookmarks despite having been complete for months, so I guess I did something right with it! 

2020 is off to a good start!  Besides continuing R^4, I’ve also started two new relatively short fics which will be done soon, so keep an eye out for them:

Close Encounters Of The Slurred Kind is a sequel/tribute to @laurasauras‘s charming Rosemary short fic Observation.  It’s basically a farce in which Drunk Rose commandeers Kanaya’s Sburb-like reality cursor technology for the noble purpose of fucking with all her friends, in an otherwise no-game AU environment.  Hilarity ensues.  I’ve got this one mostly done and am posting a chapter every AEST morning, so it’ll be done soon.  Don’t miss it!

Doors, a fill for the Polyswap Dusk Winter Promptfest, is a JadeRoseMary hurt/comfort/fluff fic about found family and the trials of raising wiggler Vriska Maryam-Lalonde in a loving (non-Epilogue-compliant) Earth C home.  This prompt has taken me hostage and I am now Stockholm over Syndrome for grub!Vrissy, so you’ve been warned.  I got five chapters into it before going down all kinds of Vrissy-flavored rabbit holes.  I’m still looking to complete this in the relatively short term once Slurred Kind is finished.

Throughout all of this I’ve been lucky to enjoy the stalwart encouragement of my lovely fic friends @katreal-fic​, @laurasauras​, @hussianphilosopher​ and @gavelenvy​, each of them worth their weight in unobtainium.  I salute all four, and look forward to a great 2020 making awesome stuff with them!

[homestuckpolyswap]

PROSPIT SIGN-UP — DERSE SIGN-UP

BASIC RULES: Total anonymity throughout event, no assignment swapping or discussion in public spaces, Prospit is ALL AGES with a rating limit while Derse is 18+ with no rating limit, all assignments are given by email, no shipping wars or participant bullying allowed.

Here are some sign-up reminders for REQUESTS:

Always select "Homestuck" as your fandom.

Three Homestuck Prime prompts are required, the rest can be as Friendsim / Hiveswap / Hauntswitch as you like.

Include at least 3 characters per request, but no more than 6.

Don't double up on ship requests. Get diverse!

Mention ALL squicks. If you don't share, we don't know what to avoid matching you to! [Squicks includes things like NOTPs, kinks, phonetic quirks. You may also write a Dear Gifter Letter.]

Keep your prompt open-minded! We have artists AND authors in this event; you could be matched to either.

This is not a commission. Your request is a fun prompt, not a list of requirements.

Here are some sign-up reminders for OFFERS:

List AT LEAST 10 characters you can comfortably create for. More is always better for matching!

Mention ALL squicks. If you won't make something for a ship, a character, or a theme: let us know in your offer!

Can't be matched to someone in particular? Tell us in your offer! [Roommates, folks you've gifted before, or disagreements are all viable things to mention to the moderator team.]

Get detailed. What are you good at? What do you want to make? What prompts are your favorite type?

Are you willing to have your offer adjusted to make you a better match? Mods may have the perfect match for you... but AO3 won't do it without changing a character tag in your offer. If you're feeling adventurous, do share.

A more comprehensive sign-up guide is coming soon!

[homestuckpolyswap]

2024 SCHEDULE

Hello, Polyswappers! We are happy to announce the official 2024 Polyswap schedule below.

APRIL 7th: SIGN-UPS OPEN APRIL 23rd: SIGN-UPS CLOSE MAY 4th: ASSIGNMENTS GIVEN MAY 28th: DEFAULT DEADLINE JUNE 8th: ASSIGNMENTS DUE JUNE 15th: COLLECTION OPEN JUNE 22nd: GIFTER REVEALS JUNE 23rd: TREAT REVEALS

[A handy graphic will be posted tomorrow along with a reminder of some general rules and sign-up suggestions.]

The full scope of the Polyswap event is about 77 days, but you will only have about 35 days to complete your gift assignment. Plan accordingly!

[homestuckpolyswap]

Keep your eyes peeled for official sign-up reminders and mark those calendars.

[homestuckpolyswap]

DEADLINE APPROACHING

To all of our participants, please note that the deadline to have your fill in is JUNE 8TH, 11:59 PM EASTERN TIME. If you need more time than that, you need to contact us for an extension no later than June 7th, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

As of right now, Derse has 5 Complete Fills in, and Prospit has 3 Complete Fills! We're looking forward to seeing what you all make. Best of luck!

[homestuckpolyswap]

What is a Dear Gifter Letter?

A Dear Gifter Letter, or DGL from hereon, is a letter to your anonymous gifter outlining all the "please don'ts" that matter to you!

When signing up for a Polyswap event, you may want to include your squicks... but you just don't want to clutter your prompt up with things like NOTPs and headcanons you don't like. Some people are a bit more verbose than others, after all, and this is a way to circumvent AO3's "prompt box" character limit or just be a little more comprehensive on something you need to avoid.

While we encourage including the most important no-nos in your prompts, think of this like... an expansion or DLC! So, let's get into it.

Squick?? What even??

Anything that makes you go "nnnyyeegh" or hinders your enjoyment of something. Think of it like an ICK [for the younger crowds], or getting the heebie-jeebies. There's nothing wrong with a squick, but it's just not for you... and that's okay. A DGL allows you to outline squicks or peeves you'd like your anonymous gifter to avoid. Some common squicks include:

phonetic / "typed out" quirks, or having Thollukth talk like thith ["Sollux talk like this"] in a fic.

extremely saturated colors, or having an art piece with a lot of contrasting colors.

quirked dialogue, or having characters type in their quirks for a significant portion of the fic [which can interfere with screenreaders].

NOTPs, or NOT THIS PAIRING[s?] — the metaphorical opposite of an OTP or ship you enjoy very much.

specific headcanons, or re-interpretations of the original canon such as how tall or thin someone may be.

interaction types / relationship types, or particular dynamics you're just not interested in [such as Bro & Dave being really good brothers, or Eridan & Sollux being in a pale romance].

But what if I don't like really specific stuff?

The important thing to note about DGLs is they are not commission posts. You cannot control your gifter, nor can you enact certain headcanons / expecations on them. Polyswap is about making poly-shipping stuff for fun, and the fact that it's also a gift is the hilarious bonus!

While it's important to let both the moderators and your gifter know that a particular ship would totally ruin your day and thus your enjoyment of something, we can't enforce or encourage a DGL that outlines "rules" or "expectations" of the gifter. A letter is supplementary, and even if you really want to be thorough, it's important to know that your gifter isn't required to read a DGL to begin with.

Furthermore, Polyswap is a shipping event first and foremost. The primary focus of ANY gift should be... the shipping! Miscellaneous things like ships you didn't even list in your prompt, or dynamics that really don't affect your requests, aren't necessary. Sure, not everyone thinks that EriDirkFef is the best polyship ever; they might even hate it! But mentioning that hate in a DGL just clutters things up.

I don't want to be matched with X!

Anything in a DGL which implies a moral superiority or "Do Not Interact" vibe is completely unnecessary. We're all here to make polyship content. Any hardline "please don't match me to a specific person" or similar information should be conveyed to the moderators in your OFFER, which is private. Not written in your DGL for the whole world to see.

This is an all-inclusive event, which means that anyone of any background within the fandom can participate. We have an ALL AGES option, Prospit, as well as an 18+ ADULTS ONLY option, Derse, for sign-up. But that's where the lines end! If you're just not comfortable being associated with certain shippers, creators, or headcanon-enjoyers... then this event may not be for you!

Where to post my Dear Gifter Letter?

You can host your DGL just about anywhere that your gifter can access. We recommend a Tumblr post or a "view only" Google Document that doesn't record who visits. After all, your gifter has to remain anonymous, and we don't want you figuring out who it is too soon!

If you have any further questions about DGLs and how to get them to your gifter, just email us at HSPOLYSHIPSWAP on GMAIL.

[homestuckpolyswap]

Polyswappers, beware!

Sometimes we get really excited the beta reader who caught all the typos in our gloriously gifted fanwork. We might even be tempted to shout that beta reader out in the author's note on AO3, by name or by link, but whoa! Hang on!

That's a breach of Polyswap Anonymity!!!

Any information that could reveal your identity before gifter reveals on JUNE 22nd is a no-go. A massive part of the fun inherent to this event is hiding in plain sight, letting your giftee get excited, and having a great MASK OFF MOMENT when the time comes.

But it's only a beta, right? Well, any friend of yours is bound to lead back to you if your giftee is a sleuth... and most of them are! It's also why we don't allow wordcount bragging, WIP screenshots of artwork, or "I'm done!" messages in our official Discord Server.

Save that beta shoutout for AFTER the gifter reveals, and then laud all the praise you like! [Once anonymity is lifted, you can also edit your author's note however you please.]

If you do want to get really excited, brag about your beta reader, or enlist a hypesquad? Just request a private channel chat with our wonderful moderators on Discord! A participant link to the Official Polyswap Server will be sent out when sign-ups end.

[homestuckpolyswap]

YOUR ASSIGNMENTS ARE OUT! HOLY FLIP!!! LET'S GOOOO!

Now, be sure to keep these details in mind:

your assignment is always available in your AO3-linked email,

mods are always happy to guide you through questions or matters of giftee squick,

all gifts must be complete before you hit The Big Fulfill Button,

tagging should be in accordance with THIS GUIDE LIST,

all assignments are DUE on June 8th.

Happy Polyshipping!

[homestuckpolyswap]

DERSE COLLECTION — PROSPIT COLLECTION

All of our works are revealed... but the authors are not! Get hype, all, now is the time to speculate & comment all your favorite parts of your gifts.

[homestuckpolyswap]

What happens if two people write something for the same prompt?

Holy shit, two cakes!

But seriously, it is not a big deal. In this mod’s 6 years of helping run Polyswap, it has happened a handful of times. Prompts are fun because they leave so much up to the creativity of the gifter that no two would be the same. Like two semi related species of wolves, or something similarly metaphorically appropriate.

Giftees love treats because it means someone liked their prompts enough to fill one even without it being assigned to them!

[homestuckpolyswap]

Can I sign up to be a pinch hitter while also being in the swap?

Absolutely 100%! The only rule is that you are not allowed to CLAIM any pinch hits until your fill is done, in, and approved. Usually the majority of our pinch hitters are very determined participants!

[homestuckpolyswap]

After a slight delay to give every last person who wants in just the in they need, our sign-ups have officially closed! That means our wonderful mod team will be:

double-checking every sign-up application follows our rules,

correcting language to be more clear on squicks,

requesting clarity on prompt intent,

and the mighty task of MATCHING.

All participants will receive their assignments by email on MAY 4TH.

[homestuckpolyswap]

Extensions & How They Work

Life gets in the way of a good creation sometimes, and that's okay! Despite best laid plans, calendar reminders, or a very helpful roommate... Polyswap is ultimately for fun and that means it can take a backseat to more important things.

No shame there! At Polyswap HQ, the noodle-y ferrets masquerading as moderators completely understand all the fickle things. A sudden illness, overtime at work, or your cat walking across your tablet in just the right way to delete hours of progress.

The Solution? Extensions! An "add-on" to the initial Polyswap deadline.

This year, all gifts are due on JUNE 8th. Failing to get your gift submitted to AO3 before that deadline is an automatic default, or removal from the assignment. But wait! You were almost done, really! You only had a few more words, a couple more lines, that final note of the secret chord that David played!

By communicating with the moderation team promptly, using our Official Discord Server or the HSPOLYSHIPSWAP email, you can secure an extra day or two BEYOND JUNE 8th in order to complete your fill.

However, these are not automatic! They are granted on a case-by-case basis, depending on your level of progress and how rapidly you contact the moderators for help.

Asking for an extension on a gift that you haven't started yet is not fair to your giftee, who would be receiving a rushed creative project.

Waiting until midnight of Deadline Day is also unfair to moderators, who really should be sleeping at that hour. Sometimes, it is better to default and instead submit your gift to our supplementary treat collection.

Concerned that you might not be able to complete your fill on time regardless? Even with extensions? You can also contact the moderators to enforce a "secret" "new" deadline earlier than JUNE 8th! Then you'll be crunching through the project paralysis way before the numbers matter.

[homestuckpolyswap]

Polyswap Rule Reminder!

Here's a handy tip [and elaboration] on one of our RULES:

SWAP SPECIFIC RULE #9: The goal is a minimum one prompt you can fill. We will try to give you your best match, but it’s not always possible.

Well, what does this mean exactly?

In Polyswap, the moderators hand-match you to a giftee that has as many similarities to your offer as possible. We do this because AO3 is a wonderful, hard-working website with a complicated matching system! It has blind spots, thus is unable to account for anything beyond raw numbers.

Maybe you've offered to make something for all the characters they tagged, have a penchant for the same AUs, and really like to push yourself to make dynamic scenes with vibrant visuals.

There's just one problem...

You don't like SolFef or EriFef! Nothing against them, really, but you don't like the idea of shipping those characters. In fact, you mentioned that you probably wouldn't create a fanwork with that ship in your offer? Hey, what gives??? You did everything right!

Here's the rub. While the moderators do their very best, we have to find someone for everyone. Nobody can go ungifted, after all. As long as your offer fits one prompt— in this case, that may mean you wanted a ship with Karkat & Dave and a nebulous third —we've done the very best match we can.

Yes, we really do try to give you the perfect match, but if not enough like-minded shippers join the event, we run into little snags. Just like this one!

You can actually help us circumvent these issues by: adding six prompts to give more diversity, and including very very very different suggestions in each prompt to maximize getting an awesome gift. More options means less "hey, what gives!" for everyone.

Still not clear on what's happening with all this "matching" and other jargon? You can email further questions to HSPOLYSHIPSWAP on GMAIL dot COM.

[homestuckpolyswap]

Is it okay if we specify that we don't want any of the characters to be trans in our nsfw requests?

To answer the question: yes, you are permitted to specify headcanons you'd like to avoid. Polyswap operates on the basis that a "no" is a complete sentence, further clarification be damned.

However, if you are requesting no trans headcanons [or similar things] in more detail, please use proper inclusive language and avoid -phobic remarks. Just the facts, or the DNWs / squicks, please! [Should you run into any issues in future sign-ups, just contact us at HSPOLYSHIPSWAP on GMAIL for assistance.]

Apologies for the delay! You know how hectic it gets, wrangling Polyswap ferret-mods.