Sign-up tutorial!
For those that have never participated in an exchange on AO3 before, here's a quick guide to sign-ups. Behind the cut are step-by-step instructions, complete with images!
Requests
You can request four different prompts. One of these must be gen, but the rest can focus on three different pairings or three different prompts for the same pairing or three more gen prompts or whatever you'd like.
Each request has its own form, which is filled out as follows:
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Characters: List which characters you'd like to see in your prompted gift. You can list up to twenty, but you must list at least one. Start typing the name and selected the autofill from the list that will appear below.
Relationships: You can list one relationship here, the main ship for your prompt. Again, start typing and choose the ship from the autofill list appearing below the box.
Categories: On AO3, category means type of ship. They are M/F, M/M, F/F, Gen, Multi, and other. Click the box next to the appropriate category for your prompt.
Prompt: This is a free text box. Use it to write your actual prompt in as much or as little detail as you would like. (ie: "Snow" or "Modern AU where they're all at the same boarding school - there's a huge snowstorm and classes are cancelled. Charles and Erik sneak away in the middle of the school-wide snowball fight and have a tender moment in a snowfort.)
Optional Tags: Use this as the equivalent of "things I like to see in fic." It will autofill with AO3 tags, so sometimes it takes a little finagling to find the proper tag (ie: "tight spaces" instead of "enclosed spaces," "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" instead of "PTSD). Optional Tags can only come from "canonical AO3 tags," ie: tags that are already in the AO3 system. This isn't the place for tumblr-style tags, and your sign-up will give you an error if you try to submit it with tags that you didn't select from the autofill menu.
(The "optional tags" field is, as the name suggests, optional. If that's too confusing for you or you don't have the patience to play around to find the right thing, feel free to skip it.)
So, repeat those steps for all four of your sign-ups. Next up is the form for the things you are offering to write/art.
Offers
For the "Offers" section, it's just slightly different. Instead of multiple offers, you'll only fill out the form once, but with every character/pairing/category that you're willing to write/art.
Characters: List every character you're willing to write/art. As with the above, start typing and choose from the autofill list below. If you're willing to write/art any of the characters, click the "any" button. Keep in mind, choosing any means you are willing to write any character from the XMFC movie. Only click it if you really mean it!
Relationships: Again, list every ship you're willing to write/art and start typing the ship and then choose from the autofill. Tip: ship tags on AO3 are alphabetized by last name, so Erik Lehnsherr comes before Charles Xavier in their ship tag, and so on. If you're willing to write/art any pairing, click "any." Keep in mind, choosing any means you are willing to write any combination of characters from the XMFC movie. Only click it if you really mean it!
Writing or Art: Indicate whether you're planning on writing a story or creating art for your recipient. Note: You are more than welcome to change your mind! If you initially put "art" but feel the prompt is more suited to writing a fic (or vice-versa), you can switch.
Optional Tags: Use this as the equivalent of "things I like to write/draw." It will autofill with AO3 tags, so sometimes it takes a little finagling to find the proper tag (ie: "tight spaces" instead of "enclosed spaces," "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" instead of "PTSD). Optional Tags can only come from "canonical AO3 tags," ie: tags that are already in the AO3 system. This isn't the place for tumblr-style tags, and your sign-up will give you an error if you try to submit it with tags that you didn't select from the autofill menu.
(The "optional tags" field is, as the name suggests, optional. If that's too confusing for you or you don't have the patience to play around to find the right thing, feel free to skip it.)
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! The link to sign up is here!
Requests
You can request four different prompts. One of these must be gen, but the rest can focus on three different pairings or three different prompts for the same pairing or three more gen prompts or whatever you'd like.
Each request has its own form, which is filled out as follows:
.
Characters: List which characters you'd like to see in your prompted gift. You can list up to twenty, but you must list at least one. Start typing the name and selected the autofill from the list that will appear below.
Relationships: You can list one relationship here, the main ship for your prompt. Again, start typing and choose the ship from the autofill list appearing below the box.
Categories: On AO3, category means type of ship. They are M/F, M/M, F/F, Gen, Multi, and other. Click the box next to the appropriate category for your prompt.
Prompt: This is a free text box. Use it to write your actual prompt in as much or as little detail as you would like. (ie: "Snow" or "Modern AU where they're all at the same boarding school - there's a huge snowstorm and classes are cancelled. Charles and Erik sneak away in the middle of the school-wide snowball fight and have a tender moment in a snowfort.)
Optional Tags: Use this as the equivalent of "things I like to see in fic." It will autofill with AO3 tags, so sometimes it takes a little finagling to find the proper tag (ie: "tight spaces" instead of "enclosed spaces," "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" instead of "PTSD). Optional Tags can only come from "canonical AO3 tags," ie: tags that are already in the AO3 system. This isn't the place for tumblr-style tags, and your sign-up will give you an error if you try to submit it with tags that you didn't select from the autofill menu.
(The "optional tags" field is, as the name suggests, optional. If that's too confusing for you or you don't have the patience to play around to find the right thing, feel free to skip it.)
So, repeat those steps for all four of your sign-ups. Next up is the form for the things you are offering to write/art.
Offers
For the "Offers" section, it's just slightly different. Instead of multiple offers, you'll only fill out the form once, but with every character/pairing/category that you're willing to write/art.
Characters: List every character you're willing to write/art. As with the above, start typing and choose from the autofill list below. If you're willing to write/art any of the characters, click the "any" button. Keep in mind, choosing any means you are willing to write any character from the XMFC movie. Only click it if you really mean it!
Relationships: Again, list every ship you're willing to write/art and start typing the ship and then choose from the autofill. Tip: ship tags on AO3 are alphabetized by last name, so Erik Lehnsherr comes before Charles Xavier in their ship tag, and so on. If you're willing to write/art any pairing, click "any." Keep in mind, choosing any means you are willing to write any combination of characters from the XMFC movie. Only click it if you really mean it!
Writing or Art: Indicate whether you're planning on writing a story or creating art for your recipient. Note: You are more than welcome to change your mind! If you initially put "art" but feel the prompt is more suited to writing a fic (or vice-versa), you can switch.
Optional Tags: Use this as the equivalent of "things I like to write/draw." It will autofill with AO3 tags, so sometimes it takes a little finagling to find the proper tag (ie: "tight spaces" instead of "enclosed spaces," "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" instead of "PTSD). Optional Tags can only come from "canonical AO3 tags," ie: tags that are already in the AO3 system. This isn't the place for tumblr-style tags, and your sign-up will give you an error if you try to submit it with tags that you didn't select from the autofill menu.
(The "optional tags" field is, as the name suggests, optional. If that's too confusing for you or you don't have the patience to play around to find the right thing, feel free to skip it.)
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask! The link to sign up is here!