One Wank After Another

[coalcube]

A blank assignment is a funny thing, isn't it? When you have it, you don't appreciate it, and when you miss it, it's gone.

Wednesday 10 December: Default deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 17 December: Assignment deadline (9pm UTC)
Wednesday 24 December: Main collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 25 December: Madness collection works reveals (9pm UTC)
Thursday 1 January: Author reveals, end of event (9pm UTC)

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Comments

[(Anonymous)]

If only the mods had a long-established system for passing questions along from authors to readers. They definitely haven't mentioned that system in 3/5 of their most recent posts or anything.

[(Anonymous)]

I mean. Would the mods even pass along such a question? A blank signup is a blank signup. If you can't write 1000 words of fic even without a prompt, you shouldn't have offered that fandom, period.

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, they will. Not "I need prompts gimme prompts" but "Would you like to give your author any suggestions? They'd be open to that, if you are. You don't have to."

Sometimes blank sign ups are on purpose and that's fine but a lot of people also just shove in a placeholder sign-up and run out of time to update it, or aren't familiar with exchanges. (My friend signed up two years ago and entered nothing in the form because she read "you may not demand your writer write you something specific" and thought that meant she wasn't allowed to write prompts.)

[(Anonymous)]

NC Idk, I feel like the infinite void of possibility giving someone choice paralysis and what-if-they-hate-it anxiety is very understandable! Even like 6 words of "I love everything, but especially [omegaverse|fluff|angst|2ppov|cuddling]" is better than a blank signup.

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, it is understandable. The author's phrasing in chat is very mildly annoying but they've couched it casually because they're probably talking to friends.

"ask them to ask my recip what they actually like" - yeah they told you what they like, they like the canon and they'd like any of the nominated characters.

It's relatable but also a them problem, just the kind of nothingburger coal finds very soothing to pick over.

[(Anonymous)]

we neeeeed some real drama stat

[(Anonymous)]

Yes, they will. I know because they offered to do so for me when I emailed them in confusion about what to do with a blank signup back when I was new to Yuletide.

And FTR of course I can write 1000 words without a prompt, but in an exchange where I signed up to make someone a gift I want them to actually like, it kind of ruins the writing experience for me. Feels about the same as being matched to someone whose signup says "I don't really care about gifts so just write whatever I guess."

[(Anonymous)]

it kind of ruins the writing experience for me. Feels about the same as being matched to someone whose signup says "I don't really care about gifts so just write whatever I guess.

That seems a little unkind, as an interpretation, in an exchange where "Optional details are optional to provide" is repeated frequently.

I lower my expectations for a response when I get a blank sign-up, but sometimes people really do just mean they're excited to be surprised.