DOINK! Final Fantasy Exchange

After every round, the mod team likes to hear from our participants - how did we do? Did you have fun, did you enjoy your assignment, did you like your gift? We consider all the feedback we get and work through the off-season on the overarching question: how can we tweak our process next year to make things even more awesome?

We'd appreciate it if you took a couple minutes to tell us how you felt about DOINK! 2013. The poll is completely anonymous and confidential, so please be honest. The poll will be open for three weeks -- we'll give you a reminder before we close it. Thanks!

Take the DOINK! 2013 Exit Poll

Thanks so much for an awesome round. We'll see you soon with information on the 2013 round of Chocobo Racing. Until then, check out all the amazing work in our DOINK! 2012 AO3 Collection.

The final pinch hit upload deadline is approaching soon: pinch hitters working on the Friday, May 10, 2013 at 17:00 UTC deadline, please remember to click the link for the time in your area and get 'em in while you can! Pinch-hit list, stay alert! We may need your super fast creation services. :)

All collections and creators will be revealed around Friday, May 10, 2013 at 23:00 UTC.

It's Moogle Fluff time once more!

Moogle Fluff is our way of rewarding betas who worked to help make gifts awesome, and giving a little extra to the folks whose prompts went out over the pinch hit list (whose gifter didn't have the same amount of time to create something as other gifters did), as well as us inviting anyone at all to create for the exchange and contribute awesome Final Fantasy works to the ever-expanding fannish canon. Yes, even if you weren't involved as a participant, a beta, or a pinch hitter, you can create fanwork for this period!

Moogle Fluff can be any word count, a simple sketch, tidbits of things, a drabble! Just like for the regular collection, our offer of file hosting still stands with our image upload form. We're spending a lot of time in our inbox, so don't be afraid to poke us for whatever you need! We'll be happy to upload for you if you're having trouble; just email us your image/file at ff.exchange@gmail.com.

This year, we're changing things up to hopefully be more simple for the future. In previous rounds we had a collection for Moogle Fluff, but in order to cut down on collections going forward, we're going to be getting a early start on our Chocobo Down 2013 collection, which will also be the collection for the Chocobo Races. If you're posting from the regular Post New page, don't forget to put chocobodown2013 in the Collections/Challenges area under Associations so it will be hidden and include the name of the recipient (if you choose to use one).

The following prompts are available for Moogle Fluff:

1) Any prompt sent out over the pinch hit list: if the prompts went out over the list, they are fair game for Moogle Fluff. All the list archives are available to list members, so you can join the mailing list to see them as well as the recipient they belong to.

2) Beta prompts! If a beta provided prompts as part of offering their services through our official beta volunteer system, and were requested at least once, their prompts are available for Moogle Fluff! This year, we had several beta summons, but only one with prompts:

AO3 Username: FireEye

Prompt 1:

FFIV (OGC): Kain/Rydia. Flying high, falling hard.

Prompt 2:

FFVI: Celes/Terra[/Locke]. Learning to be alive again.

All betas who didn't get any work but submitted prompts, don't worry! Your prompts will be available on the Chocobo Down lists post round. :)

3) Any past prompt used in the exchange: during the Moogle Fluff period, our Chocobo Down prompts from previous rounds are offered up as potential Moogle Fluff prompts. If you see a prompt you like, grab it and write a short piece or a make quick sketch and upload it to the chocobodown2013 collection. Although AO3 names are attached, we do not require you use them, as these prompts are from past rounds and some people may not be taking part this year. We leave the choice up to the creator: you can address your gift to the owner of the prompt if you're comfortable doing so, but if you're not, no recipient is required to post to the Moogle Fluff collection.

The Moogle Fluff collection will be open for work until Friday, May 10, 2013 at 22:55 UTC. Both the 2013 collection and the Moogle Fluff collection will be revealed at the same time. :)

Hello to all our participants! Gifts are due on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 23:00 UTC. Please be sure to click the link for the time in your area. :)

If you're ready to post, check out our posting tutorial for information on where and how to do that.

Remember our motto...well, maybe not an official motto, but the mod team's personal mantra when it comes to DOINK!



Good luck, creators! We're rooting for you. \o/

The upload deadline is Monday, May 6, 2013 at 23:00 UTC for regular participants! That's in 5 DAYS. Commence flailing!

Please remember to post your gift to the ff_exchange2013 collection so it won't be revealed ahead of time, and to put the prompt you used in the Notes field. :) If you need a posting tutorial, check ours out here, and remember that we have our handy upload tool available if you need file hosting!

If you are pinch hitting, check your pinch hit confirmation email for the due date for the pinch hit assignment. If you are both pinch hitting and creating a regular gift, the regular gift is still due May 6, so budget your time wisely!

Any recipient without a gift after the regular deadline passes will have all their prompts sent to the pinch hit list. Please remember that there are no extensions — but if you don't think you'll make it please let us know! If you don't contact us and have submitted no gift, then you will receive a ban. If you do contact us, you will only have a small penalty. :)

Good luck, everyone!

Hello, everyone! The uploading deadline is on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 23:00 UTC — click that link for the time in your area! How's everyone doing with that dim light wavering in the distance, drawing ever closer...?

As the big day approaches, we have opened up the DOINK! 2013 collection. On that page, you can follow the links at the top and Post to the DOINK! 2013 Collection. When posting, please remember to:

• Check that ff_exchange2013 is filled in in the Collections/Challenges area under Associations. If you forget this, your work will be revealed too soon and be public for everyone!


• Specify your recipient — this is what makes sure they can find your awesome gift!


• Please put the prompt you used in the notes section at the top. This makes it easier for us to track filled prompts. This will help us get the Chocobo Down lists out faster. :)

If you're not sure how to do any of these things or need a little help, we have just the thing:

( A short posting tutorial! )

If you are a multimedia participant and need file hosting, please check out our image upload tool. Our file storage offer is for everything, at any time: regular round, Moogle Fluff, and Chocobo Down. :D


Other things you can do!

• You can summon a beta until Monday, April 29, 2013 at 23:00 UTC.


• You can sign up to be a pinch hitter — pinch hit signups never close. :)


• If browsing fanwork inspires you, you can check out our collection from last year for lots of great fanwork DOINK! 2011, Chocobo Down 2012, and Moogle Fluff 2012.


• If you won't be able to finish your work in time, you can utilize our default form or send us an e-mail.


• Have a ton of fun!

The no-penalty default date has passed — but don't worry if you think you might not make it; this just means that beyond this point, if you need to default, you will receive a penalty of one piece of Chocobo Down. You can still e-mail us or use the default page if you need to! Remember, if you need to default, do it sooner rather than later to give pinch hitters more time to work.

Remember, a default is not official until we have responded with a confirmation! So, if you have sent us a default notice and have not heard back from us, please e-mail us immediately so we can process your default.

Please continue to check the schedule for other important dates, and happy doinking! You have about two weeks left to complete your gift!

DOINK! 2013 assignments have all been sent! As much as we would like to wish every single participant a hassle-free exchange, we realize that isn't the case. Sometimes life interferes with our fannish hobbies, sometimes people are unable to complete their assignments. And when this happens, there's another really important way to help make the exchange a success — pinch hitting!

Pinch Hitting for DOINK! 2013

This year, we're using the same system as the previous two years. In 2011, we set up a mailing list specifically for pinch hitters. You can join the list here. You have complete control in this list and can join/leave as you wish. The subscriber list is protected.

You don't need to be a DOINK! participant — regular or beta volunteer — to be a pinch hitter, but you do need an AO3 account (just send us an e-mail and ask for an invite, or join the queue).

Here's how it works: moderators will send pinch-hit requests to the list and anyone is free to claim them. Pinch-hits are first-come, first served — just reply to claim! Confirmation will be sent to the volunteer who was the quickest draw, and an alert will be sent to the list itself letting everyone know the hit has been claimed. Pinch hits often do go fast, so be on your toes!

Accepting a pinch hit is a commitment: it means you agree to our basic guideline policy for fanwork, which you can find on our Walkthrough. You will also be assigned an upload deadline.

Pinch hits can come through at any point in the exchange — but there will probably be a flurry of hits during April 22 - 24 (around the No-Penalty Default Deadline) and before and a few days after May 6 (the official Uploading Deadline). In the case of the latter, especially, our need is great. If you really want to pinch hit, those are good times to be by your Inbox!

We absolutely appreciate all the awesome folks who help us out with pinch hitting, especially at the end of the round when time is tight. Thanks to everyone already signed up and to any future volunteers. ♥

Beta Volunteer ranks have been built and sign-ups are closed. You can check them out at Summon A Beta! Here's how the DOINK! beta system works:

• Each beta lists the medium(s) they can beta, pertinent fandoms, and a short blurb where they talk about their strengths and weaknesses!



• We asked each beta to include how many pieces they could handle at any one time — the number of fairies corresponds to this count. If a beta's fairies are all gray, they are booked solid, so try to choose a different one.



• Each request will come to us; we will then connect you with your beta on our end to keep their information from ending up in the hands of spammers; no contact info is displayed on the website.

The last day to submit requests for a beta is Monday, April 29, 2013 at 23:00 UTC. After this, if you need editing help, you will have to seek outside assistance. We want to be able to give our betas enough time to handle any sudden influx of work.

We reward our betas by putting their prompts up during Moogle Fluff (if they did beta work during the round) so that the community can flood them with fluffy love. All betas who signed up — even those who didn't have any work this round — have their prompts put on our Chocobo Down list post round, to stay forever and be available for all future rounds of Moogle Fluff, Chocobo Down, and Chocobo Races. \o/

Other things you can do!

You can still sign up to be a pinch hitter! Pinch hit signups never close and we really appreciate all the help. :) If you need an AO3 account, just let us know!

If you've created work for past rounds, before we were on AO3, we would love for you to upload it to our corresponding AO3 collections:

2007

Final Fantasy Exchange 2007 - collection name: ff_exchange2007

Moogle Fluff 2007 - collection name: mooglefluff2007

2009

Final Fantasy Exchange 2009 - collection name: ff_exchange2009

Moogle Fluff 2009 - collection name: mooglefluff2009

We hope everyone is enjoying their prompts. Good luck! :D

As of now, our assignment queue is empty, and the world is now full of 164 prompts left by all our participants. We're super excited to see all your creations!

Of course, our Google Overlords sometimes treat us like a spammer, so you might not have received your assignment. We will be watching for any bounced e-mails or outright rejections.

On your end, if you have not received your assignment by Thursday, April 11, 2013 23:00 UTC, please send us an email immediately letting us know. Making the connection with us first usually means we can reply and have better luck. :)

Please remember that the upload deadline for regular exchange sign-ups is Monday, May 6, 2013 at 23:00 UTC!