As all children on a hellmouth know, Santa isn't up in the North Pole. He's a demon--no really! The "jolly old man" grabs them close, with deep booming laughter, and uses his claws to rip them asunder! But our hellmouth children are sly, you see, and stuff up their chimneys with flames and weaponry. And every Christmas Eve, they leave out treats by the hearth, not for demonic Nick, but for the Slayer and her sweetheart. And when Christmas has come, and the cocoa is gone, they rejoice for a day of merriment and fun.

In other words, it's time for Elysian Fields' 2nd annual Secret Santa fic-giving event!!! While Buffy and Spike keep the world safe from devious holiday demons, we'll be gathering around our virtual hearths and exchanging gifts of joy and Spuffy fic love.

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Here’s how it works:

Everyone who signs up to participate in this event will write one fic and receive one fic. Each fic should be a “one-shot” size. That is, the fic must not exceed one chapter and it must be under 14,750* words in length. Fics do NOT need to be holiday-related in any way (unless your giftee requests it!). 

* While the chapter word limit is technically 15,000 words here on EF, variations in processor word counting created a lot of work (and many workarounds) last year for our dear Tech Mod Holly, so we're keeping it lower to assure there won't be any issues again this year.

There is no word count minimum to this event, as we don't wish to discourage alternative-format fics (poems, artwork inclusions, etc). 

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What do I get for participating?

Well, the event itself is your biggest gift, because you'll end up with a brand new gift fic! However, you'll also get a shiny Spuffy badge for your profile:

(Note: you may have someone beta your fic or make a banner for your fic if you wish, but only those EF members who sign up to write/receive will be eligible for an event participation award for this event.)

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How do I sign up?

You will sign up using the form linked below, and input your preferences for fic writing/receiving. OffYourBird will make best case matches from all the responses, and then reach out to each participant with the penname and story preferences of their giftee. Please remember that this gift-giving is confidential. Don’t share who you have for a giftee until you post your fic! Revealing that information ahead of time will allow demonic Santa to start his spree of terror early, and that would just be a bad time for everyone.

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Can any EF member sign up for this event?

Any member, whether they've previously written a fic on EF or not, is eligible to partake in this event!

However: if you were a member who signed up for the event last year (2020) and did not complete your fic or did not complete your fic by the deadline, you will not be eligible to participate this year. You may participate again in 2022. Any ineligibility will be communicated to you by a Mod, if it becomes relevant. Otherwise, you may assume you are good to go!

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What is the timeline for this event?

In order to ensure we can enjoy the Spuffy-given safety of a holiday free from demonic St Nick, all fics must be published to Elysian Fields by midnight (site time) on December 31, 2021. 

Here’s a full run-down of the timeline:

November 6 (today!) --- Sign-ups open. Find the SIGN-UP FORM HERE 

November 20 --- Sign-ups close at midnight site time

November 22-23 --- Writing assignments are distributed to participants

December 1 --- participants may begin publishing their fics. More details regarding HOW to publish your fic will be posted here in the news section at the end of November. Additional details will also be sent via email to each participant.

December 31, 2021 --- participants must have their fics published by midnight site time

No late sign-ups or publishing will be allowed. Please only sign up if you can commit to publishing your fic by midnight on December 31. Leaving a participant giftless will make Spuffy deeply sad, and we can’t have that.

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How can I help ensure no one ends up giftless?

Whether or not you sign up to participate in the event itself, you can sign up to be a Secret Santa Rescue Writer! Either choose "yes" on the event sign-up form where it asks, or email OffYourBird at ssolace@gmail.com and let her know that you'd like to be on the volunteer Rescue Writer list. If she ends up with someone in need, she may reach out to you (by no later than Dec 16) to see if you can rescue a gift.

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So, come and join the fun this holiday season with our 2nd annual Elysian Fields Secret Santa!