Schedule

[chocolateboxmod]

Welcome to Chocolate Box, a low pressure, low commitment multifandom gift exchange run on AO3. For 2021-2022 the AO3 community can be found here.

 

The schedule for this year is:

Nominations: 20- 28 December

Signups: 1-7 January

Assignments go out: by 10 January

Posting deadline: 7 February

Story reveal: 14 February

Author reveal: 21 February

All deadlines are at 11:59pm EST with the exception of reveals which are at 6am EST.

Comments

[pt_tucker]

With signups about to start, I wanted to ask if I could request the same fandom twice so long as I still have the required four different fandoms? Or does each request have to have a unique fandom no matter what? Thanks!

[chocolateboxmod]

Given the size of the exchange, we have to require that each signup have unique fandoms with no duplications.

[(Anonymous)]

Hiya, is it possible for you to add a minimum pixel size to the art requirements? E.g. a nice sketch, minimum 500px wide.

[chocolateboxmod]

Sure! We can do that.

[desertscribe]

How are fandoms with zero nominated relationships supposed to be handled in terms of offers and/or requests?

[chocolateboxmod]

Which fandoms don’t have any relationships nominated?

Quick Question

[bluekarma]

Is there a word count limit or anything? I'm curious and I'm not actually sure how to find the master rule post (if there is one). Any help is appreciated!

Re: Quick Question

[chocolateboxmod]

It’s a minimum of 300 words! As for the master post, you can find that here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/chocolatebox2019/profile#faq

[(Anonymous)]

Hello there! I was so excited to find this community; I absolutely love multi-fandom exchanges and I was so excited to find out that original works are allowed as well.

However, upon browsing the original fandom tagset, I found some concerning tags with words like "child king or queen" or "preteen" or "grooming" and even straight up "little girl". I've read through the rules post and since I don't see anything stating otherwise, I must ask: will this exchange allow explicit sex involving children to be posted? If so, I cannot consciously be involved.

[chocolateboxmod]

We are not policing any tag or the content written for a tag, outside of whether the content includes an individual DNW for the recipient. If this is not something you can accept, we’ll be sorry to see you go!

Voltron tag issue

[destinybdamned]

Hi I'm trying to do my sign up and I was going to offer Keith/Lance for Voltron but it doesn't seem to be on the drop down even though it's in the tag list?

Re: Voltron tag issue

[chocolateboxmod]

That's a known AO3 bug! If you copy and paste the tag exactly as it appears in the tagset, the form should accept it.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi, I have sort of an... etiquette question on a potentially touchy subject, I guess? I looked in the AO3 FAQ and didn't see anything one way or another:

When I was browsing letters for a fandom I was thinking of offering, I came across one that said something to the effect of: 'If you ship incest or pedophilia we're not going to be a good match, so you should consider defaulting.' (Note: not intend to write those things for their recipient in spite of the recipient saying they don't want them--just ship.)

Given that--as you noted to another anon above--you don't police content outside of individual DNWs, is there any stance on people doing things like this? Because, IDK, I feel like if you're signing up for a gift exchange this size, you're sort of... agreeing to get a gift from somebody you don't know, whose fictional tastes are unlikely to align perfectly with yours, but who has nonetheless offered to take time out of their life to try to make you something nice? And if you wouldn't be okay with getting a gift from some of those people, who the exchange does allow, that's maybe your responsibility to make the decision not to join, as opposed to being someone else's responsibility to drop out (thereby forfeiting their right to a gift of their own if their creator also defaults) if they get matched to you?

I dunno, maybe I'm overreacting--I just thought it was kinda inappropriate, and wondered what your thoughts were. :-\

[chocolateboxmod]

We're going to discuss this at the end of the round along with other things. Rest assured, you are not the first person to bring this matter to us.

Re: Prompt URL Inaccessible

[chocolateboxmod]

It sounds like your recipient has locked their letter. Please email us (chocolateboxmod@gmail.com) with the details of your assignment and we will see what we can do to get that fixed up for you!

[ratcreature]

I have a logistics question for fanart. How are you handling the anonymity with AO3 not being equipped for hosting art? If upload my art to my own webhost to embed it into the fanwork as usual, the URL will show my domain (which is based on my pseud), ditto if I use DW image hosting, so it won't be anon, even if I don't sign it initially.

[chocolateboxmod]

Is it possible to upload it to something like imgur, and then transfer it to your domain after reveals?

[(Anonymous)]

If we're done our assignment and want to upload it now, but don't want it to be buried under newest works by the time they're published, if we set the date for the 14th of February as we're uploading now, will that insure that it's posted to the top of the tags when it's published? Or would it better to wait until after it's published to change the date so it goes to the top of the tag?

[chocolateboxmod]

Changing the date to 14 February is a good idea, but you won't be able to do it now as AO3 does not allow you to forward-date works. Instead, you'll have to change it after the archive goes live, because then it will be the 14th.

[mahmfic]

I have a question. Can you send a message to our assignments if we have questions for them?

[chocolateboxmod]

Of course! Email us (chocolateboxmod[at]gmail.com) with your AO3 name, your recipient’s AO3 name, and the question, and we’ll ask it for you.

[(Anonymous)]

Can we post treats after the posting deadline? I think it's been allowed in previous years, but i wanted to check. Thank you! :)

[chocolateboxmod]

Yes.

[sandy79]

Apologies if this is the wrong place for this question!

Would it be okay with you if I combine my assignment with a bingo square? I don't want to go into details here, but it's a kink bingo, and one of my squares would be "Holding Hands", which would fit perfectly with my assignment here.

Thanks in advance!

[chocolateboxmod]

Yes, but you can't post it anywhere else, or anywhere where it might be identifiable as you or publicly before the reveals date.

[(Anonymous)]

A question - it says here that "All deadlines are at 11:59pm EST" but on the AO3 collection it says works are revealed at 6 a.m. EST on the 14th. Which is correct?

[chocolateboxmod]

The one on AO3 is the correct one, though naturally it may be pushed back depending on pinch hits. Thanks for letting us know, we are fixing the post here!

[(Anonymous)]

Hello, I've sent you an email earlier today (about DNW amendment), I wanted make sure it didn't get lost? Please let me know if I need to send it again? <3

[chocolateboxmod]

We have it.

[(Anonymous)]

Hi there! so, i've noticed that there's a link going around with a treatless database, is that an official chocolate box thing? (i'm asking because i haven't seen it here on the DW blog). I hope it's the real thing, because it's a cool idea! If so, could you guys maybe make a post here on DW, so others can treat people who don't have a gift? thank you!

[(Anonymous)]

It's here
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1bOyrtVm3E0w9Q1oRvxYfvGokHPSG3EZGWD7DaUZymDU/edit#gid=0

[(Anonymous)]

hello mods! the ao3 faq has author reveals on the 19th and the 21st (both dates, which is confusing?) and here you mention the 21st. it's not that important, i guess, but i wanted to check! ;) thanks for all the hard work!!

[chocolateboxmod]

It'll be the 21st.

[eratoschild]

Hello, I was wondering what is going on with the story reveals since it’s well past 6am eastern and everything still shows as hidden, to me at least?

Thanks!

[chocolateboxmod]

The reveal of the collection will be delayed! We still have one pinch hit outstanding, and so the collection will remain closed until 11:59pm EST to allow the pinch hitter time to complete the gift.

[narya_flame]

Will the event be running in 2020?

[silex]

Looks like it! I've been checking regularly and the schedule post just updated today.

[redrikki]

I'm trying to locate the rules and posting guidelines for this exchange and failing. Could you please point me in the right direction?

[gloss]

I was just coming here to say this.

[tally]

Hello! Just wanted to put something forth for consideration. This year Trick or Treat added a really useful option where people could tick a box to indicate they were okay with receiving treats not in the medium they requested. So like people who only requested fic could indicate in the sign up that it was okay to draw treats for them. It made treating artwork so much easier!

So anyway as someone who likes to draw treats, I'd love to see something like that in Chocolate Box sometime. Okay, thanks for reading, bye!

[ashling]

I think Little Woman (2019) should be merged into Little Women (2019)

[thecatmod]

And it was by the lovely chocolateboxmod - thanks!

[ashling]

Cassie Maddox/Rob Ryan (Dublin Murder - French) is the same as Cassie Maddox/Rob Ryan (Dublin Murder Squad)

I nommed Cassie Maddox/Rob Ryan (Dublin Murder - French) please delete it

Also Grace Corrigan | Lexie Madison (Dublin Murder Squad)
Is one character not a relationship (for reference: https://archiveofourown.org/tags/Lexie%20Madison%20%7C%20Grace%20Corrigan )

[thecatmod]

Should be fixed now! Thanks.

[cat_i_th_adage]

Sorry to bother you, but what's the minimum wordcount? I can't find it written down anywhere (if my eyes have been skippin past it I apologise) and I don't want to disappoint my recip.

[chocolateboxmod]

The minimum is 300 words.

Gifts to the collection

[glassesofjustice]

If a treat has morphed into not exactly what the recipient requested, can we gift it to the collection (post without a recipient)?

Thanks for all your hard work mod!

Re: Gifts to the collection

[chocolateboxmod]

We would prefer it that gifts were made to individual people.