Seeing Color Exchange

Rules (The Short Version)

• Don't wank in exchange spaces
• Your gift must fulfil the minimum requirements (1000 words or clean lineart with basic shading/coloring) and must not contain your recipient's DNWs.
• For RPF of living people people, there are two rules: no people under 18, and no non-famous relatives.
• Guidelines don't have to be strictly followed; they're only guidelines. All I ask is that you keep to the spirit of the fest, which is to celebrate chromatic characters.
• Play nice.

Exchange Guidelines

(Please note that these guidelines are just that; guidelines. They're not be all, end-all rules, only guidelines for those who want them, and if you consider a character chromatic, I won't quibble. I've used 'allowed' and 'count' in places because verbal gymnastics would defeat the point of an easy-to-read FAQ, but please do note that they're not intended only intended to be taken as guidelines you may or may not want to use.)

What is Seeing Color?
Seeing Color is a gift exchange celebrating chromatic characters.

Who do you consider chromatic characters?
For this exchange, Asian and African characters, or characters of that descent; Latin@ characters; and characters of non-European indigenous ethnicities (or descendants of those ethnic groups).

Are Japanese characters from a canon set in Japan, Nigerian characters from a canon set in Nigeria, etc. allowed?
Yes.

Are fantasy/sci-fi races allowed?
I'll be deciding on a case-by-case basis. (For example, in Star Wars, Adi Gallia, a Tholothian, would be allowed, but Ahsoka Tano, a Togruta, wouldn't.) Canonically minor ethnic sub-groups played by white actors won't be eligible. I won't police this, though; if you're unsure of whether a race is eligible, leave a comment or email me.

Are non-chromatic characters played by chromatic actors allowed?
I will decide on a case-by-case basis, but, in general, no.

What about non-chromatic characters raised in chromatic cultures/families? Are they allowed?
For this exchange, no.

Do chromatic animated characters from a fantasy world count?
Yes.

Are non-chromatic animated characters played by chromatic voice actors allowed?
No.

What about characters who are canonically shown as a chromatic human in an episode?
Again, this is up to you. In general, one episode won't count, several may, and the majority of episodes will. However, it might be a good idea to include, in your optional details, that you only wish to see the version of the character depicted in these episodes.

What's the verdict on characters from fantasy worlds who are depicted as light-skinned (and so are other characters) but there's Word of God implying that if they were in our world, they'd be regarded as chromatic?
This is up to you. Rule of thumb is that, Word of God implying probably wouldn't count, but Word of God saying would.

What about characters who are non-chromatic and played by chromatic actors?
In general, character>actor.

If I'm nominating a group, is it OK to include non-chromatic characters?
Interracial relationships are very welcome; that being said, the 'group' function is there to facilitate AND matching while using the OR format. Groups are of characters you'd like to see together, but not in any specific manner. Any relationships would be better off being included in the optional details.

What if I'm not sure whether my character qualifies?
If you think they qualify, then I won't quibble. That said, if you have any doubts/clarifications, leave a comment or email me.

Is RPF allowed?
Yes. Please don't nominate anyone under the age of 18 who's currently alive, and please don't nominate living non-famous relatives and friends; other than that, the field is wide open.

Does my work have to focus on the character's identity, or is it anything goes as long as it features chromatic characters?
Anything goes!

How do you decide which characters are chromatic?
There's a definition above, but it's not the be-all end-all of decisions; it's up to you whether the character is chromatic or not. I will take it on good faith that characters have been nominated in the spirit of the guidelines and won't be policing nominations. If a character is very obviously white, I will be rejecting them; otherwise, it's up to you. Please do try to keep to the spirit of the fest, and if a non-chromatic character has been nominated, don't offer/request them.

Who decides whether characters are chromatic? Who decides whether gifts are racist?
I (the mod) do. However, I will only reject blatantly rule-breaking nominations and submissions; I will not be policing the fest for what is acceptable and what is not, and I ask the same courtesy of participants.

I am assuming that you participate in this fest in good faith; only nominate, offer and request characters you consider chromatic. If you don't want a fic/art element, please put it in your DNWs. Please don't attempt to police other participants' submissions. (Constructive criticism is fine; flaming and harassment isn't.)

Nominations


Tutorial

How many characters and fandoms can I nominate?
You can nominate up to 5 fandoms, with 5 characters each (a total of 25 characters).

How do I nominate large fandoms with a lot of subfandoms?
I will not be accepting All Media Types fandoms. AMT fandoms are difficult in an exchange with fuzzy parameters (for example, movie and book depictions of characters could vary wildly, with one version of the character qualifying and the other not) except in specific cases (ask if you're not sure), so please nominate characters under subfandoms. It's a lot less work for me, and much less of a headache come signups, when people are confused over which version of the character is in the tagset.

How do I nominate groups?
The format is “group: Character A & Character B”. The ampersand will be used for characters you want to see together, but not necessarily in any sort of relationship.

Can I nominate groups of more than two characters?
Yes. Groups of up to (and including) five characters can be nominated.

Can I nominate crossover groups?
Yes. Crossover groups must be nominated under 'Crossover – Fandom' and must be in the format “group: Character A (Fandom X) & Character B (Fandom Y)”.

Can I nominate Original Works?
At present, no.

Sign Ups

What's the minimum amount of fandoms I can offer?
You may offer 4-10 fandoms, with 1-10 (or Any) characters per fandom.

What's the minimum amount of fandoms I can request?
You may offer 3-10 fandoms, with 1-10 (or Any) characters per fandom.

Can I offer/request a fandom more than once?
Yes. However, you must offer at least 4 and request 3 unique fandoms. 'Unique fandoms' here refers to fandoms grouped separately in the tagset. For example, Star Wars - The Clone Wars, The Force Awakens, and Star Wars Original Trilogy would meet the minimum request requirements, but Star Wars Original Trilogy, The Force Awakens, and The Force Awakens wouldn't.

What's the deal with 'categories'?
You may request F/F, M/M, F/M, gen, multi, or other as relationships. You may split characters in fandoms into several groups based on what category you want, but you must meet the minimum fandom requirements.

What does 'any' mean?
It means you are offering or requesting any character in the tagset of that particular fandom.

What do I put in the optional details field?
You may leave it blank, but I strongly recommend that, at minimum, you include what you don't want to see (DNWs). General likes, dislikes, and prompts are better than a specific description of the fic you want. If you request art, please remember to include at least one art-specific prompt per character. (For example, 'I don't want PWPs or AUs other than canon divergence, and I like hurt/comfort, soulmate AUs, and angst. I'd like to see Character A in relationship A/B, and/or in a story related to their job' or 'my DNWs are gore, violence, and dubcon, and I adore fluff and romance. I'd love to see character A and character B holding hands, or on a date, or both.') If you have a lot to say, I recommend that you link to a letter on your journal.

I'd like to request art, but I don't know how to write art prompts. Help!
This tutorial may help you. Skip to the 'Various Art Questions Section'. If you have any further questions, please do post a comment. Mod is not a very good artist, which is why I ask that you don't message or email me (anonymous commenting is open) but I can help you to someone who can answer your question.

What if no-one offers what I request?
Then you'll go on the pinch hit list and someone will claim your prompts.

What if I'm unmatchable?
I'll contact you; no answer within 48 hours results in defaulting. Please contact me beforehand if you'll be unavailable during the matching period, and we may be able to work something out.

Creating

I haven't offered any of the fandoms on my recipient's requests!
Please contact me ASAP.

I'm an author; how can I find a beta?
A beta post will go up after sign ups close.

Is a beta required?
No, but I do strongly encourage finding someone to read through your fic. Stories with excessive spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors will not be accepted.

I'm an artist; does the anon period apply to me too?
Your work will be anonymous, but you may watermark your image if you want to. (Even if you choose to remain anonymous, it's probably a good idea to add a watermark of some sort.)

Can I gift a fic/artwork I've posted before?
No.

Can I gift a fic/artwork that's part of a series?
Yes, but I recommend that you don't add it to the series on AO3 until the anonymous period is over.

Can I crosspost my work?
During the anonymous period, no. After author reveals, by all means yes!

Defaulting, Extensions, Pinch Hits and Treats

I signed up, and I realized that I can't meet the deadline. I need a couple of more days. Help!
Contact me before the deadline, and I'll give you an extension.

I need an extension for my extension.
Please try to estimate the amount of time you need on the first try! I will try to extend an extension the first time 'round, but an extension for the extension of your extension is not feasible. Please default as soon as possible so that I can find pinch hints.

How long can you give me as an extension?
At the most, up to 4 days before the reveals date, but the sooner the better.

I don't think I can finish my assignment. What should I do?
Hit the default button and/or contact me ASAP.

Are there any penalties for defaulting?
For now, no.

How do pinch hits go out?
Pinch hits will go out on the comm, where they will be claimed on a first-come-first-serve basis.

How do I claim a pinch hit?
Either leave a comment with your AO3 name, email, and pinch hit number (comments will be screened) or send me an email.

Can I write/draw treats?
Of course! Treats are more than welcome.

...But what are treats?
Strories/artworks created in addition to your main assignment, for any recipient.

Is there a minimum requirement for treating?
No.

I've handed in a gift, but my recipient has gone out for post-deadline pinch hits.
If your gift is empty, an obvious placeholder, or doesn't meet the exchange requirements, you will be defaulted automatically. If not, contact me ASAP.

Gifts

What if I don't receive a gift?
If you've defaulted and your writer/artist has defaulted, you won't go on the pinch hit list. Otherwise, contact me ASAP.

What if my gift includes one or more of my DNWs?
Contact me, and I'll deal with it.

What if someone draws art/writes fic that is (considered to be) racist?
I will be going through entries before reveals and will hopefully catch blatant trolls. If something slips through the net, please contact me. What blatant trolling is will be decided on a case-by-case basis, but my rule of thumb is that if the entire work is focused on disparaging/demeaning the character based on their race.

What will you do in that case?
Pre-reveals, I'll contact the gifter, and if they don't reply within 48 hours, put the recip out for pinch hits. Post-reveals, I will decide on a case-by-case basis.

What if someone gives me a gift I consider racist?
Contact me ASAP. Please note, however, that I will only deal with blatant trolling, as defined above. If there are tropes/elements you don't want to see, please include them in your DNWs.

If I think the gift I'm given is racist, can I demand that the writer/artist change the racist elements?
No. The only way an exchange of this sort can be run is if we don't create drama. Polite, constructive criticism is one thing, but please don't harass your writer/artist. Play nice.

Other

What are the minimum requirements?
1000 words or clean lineart with basic shading/coloring.

This fest sounds very US-centric.
That's because, by its very nature, it is. I'm not very happy about it, but what is, is.

What if someone breaks the rules? Can I call them out?
No. Contact me, and I'll deal with it.

Do I need a Dreamwidth account to participate?
No.

Do I need an AO3 account to participate?
Yes. If you don't have one, please email me ASAP. You could also join the invitation queue, but as it's currently three days long (the amount of time it took me to get my AO3 mod account), you'd be better off emailing me, especially near the end of nominations or signups.

This FAQ doesn't answer my questions.
This FAQ for AO3 participants might help. If that doesn't work, contact me; I'll be happy to help.

How do I contact you?
Leave a comment, or message me, or email me at seeingcolormod@gmail.com.