Secret Santa 2004!

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:11 am

Bejesus, I've already been sent something! Damn, that was fast!

Ferguson · Post by **Ferguson** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:41 am

Premature Secret Santa?
Someone was sure anxious.

Sam_Charette · Post by **Sam_Charette** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 8:44 am

Komiyan wrote:Bejesus, I've already been sent something! Damn, that was fast!

Are you gonna share it with us?

Kevin Wolf · Post by **Kevin Wolf** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:23 am

I think that's against the rules.

Ferguson · Post by **Ferguson** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 10:24 am

So is sending it early.

Orion · Post by **Orion** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 11:25 am

you're such an awful awful person komiyan.

I wish I got my secret santa early....

Godoftarot · Post by **Godoftarot** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 1:16 pm

Actually, I don't think sending it out early is against the rules. The e-mail says BY the 22nd. I didn't see anywhere that it said you couldn't send it earlier if you wanted.

Litazia Tanxashira · Post by **Litazia Tanxashira** » Wed Dec 08, 2004 5:27 pm

Heya folks, I've been pointed out to this thread (told you, I'm no Keenspace regular

), so I'd thought I'd address a few points:

- If you haven't gotten your assignment yet: Send me an email at: liz AT litazia DOT com with "Secret Santa" in your subject. Be sure to mention what your comic is!

- The page limit: This was a rule instituted because of what happened last year. There were MANY new comics that joined up, one, I believe had TWO pages :shock: Naturally, the people who got them were, ah, less than pleased. Especially if it was a story comic: what do you *do* for two pages? So, the limit of twenty (suggested by MANY participants) was instituted... though I was rather forgiving if you had 15, particularly the last day I was adding things

- Art style griping: Err... well, I never specified what kind of comics *were* allowed. Photo and MS Paint weren't explicitly denied... (And I had a sprite comic author complaining that I banned sprite comics this year, on the basis that he participated last year and he should still be allowed....) It's not a loop hole, I just didn't include them. How many were there going to be?!

- Art style selection: Errr again... I know this has been requested in the past. I can understand the desire to want to get a comic in a style similar to yours. But... I don't know. To me, it doesn't encourage the artist to be creative, or to try a comic outside of their particular tastes. (The flip side is, do you *only* want people of your art style to give you stuff? You're consistent if you do, I'll give you credit for that, but if you don't... a little one-sided, no?)

Let's face it: This is a crapshoot. You're going in, knowing who the other participants are (thanks to the handy-dandy list of them), and you're crossing your fingers, hoping you get something good. If you do, bonus! If you don't, well, that's life. Do your best. I'll be quite honest in saying that the last two years I've done this, I've gotten comics I was less than enthused by, but damned if I didn't do a good job for them. And I'd still participate anyway, even if I wasn't the administrator. That's the fun in all of this.

- Update requirement: Jim hit it right on the head. But you guys wanna feel better about that?

I found out I let in a comic that hadn't updated in MONTHS.

How did I find out?

Guess which comic was assigned to me.

Don't mind me stewing in silence...

It was my mistake (I added it right before I ran the distribution script), but even so, I'm annoyed. Especially since I got a fair number of people who didn't read the rules...

But yeah. Overall, I DON'T want to seem like I'm lecturing people. I really do value user input and suggestions. I want to make the Secret Santa better. The current rules are based on what happened last year. I'm sure that next year, we'll have rules based on what happens this year. But the only way I can do that is by learning what worked and what didn't... and that's where you, the participants, come in.

And no, I don't write form posts, this came out of the blue

(BTW, to get my attention on this, you might find it easier to post in the Secret Santa's dedicated forum, I hardly come by this place

)

Komiyan · Post by **Komiyan** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 12:51 am

As far as I know, since he/she used an anonymous email to send me my shiney, it's ok. So I don't know who they are yet, or anything, I just have a picture. Clearly, I am incredibly inspiring! Hoorah!

Godoftarot · Post by **Godoftarot** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 5:40 am

Litazia Tanxashira wrote: - Art style selection: Errr again... I know this has been requested in the past. I can understand the desire to want to get a comic in a style similar to yours. But... I don't know. To me, it doesn't encourage the artist to be creative, or to try a comic outside of their particular tastes. (The flip side is, do you *only* want people of your art style to give you stuff? You're consistent if you do, I'll give you credit for that, but if you don't... a little one-sided, no?)

I don't think what people wanted was to be able to select the art style so much as the genre. And there's a big difference.
You see, because I ended up with a genre I'm not at all fond of, I simply cannot appreciate the comic. This makes it that much harder to find the inspiration to draw something. However, unless we don't want to be able to participate next year, we have to find a way to come up with something. No one likes having to force oneself into drawing something.
Another thing is that because of the particular type of genre mine is, I'm rather offended by certain points of the so-called sense of humor. Making it even harder to draw something for the comic.
I don't mind if the art style is different from mine, not in the least (although I admit I'd be somewhat at a loss if the characters were all strange looking creatures, but I'd make the attempt). And I don't mind doing different genres from mine, either. There are simply some genres in particular that people find nerve-grating. Of course, everybody's pet peeve is different, so I doubt anyone would really get left out.
In conclusion, it would be very nice next year if there was at least the option to strike off one genre you simply can't stand. So people would still end up with different art styles and genres, but not that one that makes them want to disembowel themselves.

Phalanx · Post by **Phalanx** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:39 am

godoftarot wrote:You see, because I ended up with a genre I'm not at all fond of, I simply cannot appreciate the comic. This makes it that much harder to find the inspiration to draw something. However, unless we don't want to be able to participate next year, we have to find a way to come up with something. No one likes having to force oneself into drawing something.

Ah, but the whole point of this kind of secret santa thing is that it's a gamble! If you separated the genres, that kind of defeats the purpose of the mix-and-match.

It sucks when you get a comic you absolutely don't like (I'll admit I got that), but why not use that a basis for your inspiration on drawing something for the secret santa?

What you could do:

1) Out-creator the Creator: List what you don't like about the genre, and do a version of their comic with the 'don't likes' corrected, as in how YOU would have done it. A parody works as well.

2) Genre switch: Do the equivalent of their comic in another genre. For example, if it's a gamer comic about two kids who sit around and talk about video games all day, and you HATE the genre, you could do the same two kids in a fantasy setting, sitting around and talking about swords and tournaments and dragons all day. Or two undead sitting around talking about how braaaaains taste all day... well you get the idea.

3) Character displacement: Dress the comic characters up as something else, perhaps something famous. Since it's christmas, the easiest thing would be just putting them in santa costumes or having them sitting around celebrating christmas (ie setting up a three, having christmas dinner, setting themselves on fire etc...)

Most of all, make the best of things. Take it as a challenge instead of a mistake, and you'll find you'll get more fun out of it.

Vorticus · Post by **Vorticus** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:49 am

There's also the trouble of dividing up the genres. Who decides what goes into which genre? Some comics are really obvious, but others aren't. Make the genre definitions small enough so people can avoid what they want and you might have genres with only a handful of comics. Generalize the genres so that they all have more comics and avoiding a certain genre becomes difficult.
I'm just happy that liz is taking the time to do this for everyone.

Luprand · Post by **Luprand** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:28 pm

Phalanx wrote:Since it's christmas, the easiest thing would be just putting them in santa costumes or having them sitting around celebrating christmas (ie setting up a three...)

I dunno about anyone else, but I sure love setting up a Christmas three!

--Sij

Mooman · Post by **Mooman** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:30 pm

Ba-dum chish!!

Luprand · Post by **Luprand** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:38 pm

*exults* I made it past comedy trombone!

--Sij

Mooman · Post by **Mooman** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 3:40 pm

Unfortunately for you, it's a downward spiral.

MaxRadical · Post by **MaxRadical** » Thu Dec 09, 2004 7:44 pm

Gotta say, the Christmas Three was laugh out loud funny. Good work.

McDuffies · Post by **McDuffies** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 3:20 am

Ferguson wrote: Premature Secret Santa?
Someone was sure anxious.

Huh huh huh he said premature

Phalanx · Post by **Phalanx** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 5:10 am

Luprand wrote:
Phalanx wrote:Since it's christmas, the easiest thing would be just putting them in santa costumes or having them sitting around celebrating christmas (ie setting up a three...)
I dunno about anyone else, but I sure love setting up a Christmas three!

--Sij

Point, set and match to Luprand! Well spotted.

At least I didn't type threesome or something...

Faceless · Post by **Faceless** » Fri Dec 10, 2004 11:53 am

I missed it last year, I missed it this year. Anyone want to remind me next year? With a giant frying pan to the head maybe?

*bangs head against desk*