Congrats and thank you...

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Congrats to everyone, and thanks for participating!

I just wanted to echo busaikko and say THANK YOU to everyone for taking part over these past few weeks. I've had enormous fun watching this exchange come together and wanted to offer a little something in return. I don't have busaikko's talent for expressionist crayon, though, so I come with some stats, instead.



Totals
Gifts: 60
Fic: 48
Art: 12

Yay, us! When busaikko first suggested this exchange, we were looking for 14 or 21 gifts, to post the week between Christmas and New Year's. With sixty gifts, we were able to celebrate Hanukkah, winter solstice, the Emperor's Birthday, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year's, and the return of the 100th US Congress.

Total comments left on all gifts, as of Sunday, January 7, around noon EST: 1,730

I thought this was pretty amazing. I wonder if the non-anonymous nature of the exchange had something to do with it? (A confession: I like commenting when I know the writer or artist. Even if I don't know the writer or artists. Personally, that is. You know what I mean.) Incidentally, we like art, or at least we like commenting on it: art gifts were among the most commented-upon posts.

Ratings (fic)
G: 4
PG: 16
PG-13: 14
R: 10
NC-17: 2

Perhaps were were busy getting our porn at the other exchanges?

Ratings (art)
G: 8
PG: 2
PG-13: 1
R: 0
NC-17: 1

Definitely. Although, this raises another issue: without any guidelines, we rated our stories very differently. (It's fairly clear what merits NC-17, but what to rate a fic that simply alludes to sex? Or one that mentions it but only in passing? What rating to give a fic that includes expletives?) Art seems to be more straightforward that way. A tangent: what to say about our smoking fetish? Like jamesly, we seem to believe that cigarettes will kill you, but they're awfully interesting anyway.

Era (fic and art, only where a summary was given):
Hogwarts: 9
Post-Hogwarts: 20
Lost years: 1
PoA/GoF/OotP: 5
AU: 2
Multi-era: 5

Aha! And here I thought we'd see a lot of Hogwarts-era fic and art. Post-Hogwarts, pre-Azakaban carried the day. Much admiration for passakiss, the brave soul who took on the lost years. The two AUs were both nineteenth century, something I don't think I'd seen before but liked (it makes a lot of sense, given what we see in canon).

Again, a congratulations to all for your amazing art and stories. *raises glass to toast*

Maggie

Comments

[cathybites.livejournal.com]

Many thanks to the both of you for putting this together! I had fun with it and I loved my gift so much. What do you think the chances are for doing this again?

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

And many thanks to you for participating! Even if Busaikko and I aren't around, I hope this exchange runs next year--I loved the informality of it. (I'm a little intimidated by the anonymous fests with novel-length submissions.) *ponders* Perhaps we should leave an e-mail address on the userinfo page, just in case. Thanks for pointing that out. It's been great to get to know you a bit, by the way. Maggie

[medicinal-mirth.livejournal.com]

This was a lovely exchange. Thank you for all the work and heart you both put into it. :D

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Thank you, N! Maggie

[secretsolitaire.livejournal.com]

Thanks again to both of you! I really enjoyed reading and commenting. :-D

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. And thanks to you for your comments! Maggie

[aopt.livejournal.com]

I wish I'd heard about this sooner so I could have joined, but I really enjoyed reading everyone's entries. Will this happen again next year?

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

I certainly hope so! Thanks for reading, too. I was amazed at how many comments came in to this relatively small exchange, and I know we all really appreciated them. Maggie

[aopt.livejournal.com]

oh, good! I will be sure to come back next year, then!

[passakiss.livejournal.com]

Wow. I didn't even notice that. x) Haha. Sorry if I made things too gloomy!

But I really, REALLY appreciated you and busaikko taking so much time to make this community work. This was my first real…project (I guess you call it?) on livejournal, and this has definitely encouraged me to write more and try to get involved in my favourite fandom!

I'll be looking for more from you and the other amazing people I've met here. =) If you ever need help with getting a community started (not that I can imagine you would) or with anything else in the future, I'd be glad to help out!

Thanks again! <33

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Really, your first? And you did two stories, as well. I'm quite impressed. I hope you keep writing! Maggie
P.S. Not gloomy, at all, but I know I avoid that era out of completely inability to deal with it... *sigh* I'm not sure if I left a comment (sometimes I read very quickly) but I enjoyed what you did with it.

[remeciel.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for creating this community. The drawing I made thanks to your prompt was one of the best ever - as for me, at least. :)
*hugs*

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Keep drawing! *hugs* Maggie

[paulamcg.livejournal.com]

Thank you – you and busaikko – so much for arranging this. I was surprised how many stories I found here to enjoy and comment on. Now I can see that the low ratings dominated. I hardly ever comment or read at all, if the writer is anonymous. And I suppose fanart gets easily more comments because it takes less time to receive. But do I sense some bias here… Celebration of Iid al Adha wasn’t included? And do you really avoid the lost years? In any case, perhaps I could consider participating, if I could trust that the next R/S holiday exchange looks as wonderful as this one.

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Aha! I had to look up Eid-al-Adha. (In the US, the post office sells several different types of stamps at this time of year: winter/snowflakes, secular Christmas, religious Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Eid. I'd only heard of Ei-al-Fitr before, so this confused me, since it's long past.) Shall add. I'm glad you enjoyed the stories. And you could definitely do it next year. Maggie

[glass-icarus.livejournal.com]

thanks so much to both of you! :D *hugs* i have to say, i loved all the prompts that were inspired by this exchange, but yours was a particular favorite! (mmm, travel...) &hearts

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Thanks again for your train!fic! (I love travel, too.) Maggie

[kittehkat.livejournal.com]

I feel like such a deviant, having created the only adult art piece. >.>

Anyhow, thanks so much! You were fantastic! I'm really amazed how well this went and how much fun it seems we all had! :)

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Hee! But deviant's a good thing, right? Thanks again for participating! Maggie

[azureflight.livejournal.com]

Thank you both for arranging this. I was rather disappointed when I thought there wouldn't be an R/S holiday exchange, but then you two stepped up and saved the day. Thanks for making everything so clear, not to mention inclusive; this was my first time participating in an exchange, and you made the experience a great one. :)

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

My first time, too! Glad you enjoyed! Maggie

[jamesly.livejournal.com]

Haha, I'm so glad everyone's fascinated by smoking. I certainly am.

And thank you guys so much for organizing this! It was an awesome gift exchange to participate in - I wish there were more of these kinds of things during the rest of the year, because it's so great to see what everyone can do. :)

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

because it's so great to see what everyone can do

It is, isn't it? Thanks again for participating! Maggie

[morwen-eleriel.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much for you two for arranging it, and to everyone who participated! It was so much fun to see my f-list full of R/S stories for the whole month, especially when one was written for me.

Pah, I usually write Lost Years era fics. If I would have known only one person had written one, I would have written one as well...but oh well, there's always next time.

Hmm, since we did this one for the winter solstice, perhaps we could do one for the summer solstice? *eyetwitch*

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Hmm, since we did this one for the winter solstice, perhaps we could do one for the summer solstice? *eyetwitch* Aha, not a bad idea at all... *intrigued* Maggie

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

Argh, what happened there? Anyways, thanks again! Maggie

[liseuse.livejournal.com]

So many thanks for arranging this! And I really hope it's around next year. I may even attempt a Lost Years fic.

[magnetic-pole.livejournal.com]

I may even attempt a Lost Years fic. Hmmmmm? Thanks again, sweetie! Maggie