Secret Samol
| Gift Exchange | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Secret Samol |
| Abbreviation: | SecSam |
| Date(s): | 2016 - present |
| Runs: | December - January |
| Moderator(s): | dancynrew, hellavarawr, imperialhare, oziads |
| Type: | character matching, ship matching, "OR" matching |
| Fandom: | Friends at the Table |
| URL: | Cohost, Tumblr, Twitter, Carrd |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Secret Samol is an annual Friends at the Table fanworks exchange most recently hosted by dancynrew, hellavarawr, imperialhare, and oziads.[1] It runs in the northern hemisphere's winter, typically through December and January, and was in its eight year in 2023.[2] All types of fanworks are welcomed, including physical gifts as long as they can be presented digitally for other fans besides the recipient to view and enjoy.[3]
Apart from the 2018 and 2019 rounds, Secret Samol is not AO3-based: participants sign up by submitting a form created by the organizers, and the organizers handmatch participants. While some participants do continue to post the gifts they create to AO3, it is not a requirement and many participants do not do so.
The exchange's name is a play on Secret Santa with reference to the Friends at the Table character Samol.
Rules
- Fic (prose) should be ~1000 words minimum.
- Visual artwork should be of a reasonable size and image quality. Make something that you would be pleased to receive as a gift!
- Other fanwork mediums are welcome and encouraged (e.g. music, textile art, games)!
Some examples from past years include: songs that were custom written and recorded for the recipient, metal sculpture, cross-stitch, jewelry, cookies, and a page from Bluff City’s Alexa Baker’s recipe blog.
If the gift is a physical object, it must be PRESENTED digitally so that it can be uploaded online and viewed by other fans. (Consider how you might format your art to be included in a digital zine alongside illustration and writing!) As with drawn artwork, make something that you would be pleased to receive as a gift.- Rating: Secret Samol is a safe for work exchange. Make sure to warn for sensitive content appropriately. If you use AO3, please use appropriate tags and make sure your gift is rated G or T.
- Content warnings are necessary even if the sensitive content is part of the source material. For example, prison slavery is a focus in the first half of Partizan, and racism is a recurring theme across multiple seasons of FATT. Content like this needs to be warned for if your work touches on it.
- Depicting characters: Friends at the Table has a diverse range of characters and we ask that participants be attentive to depictions of race for characters of color in any medium and avoid whitewashing. fatt.wiki and Transcripts at the Table are good resources for canon character descriptions.
- Secret Samol is not intended for exchange of physical gifts. The work you make is a gift for your assignee, but it is also a fanwork intended for public view from the fandom at large.
- Secret Samol is meant to be a fun and inclusive event for the fandom. Individuals who we are aware have participated in discriminatory or abusive behavior will not be allowed to participate, at the discretion of the moderators. Any participants requesting or creating discriminatory or abusive content in the exchange will be immediately removed.[3]
The rule prohibiting discriminatory behaviour was added in 2019[4] and the rule about character depictions and whitewashing was added in 2023.[5]
History
This article or section needs expansion. |
2016
2017
2018
The 2018 round was hosted by imperialhare, keeshkid, and elestaus, with art provided by ootron.[6] Signups took place through AO3, where 122 people signed up and 120 works were posted to the 2018 AO3 collection.[7]
Unlike preceding and subsequent years, only fanfic and (drawn) fanart were accepted in 2019; non-conventional fanworks were not.[8]
2019
Organizers for the 2019 round were imperialhare,[9] hellavarawr, keeshkid, and sokratesnikon.[10] Signups took place through AO3, where 131 people signed up[11] and 132 works were posted to the 2019 AO3 collection.[9] A Google spreadsheet was provided that tallied up the number of requests for each character and ship. Hella Varal was 2019's most-requested character and Hella/Adaire/Adelaide the year's most-requested ship.[11]
2020
The 2020 round had 117 signups.[12] Airtable lists were provided to show fans how many requests each ship and character had received for the year. Cassander Timaeus Berenice and Aria Joie were tied for the year's most popular characters,[13] and for the second year in a row, Hella/Adaire/Adelaide was the most popular ship.[14]
The organizers initially planned to run the 2020 round on AO3, as they had in 2018-2019, but in light of the 2020 OTW and AO3 racism discussion they chose to shift to a signup form hosted on Airtable with assignment handmatching so that all fans could feel comfortable participating.[15]
2021
In 2021, 92 participants signed up.[16] The most requested character was Pickman and the most requested ship was Balence.[17]
2022
The 2022 round was hosted by dancynrew, imperialhare, and oziads,[18] with art provided by Finn J. Carey.[19] 155 participants signed up[20] and the most requested characters and ships were again, respectively, Pickman and Balence.[17]
A Pokémon-based fangame created for the round by mousewifegames as a gift for Elenor_Einhorn,[21] Princéton: Bluff Version,[22] was played and streamed by three Friends at the Table cast members on the show's official Twitch channel a few days after it was posted.[23]
2023
The 2023 round was hosted by dancynrew, imperialhare, oziads, and hellavarawr.[1] 170 participants signed up.[24] Kalvin Brnine was the round's most-requested character, and Balence and Brnine/Gucci tied for most-requested ship.[25]
Exchange Banners
Secret Samol 2018 banner by ootron
Secret Samol 2019 banner by dancynrew
Secret Samol 2020 banner by dancynrew
Secret Samol 2021 banner by dancynrew
Secret Samol 2022 banner by Finn J. Carey
Secret Samol 2023 banner by dancynrew
References
- ^ a b Secret Samol Twitter bio: Organized by @dancynrew, @imperialhare, @oziads, and @hellavarawr! Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ Secret Samol Carrd: Secret Samol 2023: The 8th annual Friends at the Table Holiday Art Exchange. Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ a b Secret Samol Carrd: Rules. Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Jan 19, 2020): We have removed a participant for discriminatory behaviour, and have updated the rules to make clear that this won’t be tolerated in the future. Additionally, participants requesting or creating discriminatory or abusive content in the exchange will also be immediately banned. (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ Secret Samol Tumblr post: We have added to the rules... Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ Secret Samol Twitter bio (archived May 13, 2019): Organized by @imperialhare, @keeshkid, and @elestaus! Artwork by @ootron
- ^ Secret Samol 2018 AO3 collection. Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ Secret Samol 2019 INFO: After only accepting fanfic and (drawn) fanart last year, we are experimenting with allowing non-conventional fanwork again this year (e.g. music, textile art, games). Google Doc. Accessed Nov 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ a b Secret Samol 2019 AO3 collection. Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Nov 23, 2019): We're almost ready to send out assignments for this year's Secret Samol! Huge shoutouts to our mods for this year, @hellavarawr, @quichekid, and late arrival @sokratesnikon for all the work they did to get everyone matched up! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ a b @secretsamol (Nov 24, 2019): Hella/Adaire/Adelaide was our most requested ship and Hella Varal the most requested character! There were 164 distinct characters requested and 90 distinct ships across 131 sign-ups! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Nov 29, 2020): Finishing in at 117 signups! Thank you all so much for your submissions, the mods will begin matching tomorrow!! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ Airtable chart (archive link)
- ^ Airtable chart (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Nov 13, 2020): Hello everyone! Apologies for the last minute announcement but with the recent discussions wrt Ao3, we have decided to push the SecSam dates back a week to see if there is a viable alternative that would allow everyone to participate comfortably. Thank you for your patience! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Nov 28, 2021): Sign-ups closed with 92 people participating! Thank you everyone! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ a b @secretsamol (Dec 4, 2022): Pickman and Balence hold their titles as most requested character and most requested ship two years in a row! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ Secret Samol Twitter bio (archived May 7, 2023): Organized by @dancynrew, @imperialhare, and @oziads!
- ^ Secret Samol 2022 AO3 collection: Our icon features art by @amaranthsynth. Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Dec 4, 2022): With 155 participants this is the biggest Secret Samol exchange ever!! (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ @mousewifegames (Jan 29, 2023): AMERICA'S PLAYGROUND changed everything, so for #secretsamol this year I couldn't help make a whole dang video game for @Elenor_einhorn! (Tweet) (archive link)
- ^ mousewifegames on itch.io: Princeton: Bluff Version Accessed November 12, 2023. (archive link)
- ^ @friends_table (Feb 1, 2023): Tonight we're going to be streaming this #secretsamol Bluff City pokemon hack! 5:30 Eastern http://twitch.tv/FriendsattheTable Come join @atebbel @notquitereal and @KeithJCarberry on a trip back to the Kingfish Pier (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ @secretsamol (Nov 13, 2023): Actual final count is 170(!!!!!!!!!) (Tweet). (archive link)
- ^ secret-samol Tumblr post (Nov 13, 2023): Drumroll Please…..🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁🥁 (archive link)