Notice: We don't have enough participation this year to go through with this idea, but feel free to chime in if you'd like to play a game together!

PHASE 1– Holiday Activities 2024 
Hi friends! Welcome to the forum’s 2024 holiday activities announcement. I would say I’m Galaxian, but you all know who I am. I will be the organizer for this event. 

This year’s event will be a holiday bingo board, and the spectacle will be divided into two phases:1) Planning & Layout, and 2) Creation & Submissions. In Phase 1, we will go over the usual, like who is able to participate, how much time we generally have available and are likely able to contribute, and any adjustments to the event format/rules/etc. as needed. In addition to introducing the event, I will also use this period to take suggestions from you to create the board’s prompts. Afterwards, Phase 2 will be used to create the actual material of this event and put in submissions (possibly during a specific timeframe). 
As usual, “holidays” refers to anything celebrated around this time period, including New Year’s and even a late Thanksgiving if you guys would like. But without further ado, let us plunge into the ocean of text! 

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Introduction to Phase 1 (and to the event)
The bingo board is 5x5 and as such has 25 squares, the centre one being the free space as is customary. That means that the prompts of the following 24 squares will be created by us, which I will randomly place on the bingo board. For now, please assume that each column (left to right) will be labeled A to E, and each row (top to bottom) will be labeled 1 to 5 for identification purposes. Our goal (technically) will be to create a line–horizontal, vertical, or diagonal–across the board through collective effort. As a note: If that goal turns out to be too easy, then maybe we’ll try to fill the entire board, but that’s a big if. The actual goal, of course, will be to have fun in creating things. 

Still, to make the entire thing more interesting, there are a set of rules to make things more challenging. 

Rules
1) Prompt Choice: Any material that you create for your own prompts will not count as a spot on the bingo board. For example, if you suggested the prompt “snowman” for a square and then wrote an excerpt where characters are making a snowman, then it wouldn’t count for that spot on the square. You could (and should) still share what you made, though! If a prompt of your own really inspires you and you really want to create something from it, then absolutely go for it.  

2) Submission Limitation: First, the number of materials you can formally submit (formal submission meaning any material that counts as a spot for a square) per column/row/diagonal whatever-that’s-called maxes out at the maximum non-free-space squares minus one. For example, if you’re using the free space in the centre and want to help create a diagonal line through it, then you can only formally submit 3 things for 3 squares, leaving the last square blank. For now, this blank square can be one of your prompts if it happens to be yours, or not. The point is that you unfortunately cannot win by yourself. 
Second, each submission can only count for one square–with an exception that will be listed and described later.  

3) A Fun Challenge: Formal submissions must include at least one character who does not belong to you. They can be by themselves or with other characters (no matter whose). Of course, feel free to create content for your characters–but the catch here is that you should try to place them with at least one other forumer’s character if you do. There is no character limit otherwise. Think of this as a sneaky Secret Santa integration where you can choose who to put in. 
Please note that you do not have to use characters from GGaD. This is not a GGaD-exclusive event, though information about its characters is probably more accessible, giving characters from the verse an advantage in that sense. 

4) Communication: To make the process more random, you are not allowed to deliberate amongst yourselves on what squares/prompts you are choosing. Of course, I will not be enforcing this, and I won’t really be upset or anything if you do choose to talk about this. But you can take this as a way to make things more interesting, again.  
That being said, you are totally allowed to ask questions on others’ characters as long as you try to avoid hints on the related prompt(s). I would encourage you to go find material on characters in the forum (and possibly in the wiki, though that might be outdated) on your own first, but 100%--if this spurs fun conversations on your characters, then this event will be working as intended.   

5) Collabs: That brings us to a (hopefully fun) exception. Collabs! If you work with someone else (or more than one someone) on a submission, then you can ignore the one-submission-per-square thing mentioned in rule 2. You can also ignore Rule 4, obviously. The only catch is that, as usual, you still each need to use at least one character who doesn’t belong to either of you (i.e., you can’t just draw or write each other’s characters), and you also need at least 1 character per prompt. For instance, if you’re submitting a collab material for 3 prompts, you need at least 3 characters–again, each of you adhering to rule number 3 (at least one character who doesn’t belong to you). 
Note that it is still mathematically possible to use only two characters for three people, since there might be different tasks you all are splitting in the collaboration effort, and so you wouldn’t all necessarily be using one character each. At least I think this is the case; correct me if I’m wrong. 

6) Format: As usual, there is no format limitation for submissions. Do whatever is fun for you. Writing? Drawing? Music? Other creative projects? Absolutely. Go nuts.  

7) Submission Quality: As long as it’s giftable, it’s good to go. Meaning…well, whatever it means to you. You decide. (Sometimes sketches are better than the final product; we don’t have control over that lol. And some of us don’t write different drafts…)  

8) Submission Limits: This isn’t really even a rule. There is no minimum to the number of submissions you can make except maybe greater than 0 (ideally, but hey, feel free to go the -1 direction like me), and the maximum is whatever you want. Of course, there’s technically a limit to the number of formal submissions you could make…but otherwise, just create and share whatever you’d like. 

And that brings us to the probably unnecessarily long rules section. Let me know if anything needs clarification or editing–since following my usual bad decisions, all of this is not vetted whatsoever except by myself, and I am not a very good source of feedback for stuff I do. 

The Usual Polling
And now to wrap up, I’ll be asking you guys to do things.
One, please let me know if you are interested in participating, and if you could please, also give a note on your availability before and during December. I know that some forumers have tended to travel during this time, which is why I’m putting this out relatively early (at least hopefully I am since I am planning this months ahead of time and might forget to post the actual post).
Following that, I’d be interested in hearing your availability. Based on the huge swathes of text above, do you think you could participate in the event? In general, do you think it’ll work out?
Additionally, what other events would you be interested in seeing, if any? For instance, a game session or live chat session, perhaps? Some other event done in tandem? An aspect I was very interested in was the collabing I mentioned, but I wasn’t sure how to go about it other than just to leave it up to you guys.
If there’s an alternative you’re interested in, then do let me know. The above information will allow me to adjust the event format as needed as well as the timing. Furthermore, it will allow me to see how many prompts each forumer may need to come up with. For instance, if we have 6 participants, then each person will come up with 4 so that we have all 24 squares accounted for.
I don’t expect the prompt-creating to take a very long time, and I can always supplement if needed, but I feel like it’s a fun little part that I’d take the meaning away from if I just made up all the prompts by myself. So, please start thinking (and maybe writing down?) some holiday-themed prompts that you might want to be put on the bingo board. And remember, there might be some overlap in the ideas, so you might want to come up with some extra ideas just in case :D.   

Another thing I need from you guys is to please start coming up with a list of character names that others can reference when they’re thinking about who to include in their formal submissions. Note that I’m not asking you to compile any information/references at this time, because I expect us to all do some scrounging around and asking as necessary. But if finding info on others’ characters turns out to be an issue, then please do let it be known, since it’s kinda a big part of this event (apologies in advance if it turns out to cause a problem).  

Event Schedule (Tentative)
Phase 1: Nov. 15 - Nov. 30
Phase 2: Dec. 1 - Dec. 25
Submission Period: Dec. 24 - Dec. 31, 2025
Results Announcement: circa Jan. 1, 2025 

*Note: Submissions will likely be spoiler tagged. 
*Note 2: Phase 2 can/will begin earlier depending on when the prompts are finished and I know how many people will likely be participating. Latecomers will be welcome to participate as well, but they will be unable to put in prompts of their own by the time all the prompts are filled, or December 1 at latest.

The timing will be adjusted depending on your availability/responses. Please give feedback if you believe more time is needed for yourself or in general.  

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I will go over the submission system (if it really needs to be explained) when Phase 2 is initiated. Until then, enjoy this introduction that’s probably longer than an entire story signup. Feedback is welcome as always! (Implementation thereof is questionable as always.) I’m excited to hear from you guys! 

-Galaxian-