[EVENT] Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange 2021

[thrillingdetectivetales]

It's that time of year again, y'all! We're gearing up for the annual Heavy Artillery HBO War Holiday Fic Exchange. Sign up to swap a fic with another mystery member of the HBO War fandom on September 26, 2021, and revel in the gift provided to you in exchange on December 22, 2021!

If you're unfamiliar with how a fic exchange works, check out the FAQ section below. (Even if you participated last year, I recommend giving it a gander, because we're doing things a little bit differently this year!)

SCHEDULE

September 26, 2021: Sign-ups open at midnight UTC-7. (Link will be provided in a separate post on September 26th.)
October 2, 2021: Sign-ups close at midnight UTC-7.
October 3, 2021: Assignments go out.
October 31, 2021: Check in #1.
November 28, 2021: Check in #2/default deadline.
December 15, 2021: Fic due by midnight UTC-7.
December 22, 2021: Collection goes live at midnight UTC-7.
December 29, 2021: Author reveals.

SIGN-UP INFO
To participate in the Holiday Fic Exchange, you will need:

• an AO3 account—to post your fic to the collection and to receive your assignment


• a Discord account, if you'd like to take advantage of the two check-in dates on the calendar, or if you enjoy hanging with cool people who are into HBO War shows like yourself

You'll be allowed to make up to ten requests and up to ten offers total. All completed fic must be at least 1,000 words long, in English, to qualify.

If you have any questions that aren't answered in the FAQ below, feel free to reach out to yours truly in the comments, here on Dreamwidth, or via Discord: thrillingdetectivetales#5966.

FAQ
What is a fic exchange?
Precisely what it sounds like! You write a fic for another member of fandom while a mystery author writes one for you, and then you exchange them. (Note: the person you are writing for will not necessarily be writing for you, though in a fandom this size it is a possibility.)

How do I sign up?
Simply pop on over to the sign-up form on AO3* when sign-ups open, fill in the relevant data fields, and click submit!

*A separate post will be provided with a link to the sign-up form on September 26, 2021.

How detailed do my requests have to be?
Your requests detailed as you like!** You can offer as little as "wing!fic plz" or expand into entire paragraphs. Just keep in mind that while fic writers will do their best to accommodate your needs, they are individuals with distinctive styles and voices, and as such will bring their own flare to any request you make. Which is all part of the fun!

**Given that we're using AO3 to do matching this year, if your requests are extremely detailed, I would advise you to write a "Dear Author" letter instead. If you're not familiar with what a "Dear Author" letter looks like, here are a few I've written for various challenges over the years, as examples.

What about my offers?
You're welcome to add additional details to your offers, as well, but AO3's matching system uses fandoms, characters, and/or pairings to find you a potential match and doesn't take those details into account.

What if the person I'm matched with is requesting something on my DNW list as part of their prompt?
You're never obligated you to write something you find distasteful or triggering for the person you match with. If your match includes some of your personal DNWs in their prompts, you can avoid or ignore those parts of the prompt and focus on other tropes/details they've listed that work for you.

Am I allowed to request/offer more than one pairing/fandom?
You're welcome to request and offer as many pairings in as many fandoms as you like, provided that they fit within the 10 request and offer slots you'll be allotted on the sign-up form.

I only write [insert character/ship here]. Do I have to offer or request more than one character/ship?
For the moment, I am allowing participants to only offer to write one character or ship. If this proves too difficult when time comes for matching, I'll reach out to participants who have only offered to write one character/ship and require that they provide two more options to ensure that everyone in the exchange receives a gift. In general, the more characters/pairings you offer and request, the easier you'll be to match.

There's some stuff I really don't like. Will I have the option to request that my writer excludes those things and that I don't have to write them?
Of course! There will be a an additional details option in the requests portion of the sign-up form that allows you to specify any content you don't want to see or include in both the fic you write and the fic you receive.

What about original characters?
You are not currently allowed to request an original character as the main focus of a fic, even as part of a pairing with a canonical character. Limiting main character focus to what exists in the canon without requiring additional reading or research keeps the event accessible to everyone.

Hold up! I don't see my favorite character/pairing listed in the tagset!
Oops! That just means I mistakenly left one off the list! If you don't see your favorite character or pairing represented in the tag set, you have until midnight on October 2, 2021 to submit it via nomination over here on AO3.

How are assignments generated?
The magic of the AO3 algorithm, or, if that doesn't work for some reason, your friendly neighborhood moderator, thrillingdetectivetales, will stay up all night matching in a frenzy by the light of a lonely candle.

Does my fic have to be complete to be posted?
Yes. Meaning if you write a multi-chapter fic, every chapter has to be present and accounted for by the default deadline on December 15, 2021. If you don't think you'll be able to finish your fic in time, you always have the option to default.

What does "default" mean?
If you don't think you'll be able to finish your story by the deadline, let your moderator (thrillingdetectivetales) know and you will default on your assignment, which will then be awarded to someone else as a pinch hit.

Am I going to get in trouble if I default?
Nope! Life happens, and the holidays can get hectic. I would request that you be realistic about your schedule and capabilities to let me know that you're going to default by the default deadline so I don't have to scramble to ensure that all recipients receive a fic, but if you elect to sign up next year, when I hope to run the exchange again, you will not be penalized for defaulting.

How do I claim a pinch hit?
After the default deadline, all pinch hits will be posted here on the community, where you'll be able to claim them via screened comment on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Where can I find the collection?
I'll drop a link to the collection here once it's open to post in, and will make a separate post on the Heavy Artillery Dreamwidth community and Tumblr pages as well. A master list will also be provided here in the community once the collection goes live.

THE RULES
Rules are subject to change or expand at any time as necessary to ensure that this event remains fun and inclusive. Having said that, rules will not change without an explanation or notice. Likewise, nobody will be punished for breaking the rules without the same consideration. If you have questions about any existing rules or need clarification on anything, you're welcome to reach out to me at any time.

1. Don't be a dick. Pretty straightforward, right?

2. Make sure your fic is appropriately tagged. Yes, this includes the option not to tag, so long as you appropriately apply "Author Chose Not to Use Archive Warnings," etc.

3. No kink shaming. That includes within your requests and your DNW list. Keep it civil or get booted.

4. No prioritizing requests. Basically, don’t list out which of your requests you want most and which you want least, as it can make matching tricky.

5. Do not troll fill or purposefully, maliciously include your recipient's Do-Not-Wants in the gift fic you provide for them. Doing so will result in expulsion from all future Heavy Artillery fic events and potentially blacklisting from the community itself.

6. Do not post your fic to the collection unless it could reasonably be construed as finished. You're welcome to edit or expand your fic until the collection goes live, but I ask that you not post an unfinished work. If you're worried about missing the default deadline but still think you might be able to finish your fic, let me know and I'll do my best to work something out with you.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if you require clarification on anything.