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heavyartillery
Exciting news, everyone! In the New Year, Heavy Artillery will be running its inaugural Rare Pair Exchange!
I'm hoping to spread the love around our small but mighty HBOWar fandom by turning the spotlight toward those pairings we don't see enough of. Load up your low-key faves and get ready to celebrate the secondary—and tertiary—characters that make these shows special.
SCHEDULE
January 4, 2020: Sign-ups open at 12 AM CST. (A separate post will be provided for that!)
January 18, 2020: Sign-ups close at 8 PM CST.
January 19, 2020: Assignments go out!
January 22, 2020: If you agreed to share your prompts, they go live to the community.
February 24, 2020: Default deadline, collection opens to posting.
February 29, 2020: Fic due.
March 1, 2020: Collection goes live!
March 6, 2020: Author reveals!
(There are additional dates for pinch hitters that will be detailed in the FAQ section.)
Because this is a rare pair exchange, pairings of a certain popularity will not be allowed. The specifics of how this decision was made are detailed in the FAQ section below. Here is a list of pairings that are barred from inclusion in the exchange due to popularity:
Band of Brothers
Lewis Nixon/Richard Winters
Edward "Babe" Heffron/Eugene Roe
Joseph Liebgott/David Kenyon Webster
Carwood Lipton/Ronald Speirs
George Luz/Joseph Toye
The Pacific
Merriell "Snafu" Shelton/Eugene Sledge
Generation Kill
Brad Colbert/Ray Person
Brad Colbert/Nate Fick
Walt Hasser/Ray Person
Everything else is fair game!
To participate in the Rare Pair Exchange, you will need:
- an AO3 account—to post your fic to the collection
- a Dreamwidth account, or an e-mail, or both—to receive your assignment
You'll be required to make at least one request and at least three offers, though you are 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 below, here on Dreamwidth, or via Discord: thrillingdetectivetales#5966.
What constitutes a rare pair?
For the purposes of this exchange, a rare pair is any relationship that has less than 100 English-language fic of 1,000 words or more on AO3.
Can my rare pair fic include a popular pairing?
So long as that pairing is not the main focus of your fic, having background pairings that are popular pairings is fine. Since it is a rare pair exchange, I only ask that you be conscientious about the volume of your story that focuses on the rare pair and keep things appropriately balanced.
How detailed do my requests have to be?
As 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!
Here are some sample requests, to give you an idea of what they could look like*:
What about my offers?
Likewise, your offers can be as sparse or as detailed as you like.
Here are some sample offers, to give you an idea of what they could look like*:
*Your requests/offers don’t have to follow the exact format of the samples provided. They’re just there to get you started.
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.
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 DNW option in both the requests and offers portions 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.
How are assignments generated?
This year, because I anticipate the exchange being pretty small, yours truly will be matching by hand.
What does "default" mean?
If you don't think you'll be able to finish your story by the deadline, let me know and your assignment will be awarded to someone else as a pinch hit.
Am I going to get in trouble if I default?
Not at all! I understand that life happens, and this is our very first run out the gate on the Rare Pair Exchange. 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. The prompt list will go up on February 25th and all pinch hits will be due by February 29th** same as the other fic.
**Date is subject to change, based on pinch hitters' availability.
Where can I find the collection?
The Heavy Artillery Rare Pair Exchange collection is over here on AO3. A master list will also be provided here in the community once the collection goes live.
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. I can't wait to get this ball rolling!
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Date: 15/02/2020 21:30 (UTC)no subject
Date: 16/02/2020 01:11 (UTC)