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heavyartillery
Oh boy, it's Rare Pair time again! That season where we 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 6, 2021: Sign-ups open at 8AM CST. (Link to form will be provided in a separate post.)
January 13, 2021: Sign-ups close at 8PM CST.
January 15, 2021: Assignments go out by 8PM CST at the latest.
January 18, 2021: If you agreed to share your prompts, they go live to the community.
February 24, 2021: Default deadline at 8 PM CST, collection opens to posting.
March 1, 2021: Fic due by 8 PM CST.
March 3, 2021: Collection goes live!
March 10, 2021: Author reveals!
NOTE: There seemed to be a bit of confusion in some other events I was involved in this year, so I wanted to clarify that since all schedule deadlines are in CST, which means that if your fic is due by 8 PM, it needs to be uploaded to the relevant AO3 collection by 8 PM in Central Standard Time, not just 8 PM wherever you happen to be. If you're not sure when that is, you can check out this time zone converter, which will tell you what the current time is in CST.
(There are additional dates for pinch hitters that will be detailed in the FAQ section.)
This is a rare pair exchange, so 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
Andrew "Ack Ack" Haldane/Edward "Hillbilly" Jones
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?
Yes! While you must request at least 1 pairing and offer at least 3, you're welcome to request up to 5 pairings and offer up to 10.
Can I request original characters?
Unfortunately, original characters are not allowed in this exchange, given that the driving goal is to turn the focus on under-appreciated canon characters.
Do I have to request romantic pairings?
Not at all! You're welcome to request platonic (aka "&") pairings, so long as they're not on the disqualified list provided above.
What about OT3s?
So long as your OT3 doesn't include a banned element, you're totally okay to request it. (For example: since Winnix isn't allowed, you couldn't request Dick/Nix/Dobie, but you you could request Harry/Nix/Dobie.)
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 (February 24), 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. While 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, 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?
Pinch hits will be posted here on the community as they arise. You'll be able to claim them via screened comment on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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: 05/01/2021 02:15 (UTC)no subject
Date: 05/01/2021 04:35 (UTC)no subject
Date: 05/01/2021 04:22 (UTC)January 20, 2021: Sign-ups close at 8PM CST.
January 15, 2021: Assignments go out by 8PM CST at the latest.
no subject
Date: 05/01/2021 04:35 (UTC)Sign-ups close on January 13th. Thought I caught it everywhere but clearly I did not. xD
no subject
Date: 05/01/2021 06:24 (UTC)