Heavy Artillery

We're building the AO3 tag set in preparation for the Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange 2023, and we want you to weigh in! If you're planning to participate in this year's exchange, please click the link below and submit any characters or pairings you'd like to request/offer*. (I recommend taking a peek at the existing tag set first, so you can see which of your faves have already been nominated by other people.)

If you don't nominate a character or pairing, there's a chance it may not end up in the tag set, so please be thorough!

Click here for the tag set!

*You are not obligated to offer or request all of the characters/pairings you nominate, this is just to ensure that those characters/pairings are included in the selection drop downs on the sign up form.

HOW IT WORKS
You can think of a rolling remix like a game of telephone! It's an anonymous challenge that functions like a relay, with every participating author remixing the fic of the (anonymous) author preceding them. Here's a semi-illustrated example of how it all works:






Pinch hitters will step in to fill date slots as necessary throughout the process.

Pretty straightforward, right? If not, you can feel free to reach out to me here, on Tumblr (thrillingdetectivetales), or via Discord (thrillingdetectivetales#5966) for clarification on any point.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of this challenge, your assigned fic my include pairings or plot elements you don't usually read or write, but you're welcome to reinterpret to emphasize other aspects or be about different pairings. You're not obligated to carry over every element of your assigned fic so long as you do your best to provide a sincere reinterpretation.


SIGN-UP INFO
To participate in the Rolling Remix, 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

A link to the sign-up form will be provided as soon as it goes live on July 8, 2022 at 10AM MDT.

SCHEDULE

Monday, July 24, 2023: Sign-ups go live at 10 AM MDT.
Sunday, July 30, 2023: Sign-ups close at 10PM MDT.
Monday, July 31, 2023: Assigned dates and finalized schedule go out, the "starter" fic is sent to the first participating author on the list by 8AM MST.

Further dates to be determined once sign-ups are closed.

FAQ
What does "remix" mean?
Exactly what it sounds like! In the same way that music artists take an original song and "remix" it by adding beats, changing tempos, or extracting samples for use in different songs, you'll be taking a completed fic and re-imagining it into something new.

(For some examples of how this might work, you can check out previous Rolling Remix collections here: Heavy Artillery Rolling Remix 2020, Heavy Artillery Rolling Remix 2021, Heavy Artillery Rolling Remix 2022.)

How similar does my fic have to be to the fic that I'm remixing?
The short answer is: as close as you want it to be. While I recommend doing your best to carry through a theme or a character or a trope, the whole point of a rolling remix is to end in a vastly different place than we started with a bunch of delightful variation along the way. (For example: if you receive a fic set in the Generation Kill canon that deals with PTSD, you can write a fic about those same characters that doesn't deal with PTSD, or you can write a fic set in the Band of Brothers canon that does deal with PTSD, etc.)

Do I have to write for one specific HBO War fandom?
Nope! Band of Brothers, Generation Kill, and The Pacific are all welcome, as are crossovers and RPF. Just keep in mind that if you write a crossover, at least one of the fandoms included in the crossover must be an HBO War property.

Is there a min/max word count or other fic specifications I need to meet to participate in the Rolling Remix?
Yes! Your fic must meet a minimum of 500 and a maximum of 3000 words and be written in English.

What if my fic winds up just a little over 3000 words?
If your fic is over 3000 words, you will be asked to cut it back to that hard cap of 3000. Yes, even if it's only 3001. This is to ensure that the accepted word count doesn't slowly creep higher and higher and that all fic in the event remain manageable to read, digest, and remix over the short window of a week.

Can I choose my date slot?
I'll do my best to accommodate everyone's schedules, as I know that this is something of a tumultuous time for many of us, but I ask that you let me know your date slot won't work within 48 hours of receiving the confirmation message I'll be sending out after sign-ups close on July 18, 2022 at 8PM MST.

How do I sign up to be a pinch hitter?
There will be an option on the sign-up form that allows to volunteer as a pinch hitter. Please be sure that you're prepared to turn around a 500-3K word fic in a short amount of time if you volunteer to pinch hit.

Where can I find the collection?
The collection will be hosted on Archive of Our Own. You can find it by clicking here.

RULES
As always, with every challenge and aspect of this community, the rules remain:

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. Keep it civil or get booted.


4. Do not troll fill. While you may not love every aspect of the fic you're remixing, trolling the author whose work you've been tasked to remix will see you booted from the challenge.


5. Do not post your work to the collection unless it's completed. As this is a remix challenge, once you post your fic to the AO3 collection it is essentially locked in. While you're welcome to adjust minor typos or misspellings, any actual content change at this point is not allowed, as your fic will have been passed on to the next author in the list for remixing.

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, or if you require clarification on anything. I'm very looking forward to this challenge!

Sign up here!

As a friendly reminder, here are the pairings that are NOT ALLOWED in this year's Rare Pair Exchange:

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

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, you can refer to the info post right over here. Likewise, your friendly neighborhood moderator thrillingdetectivetales is always available for questions, either by DM here on Dreamwidth, over here on Tumblr, or on Discord (thrillingdetectivetales#5966).

We're coming up on our first check-in for the third annual Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange, which means it's time to release the participant prompts! I'm doing it a little earlier this year to allow folks plenty of time to treat between now and when fic are due on January 9th, 2023.

If you'd like to treat someone, the only rules are that you respect their do-not-wants. There are no word count minimums or maximums and there's no limit to how many treats you can offer. When you've finished a treat, you can post it to the Heavy Artillery Holiday Exchange 2022 Treats collection, over on AO3.

A few of the participants have elected to keep their names anonymous. If you would like to fill a prompt for an anonymous participant, just leave a comment on this post with the participant's number and I'll provide you with the names of the people whose requests you'd like to fill so that you can gift your treat accordingly.

( Prompts behind a cut for space. )

Oh boy, oh boy! It's that time again! I hope you're all ready for our third annual Heavy Artillery HBO War Holiday Fic Exchange. Sign up to swap a fic with another mystery member of the HBO War fandom on October 19, 2022, and delight in the gift provided to you in exchange on January 9, 2023!

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

October 19, 2022: Sign-ups open at 8AM UTC-7. (Link will be provided in a separate post on September 26th.)
October 29, 2022: Sign-ups close at 10PM UTC-7.
October 30, 2022: Assignments go out.
November 27, 2022: Check in #1.
December 18, 2022: Check in #2/default deadline.
January 8, 2023: Fic due by midnight UTC-7.
January 9, 2023: Collection goes live at midnight UTC-7. [If there are last minute pinch hits, collection will go live January 15, 2023.]
Authors will be revealed one week after collection opens.

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

• an email address, Dreamwidth account, or Discord account—to sign up and to receive your assignment


• an AO3 account—to post to the collection when your fic is finished

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 (which will be linked in a separate post on October 19, 2022) fill in the relevant data fields, and click submit!

Does my story have to be winter holiday themed or set during a winter holiday season?
Not at all! You may request and write a story set at whatever time of year you choose, featuring whatever themes, genres, and tropes you wish.

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!

Here are some sample requests, to give you an idea of what they could look like*:



**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?
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.

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.

I don't think I'll have time to write an entire fic, but I'd love to participate somehow. Is there anything else I can do?
Absolutely! This year, we're introducing the option for folks to sign up as potential bet readers! Because or beloved fandom is on the smaller side, when the default deadline starts to loom, participants are often in a scramble to find beta readers for their works. If you'd be interested in beta reading for another participant, just enter your contact information into the sign up form, tick the box that you'd be interested in beta reading, and submit!

How will I know if I've been selected as a beta reader?
When a participant is ready to have their work betaed, I'll match them with a beta reader and contact the person in question, who will have 24 hours to respond and confirm that they're available to beta read.

I'm planning on participating in the exchange, but I'd still like to beta read. Is that allowed?
Yes, so long as you a) don't mind ruining a little of the surprise for yourself and b) agree not to divulge any information you may have about who wrote what fic during the anonymous guessing period.

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.

Sign-ups are officially open!

Please note: to sign up for the Rolling Remix, you will need an AO3 username, and either a Dreamwidth account or a working e-mail address to receive your assignment. After sign-ups close, you'll be assigned to a track and provided a schedule that tells you when you can expect to receive the fic you'll be remixing, and when your fic will be due.

Happy Rolling Remix, everyone!

Hi everyone! Assignments for the Rare Pair Exchange have officially gone out, which means that it's time to share participant prompts for anyone who wants to write additional gifts for their fellow exchangers.

A few of the participants have elected to keep their names anonymous. If you would like to fill a prompt for an anonymous participant, just leave a comment on this post* with the participant's number and which request you'd like to fill. (Ex: "I'd like to write request 1 for Participant 4." or "I'd like to fill a request for Participant 5, but I'm not sure which one yet.") I'll provide you with the names of the people whose requests you'd like to fill so that you can gift your fic on the AO3 collection accordingly.


( Prompts are behind a cut to save space! )

If you have any questions, as always, you're welcome to contact me about them at anytime, or you can reference the original info post, which may have the answers you seek already listed.

*Comments are screened, so nobody but me will see them.

The collection for the 2021 Heavy Artillery Holiday Fic Exchange is now live and available for your reading pleasure! You can check it out here.

We were also fortunate enough to have several folks write treats for our participants this year, which are included within that collection, though the authors were not kept anonymous. Stories written as part of the main exchange will remain anonymous until Sunday, December 26th, when authors will be revealed.

Happy Holidays to everyone in the greater HBO War fandom! May they be filled with lots of love, laughter, and really, really good food.

I look forward to running more events for you in the coming year, and hope to see a whole slew of new and returning faces for the Holiday Fic Exchange in 2022! In the meantime, please feel free to share this collection far and wide so our extremely talented holiday authors receive the credit they’re due for their beautiful works this holiday season.

Love,
Mod Tec

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.