Fandom5K Pinch Hit due 25 July
Jul. 11th, 2025 11:18 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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Event link:
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Pinch hit link: On DW
Due date: 25 July
PDPH 10 - The West Wing, Neko no Ongaeshi | The Cat Returns, Severance (TV)
Hello friends! Below is the schedule for FIAB 2025, which will run Late July-November instead of August-November.
Schedule changes, in brief:
This extra time will help us utilize our helpers better because we won't have such tight scheduling! It will also allow for the possibility that the swaps puzzle will take longer than in previous years – we don't want to punish swappers with less creation time if it takes us longer than usual to get swaps out, so just building a little extra time into the creation period seemed best.
The rest of this post will cover:
Discord server reminder! Fic In A Box is a complex exchange even for exchange veterans, so we thought that if we were going to invite a bunch of new people to the exchange we should provide a space where they can ask lots of questions throughout the process. This server is open to everyone (we won't kick you out if you've been doing FIAB for years already) but its purpose is to help people participate in the exchange, so it will probably be most useful/enjoyable if you're kinda confused about the exchange. Like FIAB itself, the server is an 18+ Choose Not To Warn space.
July 24th-August 2: Nominations Pre-Gaming (participants can load tags from last year’s tagset into this tagset)
August 3-12: Nominations
August 13-16: Nominations Cleanup
August 17-August 31: Signups
August 20: Swap requests open
September 6: Assignments Out By This Date
September 7: Swap requests close
October 19: Assignments Due
November 9: Last Day To Submit Makeup Assignments
November 15: Work Reveals
November 29: Creator Reveals
All deadlines are at 11:59 PM EDT except for those in November, which will happen at 11:59 PM EST
We'll be adjusting the language for the ruleset to make it clear that if multiple characters are requested they must all be visibly within the artwork.
We will also be adding "Papercraft" (creating an image using layered paper cut into the necessary shapes) as a style to the ruleset. This will be a possible style for any art tag that doesn't specify another style (such as "Drawn") and can be requested specifically by nominating the desired art tags with at "Papercraft - " prefix.
We'll be adding more guidance for the requirements if combining two different requested medium tags into a multimedia work in the Posting Guidelines.
We are changing the rules for stickers to clarify a medium-checking issue we had last year. New rules will set a minimum number of stickers per sheet (five unique stickers per sheet), for an equivalent of 2k per sticker sheet.
These tags will be merged into the tag "Medium Opt-In: Audio - Fanmix/FST (Fan Soundtrack)"
We will be updating the rules for this medium to clarify that you can't auto-generate a cross stitch pattern from pre-existing art.
We will be restructuring all of these tags into the following four tags:
These are being changed to the following:
We are removing this tag because it caused some confusion last year. If you'd like to request drabble series please mention it in your optional details. Drabble series of over 1000 words are opt out (similar to other fic formats such as 5+1 things), and for drabble series of under 1000 words you may opt-in within your optional details while requesting a drabble tag.
These tags will be adjusted to have an equivalent of 2k.
For clarity these will be singularized into:
In addition it will be clarified in the rules that recipes are required to be the original creations of the poster.
It's been brought to our attention that someone received a warning from AO3 for posting an arrangement of sheet music from a canon song. The last thing we want to do is risk anyone getting a copyright related warning from AO3 due to a medium in this exchange, so since all of the above tags involve copyrighted music or audio in some way, we're removing them from the tagset.
Original Character(s) nominations will not be accepted. This is because "Original Character(s)" is meant to mean either Original Character (singular) or Original Characters (plural) but we've seen some evidence that people who want just one or the other are selecting this phrasing simply because it's common in canonicals.
Tentatively, we will try out simply editing these nominations to be singular if they come up on the AO3 interface, but if that's too burdensome we will reject like all other incorrect tags.
Not allowed per this new rule.
Allowed! These tags will get you a work with one OC, plus other listed characters if there are any.
Allowed! These tags are phrased as plural, but per our other nominations rules "Original Characters" counts as an ambiguous group so requests with this phrasing could be filled with 1 OC or 2+ OCs.
Note that you can't limit the number of OCs if you pick a tag like "Big Bird/Original Characters (Sesame Street)" so if you're really only interested in a threesome but not a foursome, you should instead nominate like…
Allowed! These tags need to be filled with as many OCs as are listed in the tag. Per other nominations rules, you can list up to 6 characters in a relationship tag.
If Big Bird and five other characters isn't a big enough orgy/polycule for you, you can A) list the last character as the plural "Original Characters" to leave yourself open to more than 5 OCs, or B) use your optional details to opt into more OCs at your creator's discretion. (We suggest you do this in the AO3 optional details box so it's easy for us to find, rather than buried in a letter.)
Beta Reader Call!
Hi friends! I’m looking for a beta reader (or two) to give feedback on my VERY rough completed first draft of a contemporary queer romance/WLW novel. It’s a heartwarming, emotional, and intimate story about two best friends who end up in a surprise Vegas marriage—only to discover they’re expecting a baby.
Genre: Contemporary WLW Romance / Queer Domestic Drama
Length: Approx. 60,629 words (I’m looking to get it up to 70k)
Content Tags: Accidental pregnancy, friends-to-lovers, secret marriage, queer rep, chosen family, birth scenes, emotional healing, moderate spice, single-parent backstory, hurt/comfort
CW: Pregnancy complications (non-fatal), difficult ex, fertility struggles (in epilogue)
Looking for feedback on:
Character development + emotional arcs
Pacing and structure
Believability of relationship progression
Any parts that felt confusing, repetitive, or lacking payoff
General impressions and reactions
Continuity
If you love messy love stories, slow burn emotional intimacy, and queer joy with a sprinkle of angst and domestic fluff, this one’s for you.
Note: I’m chronically ill and have been writing this story in pieces since 2022- some things may not make sense or line up due to my illnesses and how I’ve been writing (damn brain fog and forgetfulness). Continuity checking is important.
I cannot provide swap services at this time. I work and I’m in school on top of being ill.
I’m a sensitive person when it comes to my art. Offer me advice wrapped up in praise and not just harsh red pen all over my work.
Just drop a comment or DM me. Thanks in advance for your time and support!