Home of the Boston Bruins Fic Exchange!

sign ups currently open

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

🎉 THE COLLECTION IS NOW LIVE! 🎉

Happy reading everyone — as a reminder, the authors of the fics will be revealed October 8!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

The identities of our brilliant authors have now been revealed! Thank you so much to all of our participants (and readers!) who made this such a fun event.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

P.S. Whether you participated in the exchange or not, you can continue to write treat fics.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Um what should we do if our gift doesn't fill any of our requests? I think there was a misunderstanding. I think they might have filled their own requests instead?

Hi anon! Could you please email us at [email protected] with details including your ao3 username, so we are able to offer more effective assistance?

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

At last...

...PROMPTS FOR TREATING!!

A refresher on treating:

What are treats? A treats is a fic or art for you by someone who is not your assigned writer.

How do I sign-up to receive/write treats? In your sign-up, you will be asked if you would like to receive potential treats for this prompt. You can mark yes or no. You do not have to sign up to write treats. You can just look at the spreadsheet and see if any prompts move your muses. Signing up for/to treats is not mandatory to participate in this exchange.

Do treats and additional fics also have to be at least 1,000 words? No. They can be as few or as many words as you want. Only your primary fill has to be at least 1,000 words.

go forth and treat!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

I haven't been able to post to the collection - getting a message that it's not open yet. Should I just be waiting until the 25th?

Please try again — it should now allow you to post (and thank you for bearing with us)!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

How do we submit our drafts?

First, you go to the Assignments section of your AO3. There are a couple of ways to get there. You can go from the dropdown on the top-right:

Or on your dashboard, your left side of the screen should show these options. You want to scroll down and click on "Assignments".

You'll see your Bruins exchange assignment in there and you click on the "Fulfill" button to post your fic.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

REMINDER: DRAFTS DUE SEPT. 25

Just a reminder that you're posting your drafts in 2 days. Or maybe you're all done and your fic is in its final form! Either way, go ahead and post it to the AO3 collection by September 25. Once posted, no one but you and the mods can see the fic until the collection goes live on October 2, so you have some time to work on it some more if you want before your recipient sees it. We will go through the collection to ensure everyone has something that's passable and can be completed in time for the reveal.

If you got any questions, message us!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

One Week Extension

Hi everyone,

To give people a bit more time to wrap up their stories, we decided to extend the submission deadlines by one week, such that the new schedule is as follows:

Drafts due: September 25

Reveals: October 2

Author reveals: October 8

If you believe that you may not be able to complete your assignment in time with these new deadlines, please reach out and let us know now, so we can deploy pinch hitters.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Do we fulfill all 3 of our requests or just 1?

Just the one (of your choosing)! Although if you are feeling inspired, you are more than welcome to fill more.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Assignments sent out!

Hi folks! Check your email for your assignments! If you have any questions/concerns about your assignment, feel free to message us here or email us at [email protected].

We apologize that the assignments are a few days late. We're extending the remaining deadlines to make up for it. Here are the new dates of the upcoming deadlines:

Check in: September 4 Drafts due: September 18 Reveals: September 25 Author reveals: October 1

Happy writing!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Happy Sunday, friends! Just a reminder that sign ups to the exchange close tonight at 23.59 ET.

Please see below for relevant links with further information, and as always, do not hesitate to reach out with questions!

ao3 || faq || rules || schedule || asks

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

What do you mean by suggesting fics should be locked because of breaking the fourth wall? I know what locking fics does and what breaking the fourth wall means, but I am rather confused about what you mean.

hi there! Bit of a long explanation, but I will do my best to explain properly.

Locking fics not only prevents non-archive registered users from reading them, it also prevents them from coming up in google searches. Unfortunately in recent years in hockey circles, podcasts and various accounts have decided it is 'good content' to rip fics from the archive and read them on air, post them on twitter/X, discuss them publicly, etc etc.

This is breaking the fourth wall.

While RPF stands for Real Person Fiction, many of these accounts try to tag the people the fics are written for, or push them onto those people's families and significant others. If you want an example of how breaking the fourth wall like this can get out of hand, please research what happened with 'Booktok' and the seattle kraken.

Additionally, they usually use fic to make 'content' by making fun of them in various ways. This can lead to abuse towards the authors, and the mere publishing of fic in places it is not meant to be has made many authors delete their works entirely.

Finally, a reminder that this is NOT mandatory. We encourage it for the above reasons, but we will not make you lock your fic if you want to keep it public. That remains solely your choice.

Hope this helps!!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Welcome and Sign-Up Information

Hello everyone! Here we have the first post for the first year of the Boston Bruins fic exchange! We're a little new to this but we hope to have a lot of fun :)

ao3 || faq || rules || schedule || asks

Firstly -- This is an exchange event. You will be assigned to another creator to create something for, and vice versa. While we ask for prompts in your sign-up, this is not a prompt fest.

Schedule:

Nominations open: June 10 Nominations end: June 23 Signups start: June 23 Signups end: July 21 Assignments sent out by: July 28 Check in: September 1 Drafts due: September 15 Reveals: September 22 Author reveals: September 29

Rules:

1. Fics must be at least 1,000 words in length. There is no “maximum” limit.

2. This is a Bruins exchange. As such, all works should be about and include the Bruins. Current Bruin/current Bruin pairings are allowed. Current Bruin/former Bruin pairings are allowed. Former Bruin/former Bruin pairings are allowed. Current Bruin/non-Bruin pairings are allowed. Former Bruin/non-Bruin pairings are NOT allowed. 3. Please be considerate of the likes and dislikes your recipient provides, as well as any other information they give you to work with. We’ll do our best to match people up with things they’ll be excited about writing, but remember you are writing a gift to cater to someone else’s preferences. We expect all DNW's to be respected.

4. Do not post your fic anywhere else before reveals!

5. When posting, please tag appropriately. If you would prefer not to warn for the default archive warnings, use “Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings” instead of “No Archive Warnings Apply”.

6. No requests or offers about Milan Lucic are allowed.

A post with the full FAQ is on its way, as well as a small mod introduction! We have pushed back the nominations a little bit so people have more time and we can polish off all the sign-up information.

Thank you to everyone for your patience!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

🎉 SIGN UPS ARE NOW OPEN! 🎉

Please refer to the links above for how to sign up and feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

As a reminder, you can edit your sign ups until the end of the sign up period.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Just a heads-up that sign ups close on July 21 — that is, in a little over a week!

If you haven't signed up yet, please come join us. We would love to have you on board 💛🖤

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Welcome and Sign-Up Information

Hello everyone! Here we have the first post for the first year of the Boston Bruins fic exchange! We're a little new to this but we hope to have a lot of fun :)

ao3 || faq || rules || schedule || asks

Firstly -- This is an exchange event. You will be assigned to another creator to create something for, and vice versa. While we ask for prompts in your sign-up, this is not a prompt fest.

Schedule:

Nominations open: June 10 Nominations end: June 23 Signups start: June 23 Signups end: July 21 Assignments sent out by: July 28 Check in: September 1 Drafts due: September 15 Reveals: September 22 Author reveals: September 29

Rules:

1. Fics must be at least 1,000 words in length. There is no “maximum” limit.

2. This is a Bruins exchange. As such, all works should be about and include the Bruins. Current Bruin/current Bruin pairings are allowed. Current Bruin/former Bruin pairings are allowed. Former Bruin/former Bruin pairings are allowed. Current Bruin/non-Bruin pairings are allowed. Former Bruin/non-Bruin pairings are NOT allowed. 3. Please be considerate of the likes and dislikes your recipient provides, as well as any other information they give you to work with. We’ll do our best to match people up with things they’ll be excited about writing, but remember you are writing a gift to cater to someone else’s preferences. We expect all DNW's to be respected.

4. Do not post your fic anywhere else before reveals!

5. When posting, please tag appropriately. If you would prefer not to warn for the default archive warnings, use “Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings” instead of “No Archive Warnings Apply”.

6. No requests or offers about Milan Lucic are allowed.

A post with the full FAQ is on its way, as well as a small mod introduction! We have pushed back the nominations a little bit so people have more time and we can polish off all the sign-up information.

Thank you to everyone for your patience!

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

🎉 SIGN UPS ARE NOW OPEN! 🎉

Please refer to the links above for how to sign up and feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

As a reminder, you can edit your sign ups until the end of the sign up period.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

✨️ Nominations for the Bruins Fanwork Exchange 2024 are now open! ✨️

Nominations close on June 23. For more information about the exchange, please refer to our welcome post on tumblr, as well as the FAQ and rules pages on AO3.

What does nominations now being open mean?

This is an exchange where we will match people based on prompts provided by the (eventual) recipients, and a key part of that is what Bruins RPF relationships will be part of the exchange.

If you are interested in participating, go on and give the current tag set a look. If pairings you would like to write/request are already there, then great — you don't need to do anything until sign ups open on June 23.

If a Bruins pairing you would like to request or write for is not in the current tag list, you can now go and nominate it. To be clear, by nominating a pairing, you are not committing to participating in the exchange — that step will come separately later.

How do I nominate a ship?

Go to the tag set and click the "Nominate" button at the top. The process is not instantaneous; the mods will have to go through the nominations and approve them. Please be patient as we do.

What's the deal with & and / in the tag set?

An ampersand in between two characters denotes a primarily platonic, friendship oriented relationship between them, whereas a slash denotes one with a non-trivial romantic component. Once sign ups are open, you may mention in your dear author letter or likes/dislikes that you're open to both as long as your other requests are honored e.g., perhaps you are OK with either Patrice Bergeron/Brad Marchand or Patrice Bergeron & Brad Marchand as long as they are in an Ocean's 11 AU.

Similarly, there is no clear, bright line between friendship and romantic feelings and a relationship may easily encompass both. For the purposes of this exchange, we ask that you offer to write e.g. Patrice Bergeron & Brad Marchand if you are willing to write a story for Bergy and Marchy that is primarily not about romance.

For now, simply keep this distinction in mind as you add nominations.

As a reminder, this is a Bruins fic exchange. As such, all works should be about and include the Bruins. The following pairings are allowed: current Bruin/current Bruin; current Bruin/former Bruin; current Bruin/non-Bruin; former Bruin/former Bruin. In contrast, former Bruin/non-Bruin pairings are NOT allowed. Nominations that fall outside these parameters will be rejected.

Happy nominating! We are thrilled to be here. 💛🖤

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

A reminder that nominations close tomorrow!

Browse our tag list and if there are other pairings you would like to add, get those nominations in now.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

Hi mods! I just got wind of the exchange and I love the idea! I am also very slow and anxious as a writer lol so I'm not sure I should sign up and then not be able to deliver a fic. Is there a way to see requests and possibly drop off a fic (like a surprise pitch-hit maybe?) later on if I get my feet under me?

Hi! We certainly relate, anon. As part of the sign-up process, we will offer participants the option (though not the obligation) to make their prompt lists public. These prompts will then be open for 'treating' -- i.e., for people other than their assigned writers to fill as an extra fic.

Even if you don't sign up for the exchange, you would be able -- and very welcome! -- to participate in the exchange with a treat fic. Because these are still gift fics, we only ask that the treaters respect the prompters' likes and dislikes, same as any other prompt fill.

[bostonbruinsficexchange]

FAQ, Offers, Requests, and Mod info

FAQ:

Do I have to have an AO3/tumblr account to participate?

All participants need an AO3 account and an email where we can reach you.  If you don’t have an account at AO3, request an invite from directly from the Archive or contact the mods.

How do I sign-up?

Click on sign-up form. Think of each request as a description of a fic you want. Tag each request with the pairing you'd like and make sure to have any Do Not Want's (DNW's) listed for each pairing. For example if you'd prefer no genderswap/rule 63 or no smut, make sure this is written under each pairing these DNW's apply to.

For offers (remember you have to offer three, but you can offer up to 10!) please put pairings that you would be okay with creating for, but also remember to put things you will not write. For example, if you are not a smut writer, please put that under every offer - this helps the mods when checking matches, so that way we will not match up a mainly PWP request with a writer who doesn't write any spicy scenes.

Can I use a WIP to complete my assignment?

As long as it follows the requested prompt and hasn’t been posted anywhere else, sure! Adding a chapter to an already posted chaptered fic does not count as a fulfillment of your assignment. 

What if the pairing I want to request/write is not included in the tag set?

You can nominate them. Go to the tag set and click the "Nominate" button at the top. The process is not instantaneous; the mods will have to go through the nominations and approve them. Please be patient as we do.

Can I edit my sign-up after I submit it?

Yes! You can edit your sign-up until they close.

Can I produce more than one work?

Yes, definitely! Once you’ve completed your assignment, feel free to create another work for your assigned person or you can check out this spreadsheet with people who’ve listed ships and tropes for treats!

Can a work for this fest also be used to fulfill another exchange assignment?

Not for this fest, sorry. But feel free to use unfilled prompts for other exchanges and fests once the Bruins Fic Exchange is over.

Can I archive-lock my fic?

Yes! Because of the amount of fourth-wall breaking, Mods do encourage this.

Do treats and additional fics also have to be at least 1000 words?

No. They can be as few or as many words as you want. Only your primary fill has to be at least 1000 words.

What’s a dear-author letter? Do I have to have one?

A dear author letter is a semi-public document where you can add more detail to your likes, dislikes, and prompts (want an example? Look here and here). You do not have to have one to sign-up.

What are treats?

A treat of a fic or piece of art for you by someone who is not your assigned writer. 

How do I sign-up for treats?

In your sign-up, you will be asked if you would like to receive potential treats for this prompt. You can mark yes or no. You do not have to sign up to write treats. You can just look at the spreadsheet and see if any prompts move your muses.

Signing up for treats is not mandatory to participate in this exchange.

Something’s come up and I cannot complete my assignment. What do I do?

Please contact the mods as soon as possible. If you need to drop out for any reason at all, please let us know as soon as possible (ideally by the check-in date). We totally understand that life happens, and all we ask for is as much time as possible to find a pinch-hitter for your recipient! 

I’m not sure my fic idea or pairing will be within the rules for this exchange. What should I do?

Contact the mods! We’ll help walk you through it.

.

How do we contact you? Who are you people?

Meet the brilliant and slightly deranged minds running the exchange!

Alex (he/they) AO3: blindbatalex Tumblr: @blindbatalex

Julian (they/she) AO3: bluejay141519 Tumblr: @thebluejayawe

Las (she/her) AO3: Las Tumblr: @siterlas

Contact us:

You can find us as by shooting an email to [email protected]

or

Message us on tumblr or send us an ask