A place for all Fan Works with low or no interactions and comments. You can find the Mobile Navigation here. Please check the Navigation for the rules and the submission form, especially if you are submitting on mobile. Thank you! You can also contact me via e-mail under [email protected]
It's been a while since we had an introduction post and I've been promising to make a new one for way too long so here we go:
Comment Exchange started in May 2020 as a quarantine project with this post. I wasn't sure it would go anywhere, but one of the first posts I made was reblogged by a popular blog and that helped CE take of.
The idea behind Comment Exchange is to help all those fan creations that don’t get immediate attention and quickly disappear between the countless other fan works that are out there. Especially new creators, creators who aren’t that active in the social part of fandom and creators in small fandoms, rarely get high numbers of interactions on their works. While getting high numbers shouldn’t be the focus of creating fan works, most of us enjoy getting them anyway and they are part of the very important community aspect that makes fandom feel alive.
Any and all fan works and fandoms are welcome here. A general rule f thumb is: if it is allowed on AO3, it is allowed here. (But of course fan works hosted on other platforms are also welcome.)
If you're interested in learning about this project and possibly participate in it, you can find more information under the cut.
Comment Exchange has collected almost 500 fan works in about 200 fandoms and counting over the past six years. There are multiple ways to browse them, either through the masterlist and tag system here on tumblr, through the bookmarks of the CE AO3 account or by simply browsing through the Comment Exchange blog.
There are some strategies in place to give every work that gets submitted to us, the best chance of getting comments. For example our no-comments-yet tag that gets updated once a month and contains all the works that haven't gotten a comment since they were submitted here.
We also do a random reblog every day where a random number and time generator decide what submission gets reblogged and when, so it shows up on peoples dashes and maybe entices them to check it out and leave a comment.
From time to time we have events to drum up activity, keep an eye out for those. If you want to be tagged in posts about new events, let me know, or fill out this form.
This is not a straight up exchange, because I don't want to assign people things to comment on that they might not actually like. Commenting shouldn't be a chore, that would make the comments feel insincere to me. So the exchange part of this project is handled by the rule that you have to comment on a something that has been submitted previously to Comment Exchange. You can pick what you comment one yourself and it doesn't matter how many comments it has already received. But of course you're encouraged to comment on as many things as you like/can, not just because you want to submit something.
There are exceptions to this rule: we have a whole list of Tumblr Holidays on which you can submit works without having to prove you commented on something else first.
There are two options on how to submit a work to Comment Exchnage: You can use the tumblr submission function, or you can use the google submission form.
Which ever way you choose, please make sure to read our rules first.
If you have any questions, you can check out the FAQ, browse through everything in our navigation and of course reach out in replies, reblogs, messages or the ask box.
Rating: Teen and Up (could change with future chapters)
Pairing: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes (more might be added later)
Word count: 6,128
Warnings: None (yet)
Number of comments: 0
Completion Status: WIP
Short summary/description: Michael Guerin-Sanders might not actually be the son of the President, but he might as well be. He lives at the White House and is a member of the famous White House Trio. He also has an ongoing rivalry with Prince Alex, the fourth son of King Jesse of England.
Collection of scenes from the Roswell, New Mexico Red, White and Royal Blue AU that has been flitting around in my brain since I first read RWRB over a year ago.
387. Brother's Girlfriend's Best Friend (Roswell, New Mexico)
Title: Brother's Girlfriend's Best Friend
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/54114544
Creator: MeggieJolly
Work Type: Fanfiction
Fandom: Roswell, New Mexico
Rating: teen
Pairing: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Word Count: 1,277
Warnings: none
Number of comments: 4
Completion Status: complete
Short summary/description: Michael comes home to his gorgeous new roommate covered in sweat and grime from his job. Great.
~
Michael's point of view for his and Alex' first meeting in "Best Friend's Boyfriend's Cousin"
Snippet:
Michael was running late. Well, technically he hadn’t given Alex a time when he would be back from work, but the repair he‘d promised to finish today had taken longer than expected and he‘d finished almost an hour later than planned. He‘d called the Pizza place down the street from his apartment so they’d have the pizza ready by the time he got there and had only cleaned up perfunctory instead of taking a shower and changing at work. He’d have to face his new roommate all sweaty and greasy and in some of his oldest and rattiest clothes. So much for making a good first impression.
When he got to the pizza place, his order was just about to be put into the box, and he was able to at least get out of there quickly to head to his apartment.
Pod-together is a fandom fest where writers and podficcers create together—the writer creating text specifically intended for audio, and the podficcer creating the audio. If that sounds fun to you, sign-ups are open until June 13th! You can find instructions to sign up, rules, and FAQ at the dreamwidth site linked in our bio.
Sign-ups come in two flavors. If you would like the mods to match you with someone with similar fandom interests, sign up for Matchmaker Sign-Ups. If you would like to sign up with a partner, we also have Group Sign-Ups.
Writing is due July 26th, and podfic is due August 23rd. The minimum length for pod-together projects is 1000 words or 10 minutes of audio.
This is our 16th year running this challenge, and participants usually have a ton of fun and create amazing stuff, with everything from the typical style of fannish stories to submissions with filk, poetry, found footage/audio drama, sound effects, massive multi-voice collaborations, full-cast musicals, immersive soundscapes, playable games, and multiple languages.
If you’re on the fence and have questions, or want to try to scout a group before signing up, we have a section of our Discord open just for that. You can find a link to the Discord in the sign-up post on our dreamwidth!
Visit the Dreamwidth linked in our bio for more details!
I’ll tell you what I look for in a fic rec list and then we’ll see what everyone else thinks is good :)
all one fandom, and if it’s shippy then all the same ship
titles of the fic link over to AO3
include the rating of the fics and a brief description (or the reason why you like it)
tag the authors so they know they’ve been rec’d
I’ve definitely seen fic rec lists with a specific theme to them as well, for example “[ship] hurt/comfort recs” but I’m personally good with just the description and picking from there.
Do any of you make rec lists? Do you appreciate them? What makes a good list?
Ooh, I love rec lists, but I have fairly different preferences for them:
All one fandom is good, but it doesn’t need to be all one ship. I don’t have anything against multifandom rec lists, but the odds of me being familiar with multiple fandoms on them are slim. The important thing is to be clear about the rec list’s theme before you actually list the recs themselves (e.g. random works I liked, coffee shop AUs in small fandoms, m/m slash in Specific Fandom, etc).
The reason you like it, or the reason you think other people should read it, is absolutely 100% necessary, and ideally it consists of at least a couple sentences (unless it’s a 100-word drabble you’re reccing). Without this, and especially if I don’t know anything about your taste in fic, it’s not any different than skimming a work listing.
If there’s something that you had to overlook while reading the fic, or something that made you hesitate to rec it, mention it! If I know the reccer would usually consider a lack of empty space between paragraphs a dealbreaker, I might be willing to give the fic a go despite the fact bad paragraph spacing is usually also a dealbreaker for me. But if I just click on a link and find a wall of text, I’ll probably back button from not just the work, but possibly the rec list as well.
I think of recs as being for potential readers, not authors, so if I were making a rec list, I wouldn’t tag them. (But I would try to comment on the fic!)
Hello! I recently started a fic rec blog so I have some thoughts:
I agree that single-fandom (or theme) blogs are more preferable to find, but think about what you want to run also. I wanted a place to archive all my favourite works, and I definitely don't have the energy for multiple blogs so this blog is multifandom. It's not for you (random folk on tumblr) it's for me (person having fun making the blog)
similarly, think about the maximum amount of effort you can spend on the task and still complete it. It would be nice to create a highly polished blog with a written summary and full tags and clear themeing, but that is actually a lot of work!
I've gone with a bullet point summary of author, rating, fandom, ship and then my own thoughts. You can check out the about pages for more information on how I'm organized.
I disagree strongly on tagging the author for a couple reasons - for one, you then have to go through the effort of finding the author (do yourself a favour and avoid giving yourself additional work)
also because as sarking mentioned, it's good to bring up both flaws and personal taste in a rec that may end up being very rude to mention to an author. If I'm reccing you something with the caveat that I really don't like how [important side character] was handled, it would be super rude to tag the author!
Additionally:
Think about longevity! I publish one rec a day through my queue, which means I don't have a lot published yet, but also means my queue is very full and I can chillax between doing a few recs in a row
if you are doing a specific fandom or ship rec blog, it is entirely possible to actually run out of good fic. Don't rush to publish a whole bunch of works just to keep your blog from looking empty! it'll fill up!
tags are your friend, but they can also be your enemy. Don't go overboard on keeping things organized - again! keep your work manageable!
it's very easy to absolutely burn out on a long term project, set yourself up for success at the start!
Title: Holding Hands
Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24301852
Platform: AO3
Creator: Hurdlelocker
Work Type: Poem
Fandom: Fallout 4
Rating: General Audiences
Pairing: Deacon/Robert Joseph MacCready
Word Count: 66
Warnings: None
Number of comments: 1
Completion Status: complete
Short summary/description: A short poem about holding hands
This blog is starting to garner a bit of a following, so I figured I should make an intro post to organise things.
How this works is fairly simple: every week, on Sunday at some time or other, a new challenge is posted. Theoretically, you have the week to complete the challenge, but no one's actually watching you, so you can scroll back all the way to week 1 if you feel so inclined.
There's no actual time limit on anything because the idea is to increase interaction because it helps make fandom a community, make writers more motivated to keep writing, and can also make you friends with literal Shakespeare. I've made friends through comment sections so trust me when I say it's a marvelous experience.
As of right now, the blog doesn't have too much of anything that isn't the comment challenges, but if that changes, you can always scroll through "#comment challenge of the week" to find them.
Feel free to send asks with any questions or suggestions you have or if you have any comment related stories to tell (a nice one someone left you, a cool exchange you had with your favourite author, or even just looking for acknowledgement because commenting means going out of your comfort zone) because I am just a human being and I like knowing I'm not yelling into a void
I don't have much else to say or any clue how to end this so uh. Have a nice day. I hope your enemies step on LEGOs and your friends meet open-minded people
Short summary/description: The Horde has been defeated and dehordification has begun. However, the trial of Catra is the first real test of the effectiveness of dehordification on the planet of Etheria. Will the tribunal members vote to convict? Or be swayed by unseen forces? Can Adora… and her newfound relationship survive the mental strain of painful memories and her new 'wild' attitude? Only time can tell…
Snippet:
Mr. Frieden continued the questioning of Governor Pax. "Can you point out, for this tribunal, the 'cat-like person' and 'blonde-haired woman' that you described in your testimony?"
Pax pointed to Catra and Adora, confirming what the audience had thought. The trial continued. Mr. Frieden continued speaking again. "Let the record reflect that the witness has identified the 'cat-like person' as Catra and the 'blonde-haired woman' as Adora Eros. We would like to proceed in our questioning of Ms. Eros, Mr. Gerechtigkeit, if that is allowed."
He decided to accept this request. What would the harm be? "It is permitted, fellow tribunal member. Carry on."
ask the author a question in your comment! how they thought of the fic idea, what their writing process is like, how they plan the plot, when did they first think of this, which was the scene that sparked it, how do you write ___ character?, whether they abandoned any plotlines
please reblog these challenges so they can reach more people!
the best fanfiction you've ever read was written by a woman in her 40s before she made dinner for her kids. it was written by a teenager after school when they should've been studying for a history test. and a barista came up with the idea while they cleaned the espresso machine and busser fact-checked it on their break and the post-doc edited between writing grant proposals and the nurse apologized for typos in the notes after a long shift and behind every drabble and one-shot and multi-chapter fic there is a person with a wonderful and interesting and chaotic life and it is such a privilege that we get to be apart of it because they decided to do this thing we all share, for fun.
Short summary/description: While fully aware he's been conned into it with his weakness for kids, Renji doesn't mind being made responsible for a whole class of them, doesn't even really mind being . . . 'festive', exactly. At least, not until the Kurosaki girls decide he needs a upgrade in that department.
i get so emotional every time i think about fanfic culture. it's just so beautiful that people are writing and anonymously posting these thousand-word stories about characters we all love and not even getting any money or public fame from it. it's literally just for the love of the game.
shout out to everyone who participates in fanfic culture, be it reading or writing fanfics. you are contributing to such a lovely thing <3
Short summary/description: The day of the party had finally arrived, a party that would celebrate what Adora and Catra had done for all of them, and to celebrate the end of the war. Castaspella first proposed the idea. She wanted there to be a dance, a cake, and a grand shindig. Most princesses were more than happy to party, but Adora only wanted a private event with her new girlfriend. Casta refused to accept that. She wanted a huge event and Catra agreed, to Adora's surprise. As for Casta, she wanted to introduce her beautiful, wonderful partner to all of them. Since everyone would be wearing their best dresses and suits, it would be the perfect occasion to do so.
Snippet:
When she saw her flowing greyish purple dress, which almost matched her armor, in some ways, Casta was blown away. "You look so beautiful, Juli," she said, using her nickname. Her brownish tan cheeks turned lighter brown. She looked at the colorful, sparkly gown that Casta wore, and said, as she kept blushing, "You look amazing too." Giggling at the comment, all she could say was "Thanks. I'm so glad you are here." Now that the war was over, they could enjoy each other's company and their own lives. There were no villains to fight. Maybe they wouldn't have a happily ever after, because there was always work to do. But, it certainly would be more peaceful than before. There was no doubt of that.
Warnings: light BDSM, spanking, sexual content, references to a doctor sleeping with his patient
Number of comments threads: 0
Completion Status: WIP
Short summary/description: They leave together, after the events at Hill House. It's only natural not to want to spend the night alone after all that. But before they can get anywhere, certain wrongs must be redressed...
Snippet:
"I was wondering where you'd got to." She says, and he doesn't jump. It's funny, he knows her name isn't Miss Scarlet-- moreover, he knows her name, he'd seen it on her invitation. He hadn't thought anything of their knowing each other's names before they actually got to the house and learned what they were there for. He knows this, and yet he still thinks of her as Miss Scarlet, after a night of everyone addressing her as such.
"I got to here."
"It's freezing."
"Hm." He sucks in a breath through his nose. "I guess it's too late to call a mechanic. For your car."
"It's the middle of the night." She nods. "So probably, yes. Aren't you freezing?"
