As hard as it is to believe, we are only a few hours away from the opening of the Jaime x Brienne 2023 Fic Exchange collection! I know, I know, it feels like prompts went out yesterday. But it's okay if you aren't quite done yet--the posting window is two weeks, so there's still time!
However, if you do know you cannot complete a fic please reach out to me as soon as possible so a knight writer can be arranged. Life happens and there’s no shame in needing a little help.
Now with the collection opening soon, here’s some FAQ on posting!
The exchange portal will open at midnight UTC on August 21st. Once it opens, there are two options:
Go to the collection here, and in the top right there will be a ‘Post to Collection’ button
Upload your fic to ao3 as usual, and make sure you enter JaimeBrienneFicExchange2023 in the collection field.
From here, the process is the same. Fill in the relevant details and ensure you put your recipient’s AO3 name in the ‘Gift this work to’ field. Double check your original prompt to ensure you have the correct name. A few people have different tumblr/AO3 names and we don’t want any fics to go astray.
If you’ve already made an AO3 draft before the 21st, make sure you add it to the collection and put in your recipient’s username in the fields mentioned above, and make sure you change the date when posting (or your fic will be buried). Be aware it can cause some shenanigans where the fic may not appear at the top of the page.
After that, it’s as simple as clicking post! Your fic will be submitted to the exchange and automatically be made anonymous.
I can see my name, something went wrong!
Deep breath. As the author, when you open your own fic (posted or in a draft), it will say ‘Anonymous [YourUsername]’, but to other users it will simply say ‘Anonymous’. If that is not how it appears, double check that it is added to the correct collection and reach out if you still have a problem.
Author’s names will not be revealed until September 12th, when I click the button to reveal them. Feel free to reply to comments during that week. As long as you are logged into the account that posted the fic, all of your comments will also be anonymised.
What about Lil’ Oathkeepers?
I’m glad you asked, imaginary exchange participant that’s totally not me talking to myself! A Lil’ Oathkeeper is a gift that can be any size and shape. It can be art! A video edit! A moodboard! A fic shorter than 1000 words! Or… a fic longer than a 1000 words, but you probably know that. Anyone (you don’t even have to be signed up to the exchange) can make and gift a Lil’ Oathkeeper. I’ll be releasing the prompt spreadsheet and posting instructions once all gifts are posted.
Can I thank my beta in the notes of my story?
Absolutely you can! The betas of the fandom work HARD, they definitely deserve recognition. Just be mindful of including anything in your notes that might reveal who you are. You could choose to name your beta, or just thank them generally and add their name after authors have been revealed.
What if I don’t receive a story?
Everyone gets a story. Authors have until September 4th to post a complete fic, so chances are they just haven’t posted yet. It also might be because your fic needed a knight writer to write it. If this is the case, know that your knight is probably working very diligently to complete it, but might not be able to complete it within the posting window. If it looks like your fic will be significantly delayed (like until after authors are revealed) we will contact you directly to let you know what’s up.
What’s the etiquette around thanking my author?
It can be hard to know what to say when you get a gift fic. Maybe it takes the prompts somewhere you hadn't imagined, or maybe you love it so much high-pitched pterodactyl noises are all you can manage. Maybe it's both. But it is good manners to leave a kudos and a comment. It doesn't have to be a long comment, and length does not equal love, but your author worked hard and deserves to have that effort recognised.
And if you don't quite have time to read your gift right now? Please pop in and say so if you can!
Please don’t do this until authors have been revealed through the collection. Once they have, go wild!
Absolutely! Share the love! You can choose to rec it while it’s still anonymous, or wait until the authors are revealed. It’s up to you.
Have another question that hasn’t been answered in the FAQs? Just reach out! I can be reached via Tumblr, Discord, or [email protected] and will get back to you ASAP!
Another post will go out once the collection is opened, but for now: keep calm and have fun. I can’t wait to see what you’ve created!
