Dream big. Pray bigger.

Ladies, gents, and everything in between, we're in the throes of summer, and that usually means having some kind of fun get-togethers. Since we're all internet buds and can't do that, how about another exchange led by moi? I've already kept you waiting for a while since I posted the poll, so without further ado, let's get into it!

The rules and regulations are simple, but they exist nonetheless, so here they are:

The exchange, for now, is open until August 20th. I may extend it if people are interested.

You may make 1–2 requests, but I will probably reblog it, saying you can ask for more because I always do (hehe).

Please reblog this post to spread some awareness. You can like for remembrance, but just a like doesn’t count (you already know this; I know my five regulars who come here every time)!

When it comes to these exchanges, I have become the mama duck, and you are my little ducklings, and the ducklings in my pond rarely change, so I think you know how these work already.

Fill out the form linked below and find the password in the form!

Please only send me face claims with good quality and plenty of material to use. Also, no cartoon characters. Video game characters may work, depending on the animation style. I’m not trying to discriminate; it can just be really tough for me to find material for cartoons, anime, video games, etc., as I edit by making little video clips first and so on. However, if you slide in my DMs, we might be able to discuss something.

Please, please, please fill out all the columns I need and choose at least two gift options. I just like to have a fallback in case one gift doesn’t work out for any reason, though I usually do post two gifts for everyone.

Remember the please’s and thank you’s; please’s and thank you’s make my heart grow fonder.

I don’t do Harry Potter OCs, and while I don’t have a specific list of FCs I don’t use, I ask that you do not request anything for overtly problematic actors. Thank you!

I accept pretty much any gift in return: GIF edits, mood boards, playlists, story reviews, drawings/art—anything is fine. If it’s a story review, please let me know in the form so I know you did, as I don’t check my accounts every day. You can find my writing platforms in my pinned post.

I’m fine with gifts for any of my OCs; my master list as well as the links to my Pinterest and Spotify are in my pinned post.

Please remember that in order for me to post my gifts for you, I need to know you have given me a gift first. I don’t want to sound greedy in any form; I have just had issues with this before. I do want to make everyone who hands in a form a gift, and it hurts when I can’t. If you submitted and can’t make gifts for any reason that comes up, it’s totally fine; I will most likely do another exchange in no time.

FOR ANY OTHER QUESTIONS OR CONCERNS, FEEL FREE TO SEND ME A MESSAGE, AND I WILL TRY TO CLEAR EVERYTHING

HERE IS THE SUMMER FORM; FOR FOR EXCHANGE IS HERE; CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE EXCHANGE

I was talking about abandoned unfinished fics on Discord when someone said along the lines "FR bro I don't even read fic if not marked as completed" and that made me scootch my chair out to think a bit.

I think that's a little cruel, refusing to engage with a fic because its not 100% done yet.

Not only are people who do this missing out on great experiences, but its a refusal to engage with the author. It's refusing to acknowledge the author's effort in sharing something they worked a lot of hours on.

Like I get it. Nobody wants to take the cliffhanger or get mad that a fic they let live rent-free in they head disappeared into the ether, never to be updated again.

But that's part of life sometimes man. Sometimes stories are left unfinished. That didn't stop people from loving it as it was and taking inspiration.

Case in point is the manga Berserk. Highly influential series that inspired lots of others (e.g. Dark Souls, Elden Ring, even you guy's favourite Black Butler) amongst other things. The author Kentaro Miura struggled with juggling other projects and his declining health. He died before it was finished. But without this series being read and becoming popular, a lot of things we enjoy would have been really different. FF7 Cloud would have been carrying a little baby Fischer Price sword maybe idk.

So please, I invite you to engage with unfinished fanfic, whether it's one chapter done, or seven out of thirty planned. Give it your time and your comments.

Fanfic writers are not as visible a part of fandom community as artists or cosplayers. When a fic writer posts on social media or TikToks it doesn't make the same numbers as a cosplayer posting part of they fit or an artist posting a WIP.

But boys would cry, scream, throw up, piss they pants, shit and possibly die if Ao3 and FFnet were taken down permanently.

But interacting with the fic as its posted chapter by chapter? That's giving the writer that connection to the community one would give an artist or cosplayer when their work is still cooking.

I don't want this post to make people feel like they're being guilt tripped into participating in reading and commenting on fics. But there's really few ways I can convey how this is vital to the fandom ecosystem. It's like thanking the bus driver or washing your hands. If you don't wash your hands I will curse your crops.

Tl;dr: plz read unfinished fic and comment too thank you

EDIT: Some people gave good additions some had some wacky tobaccy takes so I want to clarify the following:

1 - This applies to fics someone would normally read and enjoy the theoretical fic, but won't because it's unfinished. I'm not telling boys to read every longfic under the sun. If you prefer short fic you can enjoy that.

2 - This is a fandom etiquette thing I wanted to highlight, St Peter won't bar the gates of Heaven if you still do it. The thing about etiquette is that when nobody does it, fandom would be worse off for it and we should strive to be better neighbors in fandom.

3 - Fic adoption is a thing, and don't be shy to ask about it. So is spiritual successor fics, you don't need an author's blessing to continue where an abandoned fic left off as long as you give due credit to the original. Neither are perfect solutions.

Creatives should realize taking another creative's work, because they aren't satisfied with the outcome or because circumstances happen, is stealing. It's not a hard concept.

...Trying to bear the toils of war, Queen Alicent often sought solace in the company of her youngest daughter, the Princess Alerie. Reputed to greatly physically resemble her mother, Alerie was renowned for her merry disposition, preferring above all to dance and chase clouds atop dragonback. But after witnessing the slaughter of her nephew, Jaehaerys, the princess became possessed by grief, desiring nothing more than to bestow vengeance upon the architect of her misery. Ignoring her mother's pleas, she mounted her dragon, Hexos, and flew to where Daemon Targaryen had issued a challenge for her brother, Aemond, to come face him. Finding himself instead confronted by his niece, Daemon was said to have merely smiled, amused at the idea of such a ferocious opponent, only to almost earn a dagger in the guts for his effrontery. At this unexpected assault upon his personage, Daemon was seen to swiftly draw Dark Sister. Only the timely arrival of the Prince Aemond and his concubine saved Alerie from certain death by it's sharp point...