#be_2024

1. SIGN IN TO AO3

If you don’t have an Ao3 account, contact the mods for help!

2. GO TO THE BLACK EMPORIUM SIGNUP FIELD (LINK)

3. SCROLL TO THE “REQUESTS” FIELD

Once nominations are finished, you'll be able to sign up. In your sign-up, you'll specify the works you'd like to receive and the works you're willing to create. (They do not necessarily have to be the same!)

You must fill out at least three requests and three offers. You may only select each pairing once, but may give multiple ideas per pairing in your prompt.

If you are interested in receiving Mature- or Explicit-rated works, you must be at least 18 years old and opt-in by checking the appropriate box ("E"); this is not a guarantee you will receive a higher level.

You will have to fill out several fields on the sign-up form:

↳ Relationships

Here you can write in the relationships that you wish to request. As long as it is part of the tag set/eligible nominated pairings, it should be able to be selected here.

If your chosen relationship is in the tag-set but isn't auto-completing, this is unfortunately a bug on AO3's end that we cannot fix -- but if you copy and paste your relationship from the tag-set into this field, you should be able to submit. (Please contact moderators via email at [email protected] if you get an error and let us know what the error was.)

You may list between 1-3 pairings in the same Request field. That does not (necessarily) mean you want all three ships in the same fanwork. We allow multiple pairings in the same Request Field because it allows participants to request up to 30 unique pairings, rather than just 10. Some people group thematically, or by character.

Example of someone requesting three, non-connected pairings. The participant here loosely grouped their "platonic" ships together into one Request Field.

Example of someone requesting a pairing.

↳ Additional Tags

This field is to mark if you're open to receiving fanfiction, fanart, or both (check both boxes), for this request.

Example of someone requesting ONLY fanart for any pairings listed in this Request field.

↳ Ratings (Requests)

If you are open to receiving Mature- or Explicit-rated works, please check the box to indicate your interest. We use the AO3 ratings guide as far as judging what each rating entails.

Any participant under 18 should NOT indicate interest in M or E works, as those are intended for 18+ audiences only.

Please choose your ratings carefully! Indicating interest in receiving higher rating works does not mean you are guaranteed to receive them, just that other people will be allowed to gift them to you in this exchange. If you're not comfortable with that possibility, do not check this box.

This recipient did not check the "Explicit" box; they will not receive any Mature or Explicit level works.

↳ Letter

This is a place to put a link to a letter, if you have one. A letter generally is a completely optional, longer version of the description field, and might include more details you'd like your creator to know, or things like pictures that are hard to paste into the description box.

Letters are commonly hosted on Dreamwidth, Tumblr, Google docs, or other such freely accessible websites.

Please note that the moderators cannot enforce any DNWs you put only in your letter.

Completely optional field. Leave blank if you don't have a letter.

↳ Description

Please feel free to use this field to go into some detail about what you would like; this helps give the creator of your work some different ideas about what they could make for you.

If you are open to treats, please indicate interest. See "Treats" for more.

Examples of prompts or helpful information you could share with your recipient (reminder, your creator is not required to follow your prompts/likes):

General trope likes, e.g., Fluff, First Kiss, Dwarven lore, There Was Only One Bed, Enemies to Lovers, etc.

Stylistic likes, e.g., 2nd person writing, Tarot Card art, chat-fic, etc.

World state options you favor that are relevant to your prompt, e.g., Anora is Queen/Alistair is King, Canon Divergent - Multiple Wardens, Modern AUs, etc.

A sentence or two about why you like the pairing, e.g., "I love Cassandra being flustered around people she likes!"

"What If?" prompts, especially open ended ones, e.g., "What if Blackwall did the Joining ceremony with the Hero of Ferelden in DAO? Or met HoF in the Deep Roads during the Jaws of Hakkon DLC in DAI? Would they have similar perspectives, or different?"

Rating restriction clarifications, e.g., interested in E rated smut, but not E rated violence

Be sure to list your Do Not Wants (DNWs) — if they're not listed in the Description box of your sign up, then the mods cannot enforce your DNWs. If your DNWs are poorly worded or go against exchange rules, they will also be considered unenforceable.

Example Description. This person has NOT opt into treats and cannot receive any. Please see here for more help formulating your DNWs.

4. CONTINUE TO THE “OFFERS” FIELD

The process to Offers is similar to Requests when it comes to pairings and denoting interest in creating fanart and/or fanfic. However, there are a couple differences one should make note of:

↳ Ratings (Offers)

If you are interested in creating Mature- or Explicit-rated works, please check the box to indicate your interest. We use the AO3 ratings guide as far as judging what each rating entails.

Any participant under 18 should NOT indicate in creating M or E works, as those are intended for 18+ audiences only.

Please choose your ratings carefully! You will be matched on this field; if you're not comfortable with receiving prompts that may include NSFW or "E" elements, do not check this box.

↳ "Notes to mods" Field

If you want, you can write notes to the mods, but this isn't required. Some things you might want to include:

If you are under 18 or do not want to receive any "E" requests/prompts from your recipient, please put a simple "No 'E' requests" or in your sign up. This will not disclose your age as we have adult participants who have asked this of mods over the years.

If you're attempting to avoid all spoilers related to Dragon Age: The Veilguard, including any details that may be included in a prompt sign-up, please write a note to alert mods.

The AO3 username of any individual(s) you don't want to be matched with. You don't have to provide a reason as to why you don't want to be matched with someone, but we will rely entirely on the name(s) you enter; if you ask not to be matched with FanficWriter69 but you meant FanficWriter96, we can't guarantee you won't get matched. For the sake of everyone's stress level, triple check any names and make sure you're giving us their AO3 username.

Please do not use this field to ask to be matched with a specific person.

↳ "Any Relationship" Box

If you would like, you can offer to create a work for "Any Relationship."

PLEASE ONLY CHECK THIS BOX IF YOU TRULY MEAN ANY RELATIONSHIP.

The only qualifications you can make are the category of pairings (i.e. F/F, F/M, M/M, Other, Gen, or Multi) or by DA game (i.e. DAO, DA2, DAI). You cannot differentiate by any other qualification or request.

An example of someone offering to draw fanart for any F/F pairing.

An example of someone offering to create fanart and/or fanfiction for the pairing "Fenris & Donnic Hendyr," but requesting not to be matched with a specific user.

5. A NOTE ON MATCHING

After sign-ups are completed, creators and recipients are matched based on their sign-ups. Matches are one-way; that is, while it is possible A may write for B and B may write for A, you are more likely to have A writing for B, and B writing for C, and C writing for A.

You will be assigned to someone who has at least one request that matches at least one of your offers for the below two fields: relationship pairing and type of fanwork.

You will be matched with someone who requested:

at least one of the pairings for which you offered to write or draw ("Relationship" field), and

at least one type of fanwork you offered ("Additional Tags" field aka fanfic, fanart, or both — if both, you can create an assignment in either format; you are not obligated to create two assignments), and

whether or not you've both indicated interest in Mature- or Explicit-rated content ("E" checkbox)

A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO CREATING & POSTING UNDER THE CUT:

1. MATCHING

After sign-ups are completed, creators and recipients are matched based on their sign-ups. Matches are one-way; that is, while it is possible A may write for B and B may write for A, you are more likely to have A writing for B, and B writing for C, and C writing for A.

You will be assigned to someone who has at least one request that matches at least one of your offers for the below two fields: relationship pairing and type of fanwork.

You will be matched with someone who requested:

at least one of the pairings for which you offered to write or draw ("Relationship" field), and

at least one type of fanwork you offered ("Additional Tags" field aka fanfic, fanart, or both -- if both, you can create an assignment in either format; you are not obligated to create two assignments), and

whether or not you've both indicated interest in Mature- or Explicit-rated content ("E" checkbox)

You are guaranteed to have a match by the end of the date listed under "Assignments" in the schedule. If you do not have a match by then, please contact the mods via email.

Once matching is done, you will receive an email with your assignment and it will also be listed under "My Assignments" on AO3. Since everyone must put in at least three requests, it is likely that your assignment will include pairings that you did not request along with at least one you did.

If you do not think you'll be able to create anything for your recipient, reach out to a mod ASAP for solutions.

2. TIME TO CREATE!

After you receive your assignment, you should select a pairing in your assignment that interests you and start working on your fanwork. The pairing does not have to be the one you signed up with -- if there's something else that catches your eye, you're most welcome to run with it! You will have several weeks to complete your assignment.

If your recipient provided prompts or suggestions or OCs, we recommend trying to incorporate some of them (or the spirit of them), but it isn't required. Authors and artists will not be forced to create content they do not want to. The only thing artists and authors are required to do is to meet the criteria for a finished assignment (see "Assignment Requirements").

Writers are encouraged to make use of a beta reader or sensitivity reader. If you don't know where to find a beta, contact the mods or ask in the Discord.

↳ Assignment Requirements

For this exchange, a work must fit the below criteria to be considered "complete" and officially fulfill your assignment. It is the responsibility of all exchange participants to only submit works that meet these requirements, so please review them carefully.

Fic Assignments

Gifted solely to your assigned recipient;

Must be a minimum of 1,000 words;

The main pairing of the work must be one of the recipient's requested pairings;

Does not exceed the rating limit of the recipient;

Does NOT include any of your recipient's do-not-wants (DNWs)*;

The work must be original and can be enjoyed without any context other than the work itself;

Has a definite beginning, middle, and end; feels "complete" even if the ending may be open-ended;

Does NOT contain an excessive amount of spelling, punctuation, formatting, and/or grammar errors;

Appropriately tagged for rating and content, especially if it contains content that falls under AO3's Archive Warnings. Alternatively, you can utilize the "Choose Not to Warn" option;

Cannot consist of AI-based writing (i.e. running prompts through a chat bot).

Art Assignments

Gifted solely to your assigned recipient;

Must be, at minimum, clean lineart (hand-drawn or digital);

The main pairing of the work must be one of the recipient's requested pairings;

Does not exceed the rating limit of the recipient;

Does NOT include any of your recipient's do-not-wants (DNWs)*;

The work must be original and can be enjoyed without any context other than the work itself;

Appropriately tagged for rating and content, especially if it contains content that falls under AO3's Archive Warnings. Alternatively, you can utilize the "Choose Not to Warn" option;

Cannot consist of AI generated artwork (i.e. running prompts through an image creation bot).

*In some cases, listed DNWs may be seen as unenforceable by moderators. See "Do-Not-Wants (DNWs)" section for more.

If you sign up to participate, but realize you either need an extension (more time) or need to default (leave the exchange without completing your assignment), please contact a mod ASAP. There is no shame in defaulting and no reason has to be given. However, the earlier we know, the earlier we can plan for it and arrange for a pinch hitter if needed.

↳ Adhering to Rating Levels

If you are under 18 years old, do NOT create any work Mature- or Explicit-rated.

If you are at least 18 years old AND your recipient has indicated interest in receiving gifts that are Mature- or Explicit-rated, it is your choice which rating level to go with.

↳ "Mega-Pairing" Exceptions

Please note that we do review works with threesomes/moresomes or non-binary versions of mega-pairings to ensure that they embody the spirit of the exchange.

For example, if a work is turned in with a nonbinary character in a pairing, such as Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas, we would look at any work turned in to make sure that Lavellan is indeed nonbinary when paired with Solas and isn't referred to as "she" or "he" exclusively through the work.

Likewise, with a threesome that includes a larger pairing (such as "Female Lavellan/Solas/Vivienne"), we would like to make sure that all three characters have some representation within the work.

While not every partner needs to have equal participation, we expect any triad/moresome relationship to have some participation from all parties. Even in a V-triad, if character A is the shared point between A/B and A/C, we expect both A/B and A/C to be present in the work..

Simply put: if your mega-pair is the main component of your fic, and the third person is more of a third wheel than an active member, that goes against the spirit of the exchange.

3. POSTING YOUR WORK

All assignments must be complete and posted to the collection by the Assignments Due Date. Do not reveal your work on other platforms before the Creator Reveals date.

You may post a work to the collection at any time. If you post to the collection before Work Reveals, it will be hidden until then. You may continue to edit your fanwork until assignments are revealed.

If you post to the collection after Work Reveals, it may take a short amount of time for a moderator to approve it into the collection.

And if you post to the collection after Creator Reveals, just message a mod -- we're happy to approve it into the collection, but we cease monitoring the queue after Creator Reveals.

↳ Submitting a work with Multiple Recipients

When you create a new work on AO3, in the field to gift to an individual, you can add all the recipients you wish to gift to.

↳ Moderator Check-Ins

As this is a moderated exchange, after works are turned in, mods review submissions before approving them into the collection. It is the responsibility of all participants to only submit complete works.

If Assignment Requirements are NOT met, or if they require clarification, we may reach out to the creator.

We will NOT check to see if the creator included specific prompts, OCs, tropes, AUs, etc., that a recipient has requested. Those are optional details left up to the creator.

Situations where we might reach out include but are not limited to:

The work appears to be unfinished or has technical difficulties in display (no paragraph breaks, art that doesn't display, etc).

We noticed the work violates a recipient's DNW.

The work does not include any of the recipient's requested pairings or requested work format.

The work appears to be addressed to the wrong recipient.

Freeform tags are chosen that don't match the work.

An author's note is unacceptable in behavior due to being insulting, against AO3 ToS, etc.

Full Participation Walkthrough Guide || FAQ

Important things to remember: 

Pairings/groups must be nominated in order to be requested during the next phase of the exchange, Sign-Ups.

Nominations require a set format — keep reading for more details

All nominations should be under Dragon Age - All Media Types.

Pairings/groups cannot have more than 300 completed works on AO3.

We allow original characters in this exchange as well as canon characters. 

Nominating a pairing/group is not “binding”; you do not need to request or offer the pairing later.

Nomination Formatting: 

All nominations should be nominated under the “Dragon Age - All Media Types” fandom. 

Nominations do not need to auto-complete to be accepted; if Ao3 does not complete your ideal nomination, just type it in manually. 

For romantic/sexual relationships, please nominate the characters you wish to nominate with a “/” between each character. For familial, platonic, or otherwise non-sexual requests, please use a “&.” e.g., “Meredith Stannard & Orsino” would not have any sexual or romantic undertones. “Meredith Stannard/Orsino” would be considered sexual and/or romantic, even if the fanwork itself didn’t include any sexual acts.

Nominations should be spelled correctly. e.g., “Merrill”, not “Meril”

Nominations should ideally be in alphabetical order, by last name. If a character does not have a last name, use the first name instead. e.g., “Zevran Arainai/The Iron Bull/Solas”

If a character has multiple names or aliases, go by their “main” name. e.g., “Blackwall”, not “Thomas ‘Thom’ Rainier”

For Dragon Age player-characters (such as the Warden, Hawke, and Inquisitor, etc.), we treat different surnames and gender as different characters. Female Surana will be evaluated differently from Female Brosca, Male Surana, etc.

Nominating Dragon Age “Player Characters”

For the purposes of this challenge, the Dragon Age protagonists will be considered different characters based on their gender and surname. The three genders we utilize for this exchange are: Male, Female, and Nonbinary. 

When nominating characters, please format as such: 

Male [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Male Trevelyan)

Female [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Female Hawke)

Nonbinary [Warden Surname / Hawke / Inquisitor Surname]  (e.g., Nonbinary Brosca)

So, for example: “Male Trevelyan/Male Cousland” will be accepted as a nomination; “Inquisitor/Warden” will not.

You can nominate pairings where one version of the pairing is over the limit as long as the version you nominate qualifies. For example, you can request “Male Lavellan/Solas” or “Nonbinary Lavellan/Solas,” even if “Female Lavellan/Solas” is over the limit. 

Customized or individualized Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are not valid nominations. For example, “Mary Trevelyan/Vivienne” would be ineligible; the requester would need to use “Female Trevelyan/Vivienne,” “Male Trevelyan/Vivienne” or “Nonbinary Trevelyan/Vivienne.”

In your prompts in your sign-up, you can request preferred details (such as specific OCs, a first name, looks, personality traits, class, background, etc.), and creators may choose to incorporate those elements into their gift for you. However, creators are not required to incorporate those preferred details, and works will not be checked for that by moderators.

Nominating "Dragon Age: The Veilguard" Characters

Yes, DATV characters are eligible for nominations!

For nominating "Rook," reports show that Rook's surname will be decided by faction, though the surname options haven't yet been revealed at the time of updating the Walkthrough/FAQ. Therefore, to make it easier for future tag-wrangling, please nominate Rook by gender (Female, Male, Nonbinary) and faction (as we currently know them):

Grey Wardens

Veil Jumpers

Shadow Dragons

Lords of Fortune

Mourn Watch

Antivan Crows

Eligible nominations could include: "Female Shadow Dragon Rook" or "Nonbinary Antivan Crow Rook" or "Male Mourn Watch Rook."

Nominating Characters from Other Canons (i.e. Crossovers)

We allow crossovers from other series so long as they are interacting with at least one canonical character. However, when nominating a character from another specific series, please put the name of the fandom the character is from in parenthesis after the name, for example: “The Iron Bull & James Vega (Mass Effect)”

For crossovers that are from different media within the Dragon Age fandom, no specification is needed, e.g., “Merrill/Solas.” 

Nominating Other Original Characters

Original Characters who are not Wardens/Hawkes/Inquisitors are also allowed to be nominated, provided they follow the following guidelines:

The OC is listed in such a way as to give someone freedom in how to write them. 

OCs should be generalized or archetypal. e.g., “my OC Gerald D’Vivir” is too individualized and customized, but “Male Orlesian Noble” is eligible

A good rule of thumb here is whether the character idea can be summed up in 3 or less words; if you can, it is probably a good option. If you cannot, it probably is too complex for this kind of exchange. e.g., "Tal-Vashoth Mercenary" or "Original Templar Character" is eligible; but "Older Blonde Warrior Dwarven Warden Widower” is not

If the gender of an OC is considered important to your request, please include it. If you are fine with any gender option, gender does not need to be added, and the creator of the work can choose their choice of gender options for the character. e.g., "Orlesian Noble" or "Female Orlesian Noble”

The OC is not listed in such a way that would, essentially, reflect the spirit of a canon character that is otherwise not permitted in a relationship. 

As an example, while it is possible to have an Original Female Elf Inquisitor who is not Lavellan, it is so close to canon based on that description that it would essentially function as the same character.

Lastly...

Treat Requirements

All criteria for treats are the same as for Assignment Requirements, except that:

Fanfic treats can be any length and fanart treats can be any medium

Treats can be gifted to more than one recipient, so long as it fits everyone's requests/DNWs/ratings.

Treats can be gifted to the exchange as a whole, so long as the central pairing(s) are eligible.

How To Receive Treats

Treats are OPT-IN. A recipient will need to enable treats on AO3, and include their preferences for treats in each request in the description box. If they only want certain types of treats (fanfic vs fanart, single recipient vs multi-recipient, etc.), check the description box for their preferences.

If a participant does NOT specify treat preferences, we will assume they do not want to receive any!

Multi-Recipient Treats

When creating multi-recip treats, try to keep the following in mind:

Does the treat hit anything on any recipients' DNW list, including whether or not they're open to receiving multi-recipient treats

Does the treat fit requests for all recipients?

It's better to create a treat for fewer people that closely fits all recipients' requests and preferences than to gift a treat to many people that only fits one person's requests.

How to Post Treats

Very simple! Go to the Black Emporium 2024 AO3 Collection page. At the top right side of the page, find a button called "Post to Collection."

Click that button, and it will take you to a Post New Work page. Fill out as normal.

Any questions?

Unsure or unclear if someone would be open to treat, or a specific type of type? Want to create a treat for someone who hasn't signed up in the exchange this year?