hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

REVEALS ARE HERE

Hello! Now that reveals are over, a masterpost of all of the gorgeous new fic! Thank you to everyone who posted in this exchange, commented, left kudos. You really made this exchange come alive! 

And By a Sleep, to Say We End the Heartache by laceblade for Srw 

No summary. (Ronan/Tommy)

And they were roommates?! by catpennies for bigpunktapes (biggayghost) 

Lovett was not supoosed to have roommates. This was not the plan. (Jon F/Tommy, Jon F/Jon L/Tommy)

Are You Writing Your Vows? We Don't Even Have A Date Yet. by Srw for Moreanswers24 

Ronan thinks that he's going to get a head start on writing his vows. (Ronan/Jon L)

But maybe we're the same by thetimesinbetween for swishandflick 

"One sec," Lovett says, already tapping at his phone. "Let me ask Ronan if he’s all right with me offering to let you drink from the source, or if he aiming for us to be, like, super super exclusive to the point where no other man can touch me."

Tommy opens his mouth, but Lovett is already hitting send.

Tommy's phone buzzes. Lovett has renamed their groupchat “bloodbag?” (Ronan/Jon L, Ronan/Jon L/Tommy)

close enough to touch by somehowunbroken for HereWeAreAtTheEnd 

They come together naturally, and when it all finally clicks—well, Tommy's pretty sure it's going to be amazing.(Jon L/Jon F/Tommy)

come do a friendly thing by kenopsia (indie) for catpennies 

Lovett shrugged. “I think it probably would have been a lot of fun to see Tommy’s face if he walked in on us in a four way post coital cuddle instead of coming back to change early enough to spook us sober. But it’s not like I still… think about it.”

“Clearly,” Emily said. She pulled her legs up to sit on her feet, feeling chilly suddenly. “Since neither of us are here thinking about it.”

(Ronan/Jon L/Emily/Jon F)

Despite the heat it'll be alright by okaystop for fizzy_smile 

It was hot. (Jon L/Tommy)

A Fitting Room for Changing by SelfRescuingPrincess for laceblade 

He's been holding onto these more-than-a-best-friend feelings for over a decade and a half but it always seems not quite right to verbalize anything specific. He second guesses himself and makes “Dear Diary” jokes instead because self-deprecation is safer. Or he straight up talks himself out of it because at this point it's been so long, and what would he even say? And what would Tommy say? What if he ruined everything? Realistically, Lovett should probably say something before he self-combusts, except the thought of losing Tommy- and the potential professional fallout- is ultimately unfathomable. Unbearable. Unimaginable. So, he’ll forget it. Bury it. (Jon L/Tommy)

Hallmark Moments by Moreanswers24 for celli 

Hallmark and Lifetime wish that they could write a relationship as captivating as the one between Jon Favreau and Emily Black.

But if Emily has her way, Hallmark and Lifetime are going to want to write about another relationship instead.

College AU. Pre-JonJon (Emily & Jon F, pre Jon F/Jon L)

here i am, rock you like a hurricane by fizzy_smile for ruthvsreality 

What is with that devilish glint in Dan's blue eyes? (Jon L/Dan)

home is wherever i'm with you by moonlitelupines for Laliandra 

He turns to Tommy and suddenly it’s the easiest thing in the world to lean in and place a kiss on his lips. Lovett hasn’t let himself think about kissing Tommy, a fact true even before he met Ronan. It felt like he was tempting fate by indulging in the fantasy. Because Lovett was sure that’s all it was ever going to be.

But, this isn’t fantasy. This is real.

~ Or, how an earthquake and a questionably functional elevator help Lovett, Ronan, and Tommy see what's been in front of them all along. (Ronan/Jon L, Ronan/Jon L/Tommy)

i want you to love me/i have everything i wanted by tealwall for waronchairs 

“I want to. Even if we don’t hit it off romantically, it would still be nice to third-wheel with you on the boys’ date.” (Jon F/Tommy, Emily/Hanna, Hanna/Tommy, Emily/Jon F)

No before, you are all I can see by swishandflick for kenopsia (indie) 

As fall rapidly swallows the last vestiges of summer, Lovett prepares to leave, and Tommy desperately tries to hold on. (Jon L/Tommy)

No One Knows Where They Belong by celli for whenlifehandsyou 

Jon and Emily are in love with someone else.

Lovett's going to figure out who it is. (Emily/Jon F/Jon L)

perfect use of an imperfect medium by earnestbros (departureboard) for hopefor46 

Human sexuality is complex! Lovett pleads with himself as he adds chips and guacamole to his order. There’s an entire universe between what you find theoretically hot and what you actually want to happen to your physical body.

OR

Lovett stumbles across Jon's porn search history, and he can't help but notice how much of it is Lovett-and-Tommy-adjacent. (Jon F/Jon L/Tommy)

Reach out and touch someone by hopefor46 for moonlitelupines 

Sometimes, middle school math teacher Jon Lovett's teachable moments are best suited for himself. (Jon L/Tommy)

Save Up All the Days by Laliandra for thetimesinbetween 

What you’re supposed to do is let your marker touch it, spend some time in each other’s company and let whatever strange energy that has connected you settle, find out what kind of mark effects you have, if it feels like something that could become a bond.

What Lovett does is dig out his one long sleeved henley and go to bed. (Jon L/Jon F/Tommy)

Shine a little light on me by whenlifehandsyou for tealwall 

It's been a real long pandemic. The foursome is finally alone together again after over a year apart. There's a lot of sex and feelings to catch up on. (Ronan/Emily/Jon F/Jon L)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game by HereWeAreAtTheEnd for okaystop 

When Lovett was growing up, he had always dreamed of playing professional baseball for the New York Yankees. Who knew a 5’7 jewish kid from Long Island would end up an MLB catcher? In spite of the antisemitism he faced and keeping his sexuality hidden, Lovett found dear friends in the Major Leagues, including Boston Red Sox catcher Tommy Vietor.

When the Yankees and Mets face off at a 3 game series at Fenway Park, Lovett is introduced to team captain and star pitcher Jon Favreau. Can Lovett look past Favereau's polished all-American persona or will his initial distrust and the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry keep him from finding something that could change everything? (Jon F/Jon L, Past Ronan/Jon L, Past Tommy/Jon F)

there's a spark in you by somehowunbroken for alotofthingsdifferent 

As it turns out, finding out you have a soulmate is nothing like it is in the movies. (Jon L/Dan)

this is our place, we make the rules by Sonni89 for earnestbros (departureboard) 

Sometimes it takes a truly ridiculous game to realize you’re all in love. Or, life’s fundamental question: can you gay chicken the gay one? (Jon L/Tommy/Jon F)

with the assist by bitterbeets (ginnydear), ginnydear for SelfRescuingPrincess 

Lovett loses a bet and has to wear a Lakers jersey all day. It causes quite the response. (Jon L/Tommy/Jon F)

You Matter to Me by waronchairs for ginnydear 

Five times Tommy and Lovett engage in non-sexual intimacy, and one time they don't. (Tommy/Jon L)

#podsa #hot pod summer #masterlist

[hotpodsummer]

FINAL DAY stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. WOOOOOO!!!!!! Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32675188

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32676595

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32921482

#crookedmediaficexchange #hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

DAY 6 stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32824648

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32674315

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32672251

#hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

DAY 5 stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32717179

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32607505

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32714101

#crookedmediaficexchange #hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

DAY 4 stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32624008?view_full_work=true

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32803288

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32681938

#crookedmediaficexchange #hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

DAY 3 stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32693476

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32676115

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32672269

#hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

DAY 2 stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32736079

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32669029

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32676658

https://archiveofourown.org/works/32674564

#hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

They’re here!!! They’re HERE!!! They’re really here!!!!!!

The first four stories for Hot Pod Summer have been posted. Please enjoy! We encourage you to leave as many comments and kudos as you are able!!

https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32498380 https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32649922 https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32515615 https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/works/32581093

#hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

It’s the LAST DAY, buds!!!!!! If you want to receive a delicious little fic, and write a delicious little fic, sign up NOW. Sign up form here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/signups/new.

SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN FOR HOT POD SUMMER, YOU MAGNIFICENT FLOWERS. Sign up form here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/signups/new.

Rules

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Schedule

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021!!!!!!!!

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

#crookedmediaficexchange #hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

YOU HAVE THREE DAYS TO DECIDE TO SHOWER THIS FANDOM WITH BEAUTIFUL BEAUTIFUL FIC. PRETTY PLEASE!!!!

Sign up here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/signups/new.

SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN FOR HOT POD SUMMER, YOU MAGNIFICENT FLOWERS. Sign up form here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/signups/new.

Rules

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Schedule

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021!!!!!!!!

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

#SIGN UP #hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

SIGN-UPS ARE OPEN FOR HOT POD SUMMER, YOU MAGNIFICENT FLOWERS. Sign up form here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/hotpodsummer2021/signups/new.

Rules

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Schedule

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021!!!!!!!!

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

#hotpodsummer #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

SIGN UPS ARE OPEN, PALS!!! Please click here to make your offers and requests :D

Welcome to the 2021 Hot Pod Summer Exchange! Hot Pod Summer is a fic exchange challenge focused on Crooked Media podcast hosts, contributors to Crooked Media podcasts, real-life partners of pod hosts, and/or Crooked Media employees.

Last Day of Nominations! Go to the tag set to lock in your sweet, sweet ships! You're allowed to nominate up to 5 relationships during the nomination phase.

Rules:

You can nominate anyone who is a Crooked Media podcast host, a contributor to a Crooked Media podcast, any real-life partners of pod hosts, or any Crooked Media employees.

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Your work must be archive locked so only registered users can access it.

How do I get in touch with the mods for this exchange? You can email us at [email protected]. 

Schedule

Nominations: April 30th-May 6th, 2021

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021 

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?) 

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021 

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Staggered reveals: July 25th-30th, 2021

Author reveals: August 5th, 2021

FAQ

Nominations

What can I nominate?

You can nominate relationships that include anyone associated with Crooked Media as a podcast host or contributor, a real-life partner of a pod host, or a Crooked Media employee.

A relationship can include two or more people. Please note that romantic relationships are denoted by / and platonic relationships are denoted by &. Thus, if you’d like to see a romantic story between person A and person B, you’d nominate that relationship as A/B. If you wanted to receive purely platonic fic without any romantic components, you’d nominate them as A&B. You can also combine & and / and nominate, for example, A/B & C, in which case A/B would be romantic and C would be a platonic part of the ship.

How do I nominate relationships for this exchange?

Go to the tag set! You're allowed to nominate up to 5 relationships during the nomination phase.

Sign-ups

How do sign-ups work?

On the collection page, find the button that says ‘Sign up’ and follow the prompts. You can request and offer any of the previously nominated relationships (no matter if you nominated them or not). You can request between 3 and 6 relationships for which you’d like to receive fic, and can offer to write between 4 and 10 relationships.

Do I have to write a letter to my author?

No, you do not have to write a letter to your author, though you are absolutely welcome to write a letter with optional details, prompts, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Leaving your author optional details in the sign-up field is not required either, but strongly encouraged. The details are optional, but some authors find it helpful to know what kind of story you’d like to receive, which tropes or prompts you’d really like to see written, or what your Do Not Wants (DNWs) are.

How does matching work?

The Hot Pod Summer exchange matches on relationships. Your assigned recipient will have requested at least one relationship that you offered to write. If you have entered optional details or DNWs in your AO3 sign-up boxes, these may also be taken into account when matching. Once matching is done, you will receive an email with your recipient’s AO3 username and their requests.

Assignments

What are the requirements for the story I’m writing?

Your story must feature at least one of the relationships requested by your recipient. It must also be a complete story (no “I’m posting chapter 1 now and other chapters later”, please!) of at least 1,500 words.

If I offered more than one ship that my recipient requested, which one do I write? If I want to write a ship they requested that I didn’t offer, am I allowed to do that?

As long as your story features at least one of the ships they requested, you’re good. If you offered more than one of their ships, which one you end up writing is totally up to you.

Is my assignment a secret?

Your assignment is a secret until authors are revealed. Please do not discuss the story you’re writing publicly, we all want to be surprised on reveals day. :) If you need to contact your recipient because you have a question about their sign-up or for whatever other reason, please do not contact them directly, even anonymously! Instead, email us at [email protected] and we will contact your recipient to ensure anonymity is maintained.

What if I can’t complete my assignment before the deadline?

Please reach out to us. We’re here to help, but we have to know if there’s a problem. We have a default deadline set for a week before assignments are due and while we understand that last-minute things can happen, it would really help mods with planning if we got a heads-up from you a week before your assignment is due if you think you won’t be able to turn in a story -- just hit the ‘default’ button on your My Assignments page if you need to. That way, we can send your assignment to a pinch hitter and ensure your recipient doesn’t go gift-less.

Am I guaranteed to receive a gift?

If you signed up for the exchange and turned in a story, you are guaranteed to receive a gift. If you default and your author does not, you will also receive a gift. If you default and your author defaults as well, you may not receive a gift, depending on availability of pinch hitters.

Can I make a fanmix/video/draw fanart instead of writing a story?

This is a writing exchange, so for your assignment, please stick to writing a story of at least 1,500 words. You’re welcome to add art, music, etc. to the story you wrote, but this is primarily a fanfiction exchange.

Can I write more than one story for my recipient?

Oh my god, you overachiever! :) Yes, you totally can. In that case, you’d post the extra gift as a treat, but you’re of course only asked to write one story.

What is a pinch hitter and how do I become one?

A pinch hitter fills in for somebody else who can’t complete their assignment and writes a story for that person’s recipient. A pinch hitter may be somebody who’s already participating in the exchange, but if you aren’t formally participating in the exchange and would like to pinch hit instead, you’re more than welcome to. If you’d like to pinch hit, please fill out the form any time after sign-ups begin (it will be linked here and/or posted on social media) or email us at [email protected].

Can I write treats?

YES. All requests will be made public after assignments go out and if you’re inspired by one (or more!) requests that aren’t your assignment, you’re welcome to write a little bonus story (=a treat) on top of your assignment for anybody else who signed up for the exchange. You may also write treats if you aren’t officially participating in the exchange. Treats do not have to fulfill the minimum word count and may be multimedia.

How do I find a beta reader for my story?

If you’d like another pair of eyes on your story before you publish it, you can email [email protected]. In the email, please tell us: the ship you’re writing, the word count of your story, and what kind of beta you need (for example: SPAG, structure, canon, special knowledge of [certain subject or matter], etc.) and we’ll try our best to connect you with someone to look it over for you, though we can’t guarantee it.

I would like to beta someone else’s story!

Great! Sign up using this form here and if anyone needs a beta, we may contact you with their request.

Posting

How do I post my assignment?

In the top right corner of AO3, where it says “Hi, [your username]”, select “My assignments” from the dropdown menu, find the Hot Pod Summer exchange and click “Fulfill”. You’ll be taken to a form where you can input your story, title, etc. Preview it, make sure it looks how you want it to, and click on Post. Your story will automatically post into the Hod Pod Summer collection as a gift to your recipient. It will remain unrevealed in the collection until an admin reveals it.

Can I edit my story after the deadline?

Yes, you can edit your story until it’s revealed, but please do not upload an unfinished story.

How do I post a treat?

Posting a treat works a little bit differently than posting your assignment. In order to post a treat, you have to visit the Hot Pod Summer collection page (you’re probably on it now if you’re reading this FAQ) and click “Post to collection”. This will take you to a posting form that has the collection name already filled in, so it’ll be posted in the right place. From there, fill in the AO3 name of your treat recipient manually and then input your title, story, etc., preview it to make sure it looks the way you want it to look, and then click on Post.

Story reveals

What are staggered reveals and why are you doing them?

Staggered reveals mean that we’re only publishing a small number of stories at a time every day, thus, you might get your gift on any day during the reveals period. We’re doing this so every story can get the attention it deserves and readers aren’t overwhelmed by a lot of stories dropping at the same time.

How do staggered reveals work?

We will email you the night before the story you wrote will go live (please check your email!). That way, you’ll have the chance to put that day’s date on your story and make sure it appears at the top of the collection once your story is revealed.

Do I have to comment on my gift?

Look, we can’t mandate it, but please comment on your gift. It’s the polite thing to do if somebody else took the time and effort to write a story for you. 

Any other questions?

Email us at [email protected] and one of us will get back to you.

#signups are open!!!!!!!! #let the daydreaming commence :D #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

Last Day of Nominations! Go to the tag set to make sure your sweet, sweet ships are represented! You’re allowed to nominate up to 5 relationships during the nomination phase.

Welcome to the 2021 Hot Pod Summer Exchange! Hot Pod Summer is a fic exchange challenge focused on Crooked Media podcast hosts, contributors to Crooked Media podcasts, real-life partners of pod hosts, and/or Crooked Media employees.

Rules:

You can nominate anyone who is a Crooked Media podcast host, a contributor to a Crooked Media podcast, any real-life partners of pod hosts, or any Crooked Media employees.

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Your work must be archive locked so only registered users can access it.

How do I get in touch with the mods for this exchange? You can email us at [email protected]. 

Schedule

Nominations: April 30th-May 6th, 2021

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021 

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?) 

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021 

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Staggered reveals: July 25th-30th, 2021

Author reveals: August 5th, 2021

Keep reading

#Last day for nominations! #get PUMPED #crookedmediaficexchange

[hotpodsummer]

Welcome to the 2021 Hot Pod Summer Exchange! Hot Pod Summer is a fic exchange challenge focused on Crooked Media podcast hosts, contributors to Crooked Media podcasts, real-life partners of pod hosts, and/or Crooked Media employees.

Rules:

You can nominate anyone who is a Crooked Media podcast host, a contributor to a Crooked Media podcast, any real-life partners of pod hosts, or any Crooked Media employees.

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Your work must be archive locked so only registered users can access it.

How do I get in touch with the mods for this exchange? You can email us at [email protected]. 

Schedule

Nominations: April 30th-May 6th, 2021

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021 

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?) 

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021 

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Staggered reveals: July 25th-30th, 2021

Author reveals: August 5th, 2021

Keep reading

#what a talented fandom you have there #would be a shame if they were lovingly nudged into writing sweet sweet fic #*pls read the prior two tags in lovett's 'bad guy from the 30s' impression #crookedmediaficexchange #hotpodsummer

[hotpodsummer]

Welcome to the 2021 Hot Pod Summer Exchange! Hot Pod Summer is a fic exchange challenge focused on Crooked Media podcast hosts, contributors to Crooked Media podcasts, real-life partners of pod hosts, and/or Crooked Media employees.

Rules:

You can nominate anyone who is a Crooked Media podcast host, a contributor to a Crooked Media podcast, any real-life partners of pod hosts, or any Crooked Media employees.

You can request between 3 and 6 relationships, and offer between 4 and 10 relationships.

Your assignment must be a complete textual story (no WIPs, please) of at least 1,500 words.

Your work must be archive locked so only registered users can access it.

How do I get in touch with the mods for this exchange? You can email us at [email protected]. 

Schedule

Nominations: April 30th-May 6th, 2021

Sign-ups open: May 7th, 2021 

Sign-ups close: May 16th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?) 

Assignments go out: May 17th, 2021 

Default deadline: July 11th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

Assignments due: July 18th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT (what time is that for me?)

Staggered reveals: July 25th-30th, 2021

Author reveals: August 5th, 2021

FAQ

Nominations

What can I nominate?

You can nominate relationships that include anyone associated with Crooked Media as a podcast host or contributor, a real-life partner of a pod host, or a Crooked Media employee.

A relationship can include two or more people. Please note that romantic relationships are denoted by / and platonic relationships are denoted by &. Thus, if you’d like to see a romantic story between person A and person B, you’d nominate that relationship as A/B. If you wanted to receive purely platonic fic without any romantic components, you’d nominate them as A&B. You can also combine & and / and nominate, for example, A/B & C, in which case A/B would be romantic and C would be a platonic part of the ship.

How do I nominate relationships for this exchange?

Go to the tag set! You're allowed to nominate up to 5 relationships during the nomination phase.

Sign-ups

How do sign-ups work?

On the collection page, find the button that says ‘Sign up’ and follow the prompts. You can request and offer any of the previously nominated relationships (no matter if you nominated them or not). You can request between 3 and 6 relationships for which you’d like to receive fic, and can offer to write between 4 and 10 relationships.

Do I have to write a letter to my author?

No, you do not have to write a letter to your author, though you are absolutely welcome to write a letter with optional details, prompts, or whatever else strikes your fancy. Leaving your author optional details in the sign-up field is not required either, but strongly encouraged. The details are optional, but some authors find it helpful to know what kind of story you’d like to receive, which tropes or prompts you’d really like to see written, or what your Do Not Wants (DNWs) are.

How does matching work?

The Hot Pod Summer exchange matches on relationships. Your assigned recipient will have requested at least one relationship that you offered to write. If you have entered optional details or DNWs in your AO3 sign-up boxes, these may also be taken into account when matching. Once matching is done, you will receive an email with your recipient’s AO3 username and their requests.

Assignments

What are the requirements for the story I’m writing?

Your story must feature at least one of the relationships requested by your recipient. It must also be a complete story (no “I’m posting chapter 1 now and other chapters later”, please!) of at least 1,500 words.

If I offered more than one ship that my recipient requested, which one do I write? If I want to write a ship they requested that I didn’t offer, am I allowed to do that?

As long as your story features at least one of the ships they requested, you’re good. If you offered more than one of their ships, which one you end up writing is totally up to you.

Is my assignment a secret?

Your assignment is a secret until authors are revealed. Please do not discuss the story you’re writing publicly, we all want to be surprised on reveals day. :) If you need to contact your recipient because you have a question about their sign-up or for whatever other reason, please do not contact them directly, even anonymously! Instead, email us at [email protected] and we will contact your recipient to ensure anonymity is maintained.

What if I can’t complete my assignment before the deadline?

Please reach out to us. We’re here to help, but we have to know if there’s a problem. We have a default deadline set for a week before assignments are due and while we understand that last-minute things can happen, it would really help mods with planning if we got a heads-up from you a week before your assignment is due if you think you won’t be able to turn in a story -- just hit the ‘default’ button on your My Assignments page if you need to. That way, we can send your assignment to a pinch hitter and ensure your recipient doesn’t go gift-less.

Am I guaranteed to receive a gift?

If you signed up for the exchange and turned in a story, you are guaranteed to receive a gift. If you default and your author does not, you will also receive a gift. If you default and your author defaults as well, you may not receive a gift, depending on availability of pinch hitters.

Can I make a fanmix/video/draw fanart instead of writing a story?

This is a writing exchange, so for your assignment, please stick to writing a story of at least 1,500 words. You’re welcome to add art, music, etc. to the story you wrote, but this is primarily a fanfiction exchange.

Can I write more than one story for my recipient?

Oh my god, you overachiever! :) Yes, you totally can. In that case, you’d post the extra gift as a treat, but you’re of course only asked to write one story.

What is a pinch hitter and how do I become one?

A pinch hitter fills in for somebody else who can’t complete their assignment and writes a story for that person’s recipient. A pinch hitter may be somebody who’s already participating in the exchange, but if you aren’t formally participating in the exchange and would like to pinch hit instead, you’re more than welcome to. If you’d like to pinch hit, please fill out the form any time after sign-ups begin (it will be linked here and/or posted on social media) or email us at [email protected].

Can I write treats?

YES. All requests will be made public after assignments go out and if you’re inspired by one (or more!) requests that aren’t your assignment, you’re welcome to write a little bonus story (=a treat) on top of your assignment for anybody else who signed up for the exchange. You may also write treats if you aren’t officially participating in the exchange. Treats do not have to fulfill the minimum word count and may be multimedia.

How do I find a beta reader for my story?

If you’d like another pair of eyes on your story before you publish it, you can email [email protected]. In the email, please tell us: the ship you’re writing, the word count of your story, and what kind of beta you need (for example: SPAG, structure, canon, special knowledge of [certain subject or matter], etc.) and we’ll try our best to connect you with someone to look it over for you, though we can’t guarantee it.

I would like to beta someone else’s story!

Great! Sign up using this form here and if anyone needs a beta, we may contact you with their request.

Posting

How do I post my assignment?

In the top right corner of AO3, where it says “Hi, [your username]”, select “My assignments” from the dropdown menu, find the Hot Pod Summer exchange and click “Fulfill”. You’ll be taken to a form where you can input your story, title, etc. Preview it, make sure it looks how you want it to, and click on Post. Your story will automatically post into the Hod Pod Summer collection as a gift to your recipient. It will remain unrevealed in the collection until an admin reveals it.

Can I edit my story after the deadline?

Yes, you can edit your story until it’s revealed, but please do not upload an unfinished story.

How do I post a treat?

Posting a treat works a little bit differently than posting your assignment. In order to post a treat, you have to visit the Hot Pod Summer collection page (you’re probably on it now if you’re reading this FAQ) and click “Post to collection”. This will take you to a posting form that has the collection name already filled in, so it’ll be posted in the right place. From there, fill in the AO3 name of your treat recipient manually and then input your title, story, etc., preview it to make sure it looks the way you want it to look, and then click on Post.

Story reveals

What are staggered reveals and why are you doing them?

Staggered reveals mean that we’re only publishing a small number of stories at a time every day, thus, you might get your gift on any day during the reveals period. We’re doing this so every story can get the attention it deserves and readers aren’t overwhelmed by a lot of stories dropping at the same time.

How do staggered reveals work?

We will email you the night before the story you wrote will go live (please check your email!). That way, you’ll have the chance to put that day’s date on your story and make sure it appears at the top of the collection once your story is revealed.

Do I have to comment on my gift?

Look, we can’t mandate it, but please comment on your gift. It’s the polite thing to do if somebody else took the time and effort to write a story for you. 

Any other questions?

Email us at [email protected] and one of us will get back to you.

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