Five Figure Fanwork Exchange

GREAT GRATZ (gratitude and congratulations) to pinch hitters! We have several outstanding pinch hits to claim.

If anyone has a pinch hit for this round of fffx but did not sign up at the start of the exchange to get both an assignment and a gift, you are welcome to leave prompts of your own here, in the comments. This round's tag set contains fandoms, characters, ships, and concepts that participants are already interested in, but you don't have to stick to what's already there - give prompts for whatever fandom(s) you want.

Please give your AO3 name and specify if you're interested in art, fic, or both. Please do not say whose pinch hit you are working on. Please make sure your AO3 preferences are set to allow you to receive unassigned gifts.

There is no minimum treat length - works submitted in response to these prompts may be shorter than 20 panels or 5,000 words.

Works for pinch hitters (including treats for past pinch hitters, at the tag) can be counted towards the achievements at triplecrownofexchanges (should they be resurrected). Or, if you were considering a treat in this exchange (thank you) and the existing requests haven't sparked an idea yet, maybe a new prompt will.

We've passed check-in week!

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The following pinch hits & the pinch hits on the last post are due at 11:59pm EST on Saturday January 24th 2026. To claim, please reply with your AO3 name, and let me know which recipient/PH number you want. You're also welcome to claim by emailing mod.modzilla@gmail.com. You can swap from your current assignment to a pinch hit; if so, please say that's what you're doing - otherwise I'll assume you're picking up an assignment on top of any current assignments.

Minimum requirements: An art gift must be a completed comic at least 10 pages or 40 panels long; a fic gift must be a story at least 10,000 words long. You can also fulfil a pinch hit by giving two complete half-length works, if your recipient has opted into that for the fandom(s) you are creating in. Any work must be for a fandom your recipient has requested and one character/relationship/worldbuilding tag requested in that fandom, and must avoid their DNWs.

Pinch hits can now be claimed in 5k or 20-panel increments if the recipient has opted into receiving half-length works. Please say in your claim if you're claiming a pinch hit for 5k (fic) or 20 panels (comic), and for what fandom.


( PARTLY CLAIMED - Pinch hit #39 - fic - Stargate Atlantis, Kolja | Kolya (1996), Cesta do pravěku | Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955), Jurassic Park Original Trilogy (Movies) )

This pinch hit can be fulfilled with one 5k story.

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( Pinch hit #40 - art, fic - ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon, The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells, Superman (Movie 2025), Original Work, The Amazing Digital Circus (Web Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series) )

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( Pinch hit #41 - fic - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen, DCU (Comics, Numb3rs (TV) )

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( Pinch hit #45 - art, fic [varies by request] - Dragon Age (Video Games), Breaking Bad, Succession (TV 2018), The Owl House (Cartoon), Falsettos - Lapine/Finn )

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Click for links to CLAIMED pinch hit requests!

Pinch hit #36 - fic - Final Fantasy XII x4, Metaphor: ReFantazio (Video Game), Persona 5, Wolf's Rain (Anime), Final Fantasy XV

Pinch hit #37 - art, fic - 人渣反派自救系统 - 墨香铜臭 | The Scum Villain's Self-Saving System - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù, Wind Breaker (Anime), 悪役令嬢の中の人 | Akuyaku Reijou no Naka no Hito | The One Within the Villainess (Manga), 9-1-1 (TV)

Canon promo post: The One Within the Villainess

Pinch hit #38 - fic - Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling x3, Superman (Movie 2025), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy, True Blood (TV)

Pinch hit #42 - art, fic - Yellowjackets (TV), Doctor Who (2005), The Librarians (TV 2014), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV), Agatha All Along (TV)

Pinch hit #43 - art, fic - Original Work, ダンジョン飯 | Dungeon Meshi | Delicious in Dungeon, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia (Anime & Manga), The Amazing Digital Circus (Web Series)

Pinch hit #44 - art, fic [varies by request] - Men's Hockey RPF, Wednesday (TV 2022), Outlast (Video Games), Original Work, Glee (TV 2009)

Pinch hit #46 - fic - Superman (Movie 2025), The Librarians (TV 2014), Leverage (US TV 2008), Crossover Fandom [various], Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies), Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Captain America (Chris Evans Movies)>

Thanks to everyone who has checked in so far! If you haven't had a chance yet, or you've been debating whether to continue or default, please make your decision and respond by 11:59pm EST, 30 November (see countdown).

For checking in, please click on this link and check in at the previous post.

This is the beta post for the 2025-2026 round of fffx.

Please comment below if you can offer brainstorming, critique, canon-checking, fact-checking, or tips on structure, perspective, or visual effects for art or stories in this exchange! Thank you to all volunteers.

Sign-up summary of requested fandoms
Requests in the app
Tag set

Please include a way to contact you. Here is an optional template to fill out:

<strong>AO3 name</strong>: <strong>How to contact you</strong>: <strong>Fandoms</strong>: <strong>Specific topics of expertise</strong>: <strong>What can you beta and when? (Media, content, length, doc types, availability by calendar)</strong>:

Again, thank you!!

• We also have outstanding pinch hits available.


• Check-in week for this exchange is November 23-30.

I hope your assignments are, by and large, well suited to you!

Sometimes you and your recipient are not a great fit. Or sometimes you're excited about a request during sign-ups, and the moment you get assigned to it, you wonder what you were thinking. So: swaps.

If you would like to swap to any other participant, please get in touch before 11:59pm EDT, Thursday 25 September - mod.modzilla@gmail.com. Most swap requests can be granted.

After that time passes, you can still swap your assignment in the following circumstances:

-The request you want is a pinch hit. You can swap to any pinch hit until the January deadline.
-Your assigned recipient has an incomplete letter. You are welcome to swap to another recipient, whether they are a pinch hit or not, until the January deadline.

I think I've responded to all the swaps requests I've received so far - please contact me again if I've missed replying to you.

Thanks to the people I've heard back from!

I still need to hear from P and also from two other people - C and S. In one case I need some sign-up details and in another case unfortunately there is a cascading matching issue - so if your name starts with s and you (appear to) have one possible recipient, please check your email.

I was a little delayed in catching up to late nominations, but I think we're caught up now, except for:

Ciel Phantomhive & Phantomhive Servants (Kuroshitsuji)
What sort of group are the Servants please - who is included?

Cang Qiong Mountain Sect Qing Generation Peak Lords/Shen Jiu | Original Shen Qingqiu (SVSSS)
What sort of group are the Peak Lords please - who is included?

If these labels describe an amorphous set of unnamed characters, OR if they describe a specific, discrete group of characters of ten or fewer members, I'm happy to approve as nominated - otherwise these nominations may need to be adjusted.

Reminder: sign-ups are open until 11:59pm EDT, September 11. You have a bit over three days to either sign up, or edit your existing sign-up. See this countdown.

Reminder two: because I got things running a little late this year, there's a far smaller cushion between sign-ups closing and assignments going out. Please minimize the risk that I'll have to delete your sign-up (which I don't relish doing) by putting your DNWs in your sign-up, alongside something, anything I can plausibly interpret as a positive direction for your creator. Loose lips sink ships; lingering "WIP"s risk snips. Bad quips deserve ellipse.

There is still a swaps period, so you will get a second go at securing an assignment that's right for you if your initial match doesn't spark the kind of joy that will get you over the finish line.

Thanks everyone for your sign-ups and canon promos and for posting letters (especially already complete letters, talk about getting a Good Grade in Exchanges) that include status messages inside them!

I'm so glad we're here! I am very grateful to my tagmod helpers (who did a lot more work than me this time, honestly) and to everyone answering queries.

Sign-up instructions

You can sign up at the collection.

Sign-ups are open until 11:59pm EDT, September 11.

Basics
-Ask for 4-10 fandoms, 1-10 "relationship" tags in each, and in each of your requests, tick at least one of the additional tags that specifies what kind of gift you're interested in.

-Offer 1-10 fandoms, 1-10 "relationship" tags in each, and in each of your offers, tick at least two of the additional tags that specifies what kind of gift you're willing to create.

-In fffx's tagset, the "relationships" field covers characters, relationships, and worldbuilding. fffx uses OR matching - you will get, or create, a gift focusing on one of those tags. If you want specific characters to interact, select a single "relationship" tag that names all of them and uses & and / as appropriate.

-You can repeat fandoms in your requests - ie, you can ask for Original Work twice. You still need 4 unique fandom requests. Offers can be be as minimal as you like, but you will need someone to create for in order to receive an assignment.

-Please list dealbreaking Do-Not-Wants in your sign-ups. You must also put some other, positive information about your interests in each request - this can be a likes list, some prompts, or just talking about what you like about the canon & characters.

Please consider your DNWs carefully. "DNW: unrequested relationships" might suit a 1k relationship-based exchange that also matches on freeforms like "trapped together in an elevator", but may cause stress to someone considering a longer plot. DNWs should give guidance but not constrict your author to a plot that is dramatically narrower than the possibilities of the tag you requested.

-Participants must be aged 18 or over.

-Do not use "AI" generative tools for fic or art. Please reach out to me directly if you're not sure if your assistive tool counts.

-There is a space in Offers - Title - for "Notes to Mod". You can use this space to tell me more about your matching preferences, if you like. You can also leave it blank. If you have Do-Not-Match requests, I may follow up with you for more information - ie, how pinch hits will be handled.

-You are not eligible to sign up if you have not commented on previous gifts (check your name here) or discussed the situation with me. You are not eligible to sign up if you posted a placeholder for which I banned you, unless you've posted a make-up work.

-You are not eligible to sign up if you took part last year and either defaulted after check-in, didn't check in during check-in, or checked in then didn't post a work. However, if that happened to you in any of rounds 1-4, you're welcome to sign up again now.


How the Additional Tags Work
If you request Fanart: 1 x 10-Page Comic, you will receive 1 gift that is a comic of at least 10 pages or at least 40 panels. (Ie, if there are 40 distinct panels, it can have 9 pages. If there are 10 full pages, it's okay if there are only 36 panels.)

If you request Fanart: 1 x 10-Page Comic OR 2 x 5-Page Comics at Artist's Discretion, you may receive 1 gift that is a comic of 10 pages or at least 40 panels, or you may receive 2 gifts of 2 comics that are each half that long. (If selecting that option, I recommend also selecting Fanart: 1 x 10-Page Comic - there are no drawbacks. But you don't have to.)

If you request Fanfic: 1 x 10000-Word Fic, you will receive 1 gift that is a fanfic of at least 10,000 words.

If you request Fanfic: 1 x 10000-Word Fic OR 2 x 5000-Word Fics at Author's Discretion, you may receive 1 gift that is a fanfic of at least 10,000 words, or you may receive 2 gifts of 2 fic that are each half that long. (If selecting that option, I recommend also selecting Fanfic: 1 x 10000-Word Fic - there are no drawbacks. But you don't have to.)

It is possible that if you select both Fanart: 1 x 10-Page Comic OR 2 x 5-Page Comics at Artist's Discretion AND Fanfic: 1 x 10000-Word Fic OR 2 x 5000-Word Fics at Author's Discretion, you may get two gifts, one of which is a 20-panel comic and 1 of which is a 5,000-word fic. It is possible that if you select "2 x 5" tags for more than one fandom, you will get half-length gifts from two different fandoms. This is up to your creators.

You have to offer two Additional Tags. If you are someone who creates only in 1 medium, you can select both the Fanart tags, or you can select both the Fanfic tags.


Groups
Groups & Creator's Choice tags works like this:
"Thop the Gribble & the Splonks"
This means a story focusing on Thop and his platonic relationship with two characters who fit into the category of Splonk. The characters chosen from the Splonks are up to the creator.

"Gribbles/Splonks"
This means a sexual or romantic relationship including at least two Gribbles and at least two Splonks.

"Gribbles & ALL: Splonks"
This means a story featuring platonic relationships between at least two Gribbles and all of the characters who can be defined as splonks.

"Creator's Choice of Gribble & Splonks"
This means a story featuring platonic relationships between ONE Gribble and at least two Splonks.

When ALL is part of the tag, all members of the group must play significant roles in the work. If it isn't, the creator gets to choose which character feature. Requesters may not select within the tag or DNW members of the group.

Groups that are nominated in this way should be discrete and clearly defined.

If an existing group or Creator's Choice tag doesn't work for you, please use your supplementary nominations slots to nominate a tag between specific characters.

If requesting a group, I recommend using your prompts to talk about who you see as part of the group, just in case your creator has a different idea.



Unusual Things fffx Is Doing
-Comments are really important. This exchange is scheduled to reveal on March 14 2026; I recommend thinking twice abut signing up if you think you'll struggle to comment during the anonymous period or soon after. It is a requirement of this exchange that you must comment on any gifts you receive or, if you cannot, refuse the gift.

-Please don't link to a letter (an external document containing prompts, general preferences, etc) unless you're confident you can complete it by September 21. I know you can't predict the future - please just plan in good faith. Letters, of course, are optional - you don't have to link one at all. If you do link to a letter, please consider keeping a status message at the top to let readers know whether it's complete or not and when it was last updated.

-This exchange requires you to put prompts, or general likes, or something you like about the canon, in the AO3 form. It doesn't have to be long or eloquent, but something other than your DNWs is required. Ie, Optional Details are only optional for creators - they are not completely optional for requesters.

-Please sign up with one account only.

-There are also extra deadlines - September 21 for asking to swap your assignment for any other assignment & for finishing your letter, and November 30 for confirming you're still committed to your assignment, as well as the posting deadline of January 24.

Some previous nominations queries remain

Please see previous post.

Additional nominations

Nominations will be re-opened tomorrow, for 3 fandoms/3 tags. If you care about recording what you've already nominated, please save that information now.

Errors in tag set

There will inevitably be some. Feel free to let me know and I'll do what I can to sort them out (this may not be until sign-ups close). I mostly care about errors that could cause confusion or difficulty in matching.

Welcome.

Hello all,

I'm really sorry, but a family emergency came up and the sign-ups will be at least one further day delayed.

Given there's a buffer between the proposed sign-ups close time (7 September) and the date assignments go out (13 September), my current plan is to close sign-ups later (somewhere between 9 and 11 September) and send assignments out more quickly. Let me know if that will be a problem for you. I think the gap between sign-ups and assignments can be a nice feature in this slow-paced exchange - it gives you some breathing room to finish a letter or decide if you want to ask for a particular assignment - but assignment swaps are still a thing!

A further query post will come soon, and then sign-ups. I'm regretful I've had to call on your patience a couple of times already this round, but I'm grateful for that patience! I hope this will be the last delay on my side.