Flashtival of Lights is a flash exchange for fanfic (and fanfic-adjacent original fiction) with a loosely defined Hanukkah theme.

2021 Links

Tagset | Signups | Collection | Dreamwidth Community

2021 Schedule

Signups/nominations are open concurrently through December 28 at 5 PM EST
Assignments out ASAP
Writing period December 28 - January 2
Assignments due January 2 at 5 PM EST
Fics revealed January 2 at 6 PM EST
Authors revealed January 4 at 6 PM EST

FAQ

What's on theme for this exchange?

Anything associated with the history, legends, and contemporary celebrations of Hanukkah. Examples include candles, oil, military victories, gifts, the number 8, Jews, Judaism, and the season of winter. The theme is very flexible and the story does not have to be directly about Hanukkah or feature the holiday in any way. All fandoms, fic ratings, and AO3 warnings (or lack of them) are welcome.

I'm under 18. Can I participate?

No, this is an 18+ exchange, as works may contain explicit sexual content.

How do I contact the mods if I have a question?

To reach ba_lailah, email prinnyflash@gmail.com, or PM ba_lailah#1476 on Discord or lailah_tov on Dreamwidth.

General rules

Each participant will produce:

• a complete fic in English of at least 300 words
• that is posted to AO3
• for one of their recipient's requested combinations of fandom + character/relationship + additional tag
• that does not contain the recipient's DNWs for that request, and does not contain any opt-ins that the recipient did not opt into for that request

Flash exchange expectations apply:

• No one is guaranteed a gift, but we'll do our best to find pinch hitters for anyone who defaults. Generous treating is encouraged. (Treats must follow all rules for assignments.)
• The collection will open on time even if not everyone has a gift.
• Signups with unmatchable offers will be deleted. Please check the requests and make sure you're offering at least one thing that at least one person has requested.
• Well-behaved socks are welcome; if you use a sock please let the mods know so we don't assign you to write for yourself.
• We're here to have fun. Please do your best to write something your recipient will like, and to leave kudos and appreciative comments on your gift(s).
• That said, optional details are optional. Prompts and Optional Tags may guide your writer, but please be open to getting something gloriously unexpected.
• Don't be an asshole.

Exchange matching is for fic only. You may not fulfill your assignment with a non-fic work. Treats in other mediums are opt-in. (See "Opt-Ins" below.)

This is an anonymous exchange. Please don't openly discuss your work or name your recipient until authors are revealed. However, you may create a sequel or series work for a recipient who has opted in to receiving them. (See "Opt-Ins" below.)

Once again, you must be at least 18 years old to participate in this exchange.

Nominations

Any fandom may be nominated, including "All Media Types" fandoms and RPF.

Characters and Relationships

Please disambiguate non-canonical nominations with the full or abbreviated canon name.

RPF limitations: No non-famous family members of 20th/21st-century famous people. No living people under 18. No 20th/21st-century Nazis, fascists, or white supremacists.

All characters and relationships will be put in the Relationship field.

The following characters and ships may be nominated:

• / and & ships
• Solo characters, nominated as 1: Character Name (Fandom)
• OCs, solo and in relationships; specifying a type of OC is optional
• "Any" with or without specification (Any Character, Any Female Character, Any Villain, etc.)

Please do not use piping or multiple names unless necessary for clarity.

Nomination examples:

• Jean-Luc Picard/Q (ST:TNG)
• Temeraire & Any Dragon Character (Temeraire)
• Elsa/Original Female Character (Frozen)
• 1: Roman Roy (Succession)

There will be one "fandom" called Crossover Fandom. Crossover relationships can be nominated within it. Each individual character should be disambiguated (abbreviated canon names are fine).

Crossover nomination examples:

• Hannibal Lecter (Hannibal TV)/Edward Hyde (Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde - Stevenson)
• Andromache of Scythia (The Old Guard Movie) & Any Disney Princess (Disney Princesses)

There will be one "fandom" called Original Work. Trope-style characters and relationships can be nominated within them. Please preface nominations with: 1 (for solo characters), FF, MM, FM, Multi, Other. Specifying genders for 1, Multi, and Other nominations is welcome but not required. If you have a two-person ship where one or both genders aren't binary F or M or aren't specified, put it under Other. Please use Multi for all ships of more than two people even if they are all the same gender.

Original work nomination examples:

• FF: Octopus Mermaid/Shark Mermaid (OW)
• MM: Bus Driver/Plumber (OW)
• FM: Bus Driver (M)/Plumber (F) (OW)
• Other: Bus Driver (any)/Plumber (any) (OW)
• Other: Tentacle Monster (other)/Human Woman Who's Into Tentacles (F) (OW)
• Multi: Couple Who Just Joined the PTA (MF)/Welcoming Committee (any) (OW)
• 1: New Divorcee Observing Her First Hanukkah Alone (OW)

There will be one "fandom" called Creator's Choice of Fandom. Use this to request "bulletproof" kinks that you like so much you truly don't care what fandom is written for you. Your creator can choose absolutely any fandom, so if this is what you request, be sure you're open to that.

CCoF nomination examples:

• 1: Any Character (CCOF)
• Any Female Character/Any Female Character (CCoF)
• Any Group of Three or More Characters (CCOF)

There will be one "fandom" called Any Fandom I've Requested Before. Use this to give your creator the choice of fandoms that you've requested in past exchanges. If you request this option, it's helpful to link to a letter that lists your past fandoms, in case someone who doesn't know you is assigned to write to you. If you offer this fandom, you may want to use the AO3 Automagic App to search for a recipient's AO3 handle and see what they've requested in exchanges that have been scraped by the app.

Any Fandom I've Requested Before nomination examples:

• 1: Any Character I've Requested Before (Any Fandom I've Requested Before)
• Any Femslash Ship I've Requested Before (Any Fandom I've Requested Before)
• Any Human/Non-Human Ship I've Requested Before (Any Fandom I've Requested Before)

Additional Tags

The Additional Tags field is for freeforms related to the topic of the exchange. They can be as general or specific as you like.

Additional Tag examples:

• Romantic candlelight
• Miracles
• A convenient vial of oil
• Write me a traditional sappy holiday fic where the holiday is Hanukkah

Optional Tags

Optional Tags are AO3 canonical tags. They are not used for matching, but they can give your writer an idea of what you like.

Requests

The request section of your sign-up must include:

• 1 to 10 fandom requests (fandoms can be repeated)
• 1 to 20 characters/ships in each request
• 1 to 20 Additional Tags (on topic for this exchange) in each request

It may optionally include:

• up to 20 Optional Tags (on or off topic) in each request
• likes and/or prompts for each request
• indication of whether you're open to treats in other mediums (such as art, podfic, or fanvids)
• a list of any exchange opt-ins that you opt into
• up to 5 DNWs per request that are specific and don't conflict with the request or otherwise box your writer in
• a link to an exchange letter or likes list

Prompts and Optional Tags may guide your writer, but please remember that optional details are optional and be open to getting something gloriously unexpected.

Opt-Ins

Since DNWs are limited, the following are considered opt-in for this exchange, meaning that you may not include them unless your recipient requests them or states that they're open to them:

Graphic Depictions of Violence
Major Character Death
Rape/Non-Con
Dubious Consent
Underage (13-17)
Extreme Underage (12 or Younger)
Scat
Pregnancy/Impregnation
Race Kink
Bias/Bigotry
Eating Disorders
Incest
Necrophilia
Cannibalism
Readerfic
1st or 2nd Person POV
Setting-Change AUs
Vomit
Coronavirus/Other Illness
Treats in Other Mediums (please specify which mediums)
Sequels to Gifts I've Received
Any Sequel or Series Work

If you want to get, or are open to getting, anything or everything on this list, please say so in your sign-up (not a linked letter).

Example opt-ins:

• I opt in to all opt-ins except Underage and Extreme Underage.
• I opt in to incest, setting-change AUs, and readerfic.
• For this request only, I opt in to 1st/2nd POV.
• I opt in to Major Character Death except for Susan Pevensie.

DNWs

A DNW is a thing you Do Not Want to get in a fic. This exchange permits up to five DNWs listed in your sign-up. DNWs can be different from one request to the next, and can be general ("DNW slurs and name-calling") or specific to a canon or request ("DNW Harry/Draco").

Your DNW list does not need to explain why you don't want something. Please don't use your DNWs to disparage something that someone else may be into. DNWs that create an impossible request, such as "DNW incest" for an incest ship, and DNWs that are vague or difficult to understand, such as "DNW yucky stuff," will be disregarded. DNWs that attempt to limit how your writer can apply your requested freeform to your requested ship (such as requesting A/B + "holidays" and then "DNW any holiday other than Purim") will be disregarded.

If you DNW any of the opt-ins, you don't need to list them in your DNWs, and they aren't counted toward your limit of five; they are assumed as global DNWs by default, unless a sign-up contradicts that.

DNWs will only be enforced if they appear in your sign-up on AO3. DNWs solely posted in a linked letter will not be enforced.

Example useful DNWs:

• "DNW frogs" for a fandom that doesn't have frogs in it
• "DNW non-canonical character death"

Example non-useful DNWs:

• "DNW turtles" for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles -- makes request impossible
• "DNW anything triggering" -- too vague
• "DNW gross foods like tomatoes" -- disparaging

Offers

The offer section of your sign-up must include:

• 1 to 10 fandom offers, or "Any"
• 1 to 20 characters/ships in each offer, or "Any"
• 1 to 20 Additional Tags in each offer, or "Any"

When the signup period ends, signups with unmatchable offers will be deleted. Please check the requests and make sure you're offering at least one thing that at least one person has requested.

If you're thinking of offering "Any," remember that nominations and sign-ups are open concurrently and other fandoms, ships, and additional tags may be nominated after you sign up.

Writing (and Otherwise Creating)

Assignment-fulfilling stories must be in English and at least 300 words long. There is no wordcount minimum or language requirement for written treats. (Treating in a language your recipient can read is strongly encouraged.)

There are no requirements for other mediums. Please check what kind of treats someone is open to before treating.

Opt-ins and DNWs apply to all mediums. Please keep the opt-in list handy and check your work against it before posting.

Pinch Hits

Pinch hits will be posted to the flashtival_of_lights Dreamwidth community and promoted in the #flash-exchanges and #pinch-hit-promos channels of the Exchanges After Dark Discord server.

Pinch hits will be promoted as widely as possible, but no one is guaranteed a gift. We're grateful to all pinch hitters!

Work and Author Reveals, and Comments

There will be 1 hour between the work deadline and work reveals.

If possible, please leave kudos or a comment on your gift(s) before authors are revealed (on December 8 at 6 PM EST).

If you don't reject your gift, you must comment on it by June 6, 2022. Non-commenters will be banned from future rounds of this exchange. If you aren't sure what to say, a simple "Thank you for this wonderful gift!" is fine.