Welcome to our eleventh annual femslash exchange!

Our 2023 rules and FAQ remain largely the same except for a simplification to our defaulting policy. Please take a moment to review the rules, even if you have participated in Femslash Ex before.

Dates
30 September-7 October: Nomination Period
10-17 October: Signups open
20 October: Assignments will be sent out by or before this date
2 December: Fanworks due
9 December: Archive goes live on or after this date (as soon as everyone has a gift)
16 December: Creators revealed

All deadline times this year will be 11:59pm EDT/EST

Associated sites: LiveJournal Feed & Tumblr Feed & 2023 AO3 Collection & 2023 Tag Set.

Fest FAQs:
Nominations

• Before signups, we will have a nomination period for people to pick fandoms and relationships that they would like included in the fest. Each person can nominate up to 10 fandoms, with up to 10 pairings in each fandom. Please only nominate fandoms that you plan to offer or request.


• All fandoms in all media are welcome. Canon or non-canon pairings are welcome. Original works are welcome.


• Addition to the rules as of 11 October 2023: We are adding Creator's Choice of Fandom as an eligible fandom this year. If you request Creator's Choice of Fandom, your creator can choose any fandom you don't include in your DNWs to create for you, with two exceptions: - Original Works and RPF fandoms. If you would like to receive Original Works and/or RPF fandoms for your Creator's Choice of Fandom requests, please clearly opt into those categories in the request details section of your sign-up.


• For the purpose of this fest, femslash is defined as fic or art containing a relationship between two or more characters who identify in canon as either female or genderqueer. (We do not mean to imply that genderqueer = female, but would like to include as many pairings as we can, and leave gender definitions to the participants' discretion). That means you may not request gender-altered/Rule-63/spectrum-shifting works for canon male-identified characters. To be clear:
  
  • You may request any characters who identify as women in canon, whether they're cisgender or transgender.
  
  
  • You may request a canonically always female alternate universe version of a character who is male in the main universe, such as Natasha Stark from Marvel 3490
  
  
  • You may request works about canonically genderqueer, gender-questioning, nonbinary, etc characters (e.g. the gems from Steven Universe) regardless of their assigned gender, so long as you would be comfortable tagging any works about them as femslash
  
  
  • You may not request works about characters who are male-identified in canon.
  
  
  • You may not request works about male-identified characters who are temporarily transformed or body swapped into an assigned-female body, such as Guy Gardner in Guy Gardner: Warriorette (if you don't know, don't ask).

Poly: We do allow poly groupings, so long as all the characters involved are eligible (f/f/f = fine; f/f/m = not in this fest, though you may list it as an option in your optional details.)

Crossovers: Please nominate crossovers as under the fandom: Crossovers - Fandom, and list the characters with their fandom after the character name (Example: Pepper Potts (MCU)/Seven of Nine (Star Trek: Voyager)

RPF: RPF characters must be 18 or over at the time of nomination, and must be public figures in their own right (no girlfriends/kids/parents of public figures permitted).

You must have an Archive of Our Own (AO3) account to participate in nominations and sign ups. If you do not have one already, you can leave a comment here or e-mail the mods for an invite code. (For more on AO3 and how to sign up, go here).

Sign Ups
You can edit/delete your signup until signups close.

This is an exchange fest, which means you must produce a fanwork for someone else. If you withdraw, it is harder for everyone involved. So please, think carefully if you have the time before signing up. If you discover after signing up that you can't finish in time, please use the Default button on your AO3 Assignment to withdraw as soon as possible.

Requests

• Signups must include 3-10 fandoms, and each fandom must have 1-10 pairings from the list of nominated pairings and 1-3 mediums (fic, art, or vid). We encourage people to request more than the minimum, as the more pairings you ask for, the easier matching will be.


• You will be matched on at least one fandom, pairing and medium.


• While most details in the description section or letters will be considered optional, the following details must be respected by your creator if included in your sign-up: Do Not Wants, vid accessibility requirements, or canon pronouns and gender identities. Please refer to the end of the rules for more information about these three required details.


• Other things to consider are the inclusion of general likes, rating restrictions, prompt ideas, or anything else you’d like the writer or artist or vidder to know. If you've requested art or vids, please remember that not all fic prompts translate well into art or vid prompts (more on that here). If you have a lot to say, consider linking to a letter in your own blog with the extra details.


• In your signup, do not imply rank for pairings or otherwise specify a favourite pairing. There is no need to make the person you are assigned feel bad if you want something they are not comfortable writing or drawing.

Offers

• You may offer to make art, make vids, and/or write fic.


• You may offer between 3-10 fandoms, with 1-10 pairings per fandom and 1-3 mediums. Obviously, the more pairings you offer, the easier matching will be. You can also choose to offer "any" pairing in a given fandom, but please check the tagset first to ensure that you're comfortable writing, drawing and/or vidding any pairing listed this year.


• You will be matched on at least one fandom, pairing and medium. If you do not have at least one potential match, you will be asked to change or add offers to your sign-up.

Pinch Hitting

• In the event we have issues matching someone, they will go out as a pinch hit right away. You can find the pinch hits here.


• If you do not have an AO3 account, you may submit pinch hits via the mod account. The mods will edit in credit and links to your own platform after the end of the anon period. If you would like to create an AO3 account to post your pinch hit with, the mods can assist by providing an invitation code to speed up the process.


• If you do pinch hit, you'll have the option of adding your requests to a special prompts post, so that those who'd like to can reward you with the gift of femslash!

Assignments and Defaulting

• Your fanwork must focus on a requested pairing, and must include a romantic and/or sexual relationship of some kind. All works are required to be posted under the F/F category on AO3, although additional categories may also be used where needed. This is not a friendship ficathon and (solely) Gen works are not allowed. That means there should be some kind of f/f romance, longing, kissing, love, and/or sex. You are welcome to offer or request work featuring asexual characters as long as it is in the spirit of this rule.


• You are not obligated to produce something for ALL pairings on which you are matched. Pick whatever you are comfortable with. However, if you want to write or draw more than one thing for your recipient, feel free.


• You don’t have to write or draw the fandom/pairing you were matched on if something else your recipient requested interests you.


• The following details must be respected if requested by your recipient in their sign-up details: Do Not Wants, vid accessibility requirements, or canon pronouns and gender identities. Please refer to the end of the rules for more information about these three required details.


• Betas are not required, but are strongly encouraged. Fic submissions with excessive spelling, punctuation and grammar errors, art submissions that look like drafts, or vids with gaps or technical issues will be rejected. If your submission is rejected for this reason you can resubmit it after you've polished your work. We will have a beta sign up post.


• Extensions will not be automatically granted. If you know you won’t be able to submit by the due date, please default as soon as possible. Extensions of up to 24 hours may be granted on a case by case basis when requested via email, in advance of the deadline, along with a copy of a partial draft (please copy no more than 2000 words of your draft into the end of your email.) Past defaults, missed extensions, and any previously posted placeholder works may be considered by mods when deciding.


• Defaulting and eligibility to participate: If you are unable to complete your assignment, please use the Default button on AO3 to withdraw from the exchange as soon as possible. If you:
  
  
  • submit a work at deadline that is incomplete or does not meet the requirements of your assignment, or delete your already completed assignment after deadline, you will not be able to participate in the next round. Editing is allowed before work reveals, but the work must be in a reveals ready state at all times (including a working title, no missing chapters, or [missing scene] notes.) Creators will be immediately defaulted and the recipient sent to pinch-hit if a placeholder is discovered, and the mods reserve the right to apply longer bans for posting placeholder works if they deem it appropriate.
  
  
  • If you default and the person assigned to create something for you also defaults, you will not be assigned a pinch hitter.
  
  
  • the mods reserve the right to issue short and long-term penalties for other reasons at our discretion, but will discuss the issue with you first and usually issue a warning first wherever possible.
  
  
  • If you have a problem with or any questions about the rules, are having difficulty defaulting via your AO3 assignment page, or are unsure of your eligibility to participate again, please contact us via email at femslashexmod@gmail.com.

Posting

• If you do not have an AO3 account, you may have your treats posted for you via the mod account. The mods will edit in credit and links to your own platform after the end of the anon period. If you would like to create an AO3 account to post your treat with, the mods can assist by providing an invitation code to speed up the process. You do not need to have signed up for this round to post treats.


• Treats of any length and medium may be posted to the collection at any time!


• This fest has mandatory anon period for fic. Author names will be revealed one week after the archive goes live. Please do not promote your fic before that time.


• The anon period for art and vids is optional. Because of concerns about crossposting without attribution, artists and vidders may sign their work and may link to it, but they are requested not to crosspost the full art or vid until the end of the anon period. (For more on this, read here.)

Fest Rules:

1. All fic have to be a minimum of 1,000 words, and be of a quality that you'd be happy to receive as a gift. There is no maximum word count.


2. Art must be polished, and be of a quality that you'd be happy to receive as a gift. There is no maximum size for art or page limit for comics. Art must be hand or digitally drawn, and must depict all characters from at least one requested pairing/ship. We are not accepting manips at this time.


3. Vids must be a minimum length of 60 seconds with no gaps or missing footage, and be of a quality you would be happy to receive as a gift. Limited outside content is allowed as long as the vid remains recognisably for the fandom (or crossover) requested by the recipient. There is no maximum length for vids.


4. If your recipient has requested more than one medium and you wish to create a multi-media gift, you must meet the minimum for at least one requested medium (eg. 500 words + 30 secs of vid will not count as a complete work)


5. Submissions may be any rating.


6. Submissions must be femslash and must focus on at least one requested pairing; solely gen works cannot be submitted. All works should be posted under the F/F category on AO3, with additional categories used as needed.


7. Submissions must abide by any of the following details if included in the sign-up (details only listed in letters are not enforceable):
   
   • Do Not Wants (DNWs): Participants may list things for any medium that they do not want in their gift, so that it can be avoided.
   
   
   • Vid accessibility: Participants may list techniques and content that may be unsafe for them to view so that it can be avoided, eg. no flashing or bright lights, stuttery cuts, loud sounds, or violent sections of the source material. They may also request subtitles for their vid if needed (if a vidder is unable to provide subtitles, please contact the mods a.s.a.p. after receiving the assignment and we will arrange assistance)
   
   
   • Addition to the rules as of 11 October: Fandoms can be listed as DNWs for people requesting Creator's Choice of Fandom. Original Work and RPF Fandoms will be considered opt-in, and must be listed in the participants sign-up as fandoms they are interested in receiving for Creator's Choice.
   
   
   • Pronouns/Gender Identity: Participants concerned about possible misgendering may list specific pronouns and/or gender identities to be used for characters where a clear canon pronoun is used or identity declared. Mods may require evidence from the participant to enforce this rule if they do not know the fandom (eg. a video clip from canon where the character states their chosen identity), and unspecified requests for 'canon pronouns/identity' may not be enforced.


8. Please don't talk about the specifics of your assignment in public until the creators are revealed. We'd like it to be a surprise for everyone.


9. Gifts must be complete and can't be part of a previously posted series.


10. Be respectful. Please realize that everyone has different likes/interests/squicks.

Please do not hesitate to leave a comment here or contact us at femslashexmod@gmail.com, if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

Rules compiled from rarepairfest and femslash12. Vid rules influenced by festivids and equinox_exchange