FAQ

What is this?

We’ve all been there: lamenting the lack of comments we receive, or scolding ourselves for not getting around and commenting on X fic yet. This fest is entirely a way to circumvent that by forcing us to comment with a little quid pro quo: you give comments on a HOTD fic, you get some comments on a HOTD fic.

How does it work?

You submit the form, where you tell me what 3-5 underloved fics of yours, or of other people’s if you don’t write and wish to play anyway, you would like to receive comments on. You also get to tell me the parameters for the fic you would like to leave comments on: maximum collective word count, which pairings you are willing to read for, things you DON’T wish to read.

What do you mean by ‘underloved’?

Precise metrics are impossible to provide, as what that means will vary by pairing, etc. It’s a vibe: a fic that you think is slept on, or deserving of more attention, or that you just WANT more attention for (if you have a popular fic of yours but your hunger for comments has not been sated, that’s fine too).

Great! I can’t wait to get comments on all 3 of my 200,000 word epics…

You should only submit one fic more than 50,000 words in length, and generally try to provide a variety in length so we can match everyone based on what commitments commenters are able to make. If you submit a 100,000 words longfic, it would probably be wise to have your other submissions be brief oneshots.

And then…?

Sign-ups for this first round will close on July 31, 2025. I will match everyone with their fics by August 10, 2025. Your three comments will be due by September 11, 2025. (So when saying what your collective maximum word count is, keep in mind what you can commit to reading a thorough, kind comment on in a month’s time). There will be a second form where you can submit links to your comment.

Thorough comment? What does that mean?

Your comment must be at least 250 words, half of which must be your own words (i.e., not pull quotes from the fic) - preferably longer in future, but I want to get the wheels greased this first round. If that seems like a lot, I promise it isn’t, but also you should only sign-up if you can commit to producing a comment on a delightful piece of fic equal in length to a Moodle forum post assignment.

What if I don’t want to read and comment on the fic I get assigned?

Part of the point of this enterprise is to break free of the often quite rigid social circles in fandom and hopefully get exposed to something that might not have been on your radar. Although the purpose of the form is to prevent anyone from being triggered or otherwise having a terrible time, you should be willing to go outside your comfort zone to a degree. However, if you get your assignment and it is a total no go, you will shoot me an email at [email protected] so I can get you something you can read.

…kind comment? What if I think a fic I receive sucks?

You focus on whatever you liked for 250 words. Another part of this exercise is practicing kindness in fandom and encouraging all of us, regardless of inherent talent or fandom popularity, to be able to express a fundamental human need for creativity and be witnessed by others and force practice in the noble pastime of rigorous fanfic literary criticism. If you think you could possibly have any situation where you could not bring yourself to do this, you shouldn’t sign-up; the exchange is, of course, no one will have to comment on your fic.

I read my fic, and there is something I HATED in it!

This is not the place for any criticism. I cannot possibly moderate or be responsible for mediating that. If you mean there is something in the fic that was in your list of things you did not want to read, as I obviously cannot possibly read every fic submitted, matchups will be entirely determined by tags which are an imperfect science. There is little I can do about a fic that has something in it that has not been correctly tagged for because of author oversight, so consider that before signing up.

I have no published fic/only 1 published fic, but I still want to participate…

Give the gift of a comment to a friend or stranger whose fic you really love.

What’s with the required 3 fics/optional 2 thing?

You only have to submit links to 3 fics, but the more I have, the easier matching will be - and it will help with any issues where there is fic incompatibility. If you have a fic with a more, let us say, eclectic pairing or kink you are dying for a comment on, you might want that to go in the top 3 slots, and then have a more crowd pleasing sell in the optional 2 slots, for example.

What happens if I don’t comment?

You have to live with the shame of being a jerk (if you don’t let me know). Because of course, if something in your life comes up that radically disrupts your fic reading and commenting abilities, you should let me know via email. There will be an option on the form to sign up as a pitch hitter so I can try to get anyone whose fic is affected a replacement comment. If you fail to comment and fail to tell me, your AO3 username will be stricken from any further iterations of the event.

I <3’d my fics! A comment is not enough, I want to shout it from the rooftops!

You absolutely should tweet or post about the fic, and share it with us so we can spread the good news far and wide on social media, by @’ing us @hotdcomxchange on Twitter and/or tagging it with the hashtag #hotdcomxchangefest.