New Constellations
General Info
This is a LOGH fandom gift exchange, focused on rarepairs, run through AO3. To be eligible, ships must have fewer than ten English language works in their ship tag on AO3.
Participants must
- Have an AO3 account
- Be 18+ years old
Contact Info and Links
Twitter: @loghrarepairex
Tumblr: @loghrarepairex
Collection Email: loghrarepairex@gmail.com
Preferred method of contact is through the collection email or tumblr. Twitter DMs are too easy to miss.
This exchange is run by Nat (javert @ tumblr, natsinator @ twitter, natsinator @ ao3). If I miss your DM/email at the collection accounts, feel free to DM my mains, or join my discord.
Schedule
This exchange will run in several stages, along this schedule. Changes to this schedule will be announced on the twitter and tumblr accounts.
All periods listed begin and end at 8 PM Eastern time.
- Nominations - June 10-23
- Signups - June 24-30
- Creation Period - July 1 - August 4
- No-Penalty Default Deadline - July 20
- Holding Period (for filling pinch hits, making edits, etc) - August 5-11
- Work Reveals - August 11
- Creator Reveals - August 18
Table of Contents
Rules and Behavior Expectations
If there is a problem with your signup
Is commenting on my gift required?
What do I do if I have a problem with my gift?
Rules and Behavior Expectations
An exchange requires good-faith effort from all participants.
Creators must create a work that meets the minimum creation requirements and that contains the requested tags, and avoids their recipient's Do Not Wants as stated in their signup. Optional details in a request, such as prompts, are not required to be followed, but creators should endeavor to fill the request in a way that they think their recipient will like.
Up to ONE well behaved sock account per participant is allowed (no more than two accounts per participant total). If you are using a sock, message the mod email or note the account names in your signup so that I don’t match you to yourself.
Participants who fail to create a gift and do not default prior to the no-penalty default deadline (July 20) will be required to make up a gift (see “Make Up Gifts”) before they are allowed to participate in future exchanges. Anyone who defaults before the no-penalty deadline will be allowed to participate in future exchanges without the requirement to create a make-up gift, but they will not be guaranteed to receive a gift in the current exchange.
Bad behavior, such as rudeness to other participants, may cause a participant to be removed from the current exchange and banned from future exchanges at the mod’s discretion.
Participants who fail to abide by the rules may be banned from future exchanges.
Mediums and Languages
This exchange is for English-language fanwork only. (If you want to participate in a multi-language exchange, please wait until the LOGH New Year Exchange)
During signups, you may request and offer up to five mediums, including any medium.
The options are
- Fanfic
- Fanart
- Fanvid
- Podfic
- Interactive Fiction
Minimum Creation Requirements
The minimum creation requirements for the different mediums are as follows
- Fanfic - 1000 words
- Podfic - 500 words of recorded new fic, or 5 minutes recording of existing fic
- Fanvid - 1 minute
- Fanart - Clean lineart on unlined paper
- Interactive fiction - Minimum 1000 words and one ending, or 750 words and two endings.
These are minimum requirements; beyond this, you are welcome to create as much as you like.
Nominations
Nominations is the period of time in an exchange when the participants decide what will be eligible to offer and request during the exchange. This exchange accepts nominations in the following categories: solo characters, relationships, platonic relationships, and worldbuilding.
To nominate, go to the TAG SET while logged into your AO3 account, and press the “nominate” button in the upper right hand corner
(I’m using illustrations from the New Year’s exchange, but everything is the same.)
You will be presented with a page that looks like this
Fill out the nominations by first entering the fandom (Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu | Legend of the Galactic Heroes) in the fandom slot, and then enter all your nominated tags in the relationship slots below it.
Please use the following formats for nominations
Nominate as “Character A/Character B”, such as “Dusty Attenborough/Fritz-Josef Bittenfeld” or “Friedrich von Goldenbaum/Susanna von Benemunde”. If there is a canonical (existing) Ao3 tag that autofills when you type it, please use the canonical tag. Otherwise, please put the characters in alphabetical order by first name, or whatever letter comes first in their canonical AO3 tag if they don’t have a first name (this helps me remove duplicates from the list).
Nominations FAQ
What counts as a rare ship for this exchange?
Any ship that has fewer than ten English-language works in its AO3 tag.
Can I offer/request Gen fic? For example: Reuenthal & Mittermeyer as friends, or Yang & Julian as father and son? Or worldbuilding or solo characters?
No, sorry. This is an exchange focused on rare ships.
Can I request a "character/any", if I don't care who my fave is being shipped with? For example "Hildegard von Mariendorf/Any Female Character"? Or "Walter von Schenkopp/Any"?"
Yes! If you have a gender preference, please nominate your ship using the format "Character A/Any Female Character" or "Character A/Any Male Character". If you do not have a gender preference, please nominate as "Character A/Any Character". This will leave it up to your creator to choose a rare ship.
Can I nominate crossover ships with non-LOGH media?
Sure, as long as it meets the same qualification of fewer than 10 fics for a regular rarepair.
Nominate crossover ships as "Character A (Fandom)/Character B (Fandom)" For example, nominate Kessler/Char as "Ulrich Kessler (LOGH)/Char Aznable (Gundam)"
At least one character in the ship has to be from some LOGH canon.
Can I nominate xReader ships?
Sure, as long as there are fewer than 10 existing fics in that tag. Nominate as [LOGH character]/[Gender] Reader, such as “Yang Wenli/Male Reader” or “Walter von Schenkopp/Female Reader” or “Dusty Attenborough/Reader” (for ambiguous or writer’s choice of gender).
Can I nominate a character specific to a single version of LOGH?
Yes. If, for example, you prefer the Michihara version of Rubinsky, nominate as “Adrian Rubinsky (Michihara)/Dominique St. Pierre(OVA)”.
Can I nominate threesomes/moresomes?
Absolutely. For romantic groups of three or more, nominate as “Character A/Character B/Character C” such as “Reinhard von Lohengramm / Siegfried Kircheis / Dusty Attenborough”. For platonic groupings of three or more, nominate as “Reinhard von Lohengramm & Paul von Oberstein & Oskar von Reuenthal”.
You are welcome to nominate threesomes and moresomes EVEN IF subsets of the characters involved are part of a non-eligible ship together.
Can I nominate a mixed platonic and romantic ship, for example “Reinhard von Lohengramm/Siegfried Kircheis & Annerose von Grunewald”?
No, sorry.
Can I nominate crossovers between different versions of LOGH?
Sure (rarepair qualification still applies!). Please specify which versions each character comes from, for example “Reinhard von Lohengramm (OVA)/Reinhard von Lohengramm (DNT)”.
Can I nominate things from specific fanfictions?
Yes. Nominate as “Martin Bufholtz (fic name)/Siegfried Kircheis (fic name)” or “Annerose von Grunewald (fic name)/Walter von Schenkopp (fic name)”
Can I nominate OC ships, for example “Walter von Schenkopp/Original Female Rosenritter Character”?
Sure. Please specify the type of OC that you want (gender, role, etc), such as “Dusty Attenborough/Original Male Reporter” or “Annerose von Grunewald/Original Female Servant”. Note that if there are 10 or more fics tagged with “[character]/[original character]” of any type, that ship is no longer eligible for this exchange, under rarepairs rules.
What version of LOGH is this exchanged based on?
Creators may use any version of LOGH that they prefer (novels, OVA, DNT, manga adaptations, musicals, etc). If you have a preference for what to receive, please note it in your signup. For example, if you want Reinhard/Oberstein art using the designs/costumes from the Takarazuka musical make sure you note that in your prompts.
Signups
Signing up is split into two parts, Requests and Offers. Signups will take place at the AO3 Collection.
Because this is a small but complicated exchange, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND requesting and offering as many things as you can– it will make matching a lot easier.
Requests
When you sign up, you will be shown a requests form that looks like this
For Fandom, you MUST tick the LOGH box.
Relationships
You may only request things that are in the tagset. If there is a tag in the tagset that doesn’t appear when you click into the box, please copy and paste it directly from the tagset itself (non-canonical tags are likely to get ignored by AO3).
You must select a MINIMUM of three tags, and you may select a MAXIMUM of 20.
For example, your requests might look like this
Additional Tags (Medium)
For this exchange, you will be matched on Medium. You must request a minimum of one medium, and a maximum of five (or press “any additional tag”). The available options are
- Fanart
- Fanfic
- Fanvid
- Podfic
- Interactive fiction
I highly suggest selecting “Fanart” as one of your options– it will make you easier to match.
Description
In the description, you should list both your likes and prompts, and your Do Not Wants (DNW). While your creator is NOT required to follow any of your prompts, they ARE required to avoid your DNWs.
For example, your DNWs may look like this: “Do Not Want: Modern AUs, depictions of drowning, or harm to animals.”
Please make sure your DNWs are written specifically and clearly, and are not trying to rope your creator into making a specific thing. You can’t, for example, DNW “All fic except ones where Julian and Kateroze go rock climbing together”, and you also can’t say “DNW: stuff I don’t like”.
For prompts and likes, feel free to describe any particular thing that interests you about your requested tags. You may provide as much or as little information if you want.
Multiple Requests
If, for example, you want to only request or offer certain tags in certain mediums, you may fill out multiple, separate requests. For example, I could have one request where I ONLY want to receive fanart of certain ships, while for my other request I want fic of different ones. You can add up to four requests using the “Add Another Request” button.
(Protip: this is a cheat to let you offer and request up to 80 ships instead of the default 20. But you can also customize your requests if you want certain things for certain subsets of ships)
Offers
Offers work similarly to requests. Specify the mediums, versions, and tags you want to create for.
As with requests, if you only want to create for certain tags in certain mediums (say you only want to draw fanart of Reinhard/Bittenfeld, Yang/Murai, and Rubinsky/Bishop DeVillier but you only want to write for Annerose/Magdalena, Hilda/Frederica, and Dominique/Elfriede) you can add multiple offers.
The description box in offers is optional– you may provide any detail there that you want the mods to know. It will ONLY be seen by the mods. You may leave it blank if you have nothing to say to me :)
If there is a problem with your signup
I will first email the email associated with your AO3 account, and make an announcement on the event twitter/tumblr for participants to check their emails. If you don’t correct the problem with your signup before signups close (or within a grace period that I specify within the email), your signup will be deleted, and you will be removed from the exchange.
Signups FAQ
What mediums are allowed?
Fic, art, podfic, interactive fiction, and vids are in the tagset automatically. During nominations, you may suggest other mediums. Email the collection email if you want a different medium added.
Keep in mind that if you request only a rare medium, it may be difficult to match you. I highly suggest requesting art or fic along with any other mediums you may like.
Can I request or offer fic in a language other than English?
No, sorry. This exchange is to improve the truly dire state of the English LOGH tag 😅. If you do not feel comfortable reading or writing fic in English, you are still encouraged to participate by requesting and offering fanart/vids/etc.
Can I sign up/participate without an AO3 account?
No. You must have an AO3 account. If you need help signing up, please email loghrarepairex@gmail.com .
Matching
You will be matched with someone who requested at least ONE medium and ONE tag that you offered. AO3 tries to match people with those with the highest compatibility, but one of each is the minimum.
For example these two signups
Request Username: Jellybean | Offer Username: Lollypop |
Mediums: Fanart, Fanfic, Fanvid | Mediums: Fanart, Fanfic |
Tags: Walter von Schenkopp/Oliver Poplan, Julian Mintz/Katerose von Kreutzer, Dusty Attenborough/Frederica Greenhill | Tags: Reinhard von Lohengramm/Siegfried Kircheis/Annerose von Grunewalde, Paul von Oberstein/Oskar von Reuenthal, Walter von Schenkopp/Oliver Poplan |
Would be able to match, and Lollypop would write Fic or draw Fanart for Jellybean of Poplan/Schenkopp.
Unmatchables
If you are unmatchable in that no one is offering what you are requesting, you will be sent to pinch hits, where someone will volunteer to create for you.
If you are unmatchable in that no one is requesting what you are offering, the mod will email your AO3 email to ask you to add additional offers. If you do not respond in a timely manner (3 days), or you do not want to add additional offers, your signup will be deleted.
Creating
You are NOT required to create for the thing that you matched on. The only requirement is that you create something from your recipients tags, and avoid their DNWs. You must finish your assignment by the posting deadline.
Creation FAQ
Can I include unrequested/ineligible ships as background ships/past relationships in my work?
Yes-- with the understanding that creators must make a good faith effort to center the ship that your recipient requested, and you MUST NOT include any of your recipient's Do Not Wants.
Posting
When you are done with your assignment, on your AO3 Assignments page, press the “Fulfill” button. This will automatically fill out all the required information to add your work into the collection.
Fill out all the rest of the AO3 posting page as you would for any other fic.
If you are posting a podfic of an existing fic, please make sure you also fill out the “remix/translation/inspiration” tickbox.
Treats
Treats are “extra gifts” for any participant in the exchange.
- Treats do not have to be for the person you are matched to. They can be for anyone signed up for the exchange, or for any pinch-hitters.
- You do not have to be signed up to the exchange to create a treat.
- Your treat does not have to meet the minimum length requirements of assignments (ie you can write a 200 word fic as a treat, or post a doodle).
- Treats can be posted after the end of the usual exchange period.
- Treats MUST respect the recipient’s Do Not Wants, and should match recipient’s requested tags.
To post a treat, when you are posting the work, fill out this section in the “associations” section on the “post new work” page on AO3.
Note: New AO3 accounts have gifting turned off by default. Please make sure you have gifting enabled by going to your preferences page on AO3 and pressing the “Allow anyone to gift me works” tickbox
Defaulting
If you realize at any point that you cannot create for your recipient, please press the DEFAULT button on your assignments page on AO3
If you default before the no-penalty default deadline (July 20), you will be able to participate in next year’s exchange, though you will not be guaranteed to receive a gift in this year’s exchange.
Pinch Hits
If, for whatever reason, the original assigned creator is no longer able to complete their assignment, their recipient will be sent out to pinch hits, where the mod will make an announcement on tumblr/twitter/discord asking for volunteers to complete a gift.
Everyone signed up for the exchange who turns in a gift by the creation deadline is guaranteed to receive a gift, and the collection will not be revealed until everyone has one.
IF opening of the collection is delayed more than one week due to inability to find a pinch hitter, the mod will email the requester and ask them to add additional requests that someone is able to fulfill. To avoid the possibility of this happening, I HIGHLY SUGGEST that everyone requests fanart as a medium in your initial requests.
Make-Up Assignments
If you defaulted after the no-penalty default deadline, you will not be allowed to participate in following years unless you submit a make-up assignment. A make-up assignment is any of the following things
- Picking up a pinch hit
- Creating a treat for a pinch-hitter and submitting it to the collection
- Filling any request made for this exchange (respecting the recipient’s tags and Do Not Wants, as well as meeting the minimum requirements) and posting it to the collection after the conclusion of the event.
If you default before the no-penalty deadline, you don’t need to do a make-up assignment.
Reveals
As is standard for AO3-style exchanges, all works will be revealed at the same time, with the creators anonymized, at around eight (eastern time) on August 11. Everyone should leave a comment thanking their creator, and look at the other works in the tagset.
Works will stay anonymous until January 7, at which point the mod will de-anonymize the collection, and all creators’ names will be revealed. That will be the end of the event, until next year.
Is commenting on my gift required?
No, but it is HIGHLY recommended. Please do your best to thank your creator for their work.
What do I do if I have a problem with my gift?
If there is a problem with your gift (it broke your DNWs or is otherwise rulebreaking) please contact the mod email ASAP, so that it can be addressed.
Shoutouts and thanks
Thanks to Timehopper for scheduling your Big Bang event to not interfere with this one!
Thank you in advance to everyone who pinch hits for this exchange 💙 Couldn’t do it without you.