Rules and FAQs
2019 AO3 collection
2019 AO3 tagset
Equivalent Exchange mod tumblr
Contact: equivalentexchangemod@gmail.com
Rules
The Basics
Single characters, romantic/sexual relationships, and platonic relationships are all eligible for this exchange.
This exchange welcomes gen of all ratings, SFW ship fic/art, and NSFW fic/art.
Characters from all existing iterations of FMA canon, including movies, light novels, and games, are eligible for this exchange.
All works produced for this exchange that include graphic depictions of violence, depictions of rape/non-con, and/or explicit depictions of sex involving characters stated to be under the age of 18 in the specific fanwork must include the applicable AO3 warnings for violence, non-con, and/or underage, OR a "chose not to use archive warnings" label. If you post a work containing any of the above content and tag it "no archive warnings apply", you may be penalized.
This exchange is not the place for you to kinkshame, ship-bash, or otherwise harass other fans. If you don't like what another participant is requesting, don't offer it. If you don't like what another participant has written or drawn, don't click on it. If you feel incapable of being exposed to works dealing with a certain character, ship, or theme, AO3 Savior is free to install and the mods encourage you to utilize it. Being a jerk to other people within the context of this exchange is the (probably only) way to get yourself banned. "Being a jerk" includes but is not limited to:
- shaming or criticizing another participant for their requests in an assignment, a treat, a "Dear author" letter, or the optional details of your request;
- any kind of harassment or trolling targeted toward requests for this exchange on this website, AO3, or any other website.
All characters and/or relationships, including crossover relationships, must be nominated under the fandom "Fullmetal Alchemist: All Media Types". Do not nominate a specific version of FMA as your fandom. If you have a preference for a certain version of FMA, you will have the option to make that clear when you sign up.
Each participant may nominate up to 20 characters and/or relationships.
Relationships between two or more characters are still nominated as individual "characters." To nominate a relationship, use the following format:
- group: Character A/Character B or group: Character A & Character B or group: Character A/Character B & Character C, etc.
- Romantic and/or sexual relationships are indicated by a / sign between the characters' names.
- Platonic relationships (friendship, familial, etc.) are indicated by an & sign between the characters' names.
If nominating crossover relationships, please use the format "group: Character A (Fandom 1)/Character B (Fandom 2)."
Do not specify "Brotherhood/manga" or "03" in your character or ship nominations. Ships between BH/manga-exclusive characters and 03-exclusive characters are not required to use crossover nomination format. If you have a preference for a certain version of FMA, you will have the option to make that clear when you sign up.
Exception: If you are nominating a character who has the same name in 03 and BH/manga who doesn't just have characterization changes but is actually a different character (e.g. Pride, Wrath, Sloth, Lust), please nominate the character with "03" or "BH/manga" after their name in parentheses, e.g. Edward Elric & Alphonse Elric & Wrath (03), Lust (BH/manga)/Riza Hawkeye, Sloth (03) & Sloth (BH/manga).
You may request 3-20 characters and/or ships. You may request either fanart, fanfiction, or both. You may request a work that draws from the characterization and worldbuilding of the manga/Brotherhood, the 2003 anime, or both.
You may offer 3-20 characters and/or ships. You may offer either fanart, fanfiction, or both. You may offer a work that draws from the characterization and worldbuilding of the manga/Brotherhood, the 2003 anime, or both.
There are two types of relationships you can request or offer. Please be aware of the difference, and only request/offer the type of relationship you are willing to receive/create:
- Romantic and/or sexual relationships are indicated by a / sign between the characters' names. For example, if you request or offer Lust/Rose Thomas, this means you want to receive or create a work about a romantic and/or sexual relationship between Lust and Rose.
- Platonic relationships (friendship, familial, etc.) are indicated by an & sign between the characters' names. For example, if you request or offer Lust & Rose Thomas, this means you want to receive or create a work about a platonic relationship between Lust and Rose.
In the "Description" section of the signup form, write some prompts for your gifter to get a better idea of what you want. It's generally a good idea to list out tropes or kinks that you like, as well as prompts specific to your requested characters/ships.
You can also include DNWs (Do Not Wants), which are things you don't want to see in your gift. These can include anything, but may not be used to railroad your gifter into making one exact type of gift (e.g. "DNW anything except a Supernatural crossover where the Elrics and the Winchester brothers investigate a haunted warehouse and Ed gets turned into a cat"). Do not list DNWs that contradict your requests (e.g. requesting a "/" relationship and then DNWing shipping). If you have a DNW that seems to contradict a requested character, ship, or prompt, you may be asked to elaborate by the mods.
It is up to you to make your DNWs clear and specific. For example, if for whatever reason you do not want to receive a gift that depicts sex involving characters under the age of 18, it is a better idea to DNW "depictions of sex involving characters under the age of 18" rather than to DNW "problematic ships" or "child abuse", which may not clearly communicate what you don't want.
You may NOT use your DNWs to obliquely harass or shame other participants in the exchange. For example:
- If there are certain ships you do not want to see mentioned in your gift, it is completely okay and encouraged to DNW "any non-requested ships" or you may DNW, for example, "Riza/Winry, Roy/Ed, and Ed/Envy", "heterosexual ships", "Roy being shipped with men", "romantic/sexual content between characters who are related or grew up together", etc.
- You may NOT phrase your DNW as "pedo ships like Roy/Ed or anything toxic", "any incest ships including Ed/Winry, I can't believe I have to say this y'all are gross", "Al in gay ships because marriage is between a man and a woman", "Royai, abuse is wrong you guys", etc.
Please note that this exchange uses "or" matching, and your gifter is only required to create something based on one of your requested characters/ships.
"Dear Creator" letters are not required, but they are welcome and encouraged! These letters are typically written on Dreamwidth, tumblr, or Google Docs, and are then linked in the provided space in your AO3 signup form. This is the opportunity for you to go into more detail about why you like the characters you are requesting and what you enjoy in fic/art, which can help your assigned creator make something perfectly tailored to your preferences!
There are no penalties for defaulting, except the following: If you default, and the gifter assigned to you also defaults, you will not be sent out as a pinch hit.
To default, go to your Assignments tab on AO3. You'll see an option to either fulfill or default on your current assignment. Click Default, and the mods will be automatically notified.
Pinch hits will be posted to this journal. To claim them, comment on the PH post with your AO3 username and the number of the PH you want to claim. (Comments will be screened.)
Pinch hits are first come, first serve, so the mods will assign the request to whoever asks for it first. You will receive an email notification from AO3 that you have a new assignment if you successfully claimed a PH.
You do not have to be signed up for the exchange to claim a pinch hit.
Treats do not have to meet the minimum requirements, but they must fulfill one of the participant's requests and steer clear of their DNWs.
You do not have to be signed up to write or draw treats.
Treats can be posted at any time, even after the exchange is over.
To post a treat, click the "Post to Collection" button on the collection page. Post the gift as you would normally, making sure you put the username of the person you're treating in the "Gift this work to" box.