this is a, "tis the season...to think of new exchanges, apparently!" kind of post.

[rockthecliche]

This is definitely aimed to the vast array of fic writers on my flist, but those of you who aren't and would just like to discuss things, toss out ideas/thoughts that I haven't thought of before are totally welcome!

Basically, it all boils down to this one idea.

AU only JE fic exchange. Yay or nay?

I was thinking the other day about how most of the fics I've written for these past few cycles of fic exchanges have all been AU fics, or that a lot of them being posted in the exchanges themselves have been AU fics, and they've all been awesome, to boot. I know that there's at least a small percentage of people who rather enjoy writing AU fics than anything else (myself included) and just figured, hey! There's a lot of great ideas out there, ones that everyone think they should just write themselves -- but wouldn't it be awesome to see what another person did with it, how it would turn out, if it would be similar to your vision or completely different? Or maybe you want to see this awesome scifi AU idea you have come to life, but you know you have no ability to write scifi at all! Or maybe you just want to write an AU and have no clue where to start! This is where this exchange would come in.

I was drafting a timetable up earlier today, and it would look something like this:

Sign ups: the end of February/beginning of March
Assignments out: end of March.
Fics due: end of May/beginning of June
Posting starts: second week of June (depending on when the deadline is, plus pinch hits, etc)
Reveals: week after posting ends.

I've checked all the current exchanges (or at least the ones I know about and the ones listed in Katy's exchange masterlist, and this spreadsheet based on the most recent time tables, made by the lovely nanyakanya!) and the only one that would coincide exactly with it would be je_devilorangel. Another one that almost exactly coincides is k8_exchange, but their due date is further down the line.

I also have ideas for what criteria to use to pair people up, etc, etc, but figured that this should suffice first, as if this does happen, that would all be self-explanatory once sign ups start.

So, anyone interested? :D?

As this is a feeler post, this is going to remain public, so feel free to send it out and link it to various places so I can get more of a general idea.

Comments

[elizajet.livejournal.com]

That is utter brilliance. I really like that, because I love writing AUs and I know that some people really don't like getting them.

Like this idea! :)

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Right? I love a good AU, and personally, writing AUs seem to just be so much more fun for me than anything else. (Though I love world building, so that's probably why.)

Thank you! :D

[nanyakanya.livejournal.com]

Pfft, who'd want to write AU? 8|

... XD you know how I feel about this, bb. ♥

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

ugh, i know, right? :| those people need lives. 8|

♥! I hope so, partner in crime and all!

[nanyakanya.livejournal.com]

Bunch of weirdos.

Also, I had a thought! (I know, as rare as that is XD) Buuuut~ if you managed to get assignments out during the first week of March, that totally coincides with Spring Break! >.> Which might be helpful for us student types (disregard the fact that most of us don't start writing until the last week or two beforehand, it sounds good on paper. XD;)

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

LOL I actually had that thought while I was eating dinner! But then again, I also know how colleges work and most professors give a SHITLOAD of homework to do over spring break, so I guess that's really up pin the air. Although it's nice to think that people would use it to their advantage (and not be like me who needs an extension for EVERY SINGLE EXCHANGE orz)

[nanyakanya.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmm, good point. It also doesn't help that Spring Break can fall anywhere from the end of February to the beginning of April, depending on where you go to school. Damn. XD And shush, you; I've had to do it for most of mine, too, though that was mostly due to burn out, I think. Gonna have to be more choosy with my exchanges this year... >.> BUT I AM SO DOING THIS ONE. ♥

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Yes, omg, I know what you mean. I'm totally wiped, and I know for certain which ones I'm not doing next year (ficgames and hols). I'm really excited for remix (esp. since you pestered me into doing it!) and...well, THIS ONE! ♥

[greatfountain]

I am aaaaaaaall over this. AUs tend to be some of my favorite things in this fandom and a whole exchange for them? *______*

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

LEGIT, RIGHT? oh my god my favorite fics have all been AUs and just. Nnnngh love them so so much!

[greatfountain]

Rught? Right? I think it's because they take so much work to world-build or something, because the good/great ones tend to be so well-plotted and so detailed on top of great characterization and and ♥♥♥ AU is like my favorite genre, ngl.

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

OMG EXACTLY. *___* And omg they make tens of thousands of words read like it's NOTHING and nevermind that I'm jealous they can write tens of thousands of words in general but omg. I seriously love a good AU. I just really hope that enough people like this idea for it to be worth the trouble, you know? :3

[greatfountain]

It's so easy, and I know that much from experience! I love sinking my teeth into one and think everyone awesome ever should join in, participation and anticipation is what makes an exchange fun.

(How were you planning on matching people up? Genre and group, or just group, or just genre?)

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

I'm going to try and match people up as best as I can based on both genre and group, but if there's bound to be misses and overlaps, so ultimately, it would depend on group, probably. I will be putting up a, "Please don't put down you can only write one type of AU, as it will be near impossible to match you and earn you the ire of the mods," (or something less dramatic) kind of note, but it really depends on who we get and what's put on the table.

[greatfountain]

Seems like the best solution! Ahhhhh now I'm so excited :D :D :D

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Hehe, yay! I was hoping for an enthusiastic response rather than a, "omg another fic exchange?!" so I'm pretty stoked this is being received well so far. XD;

[greatfountain]

I'm fairly new to the whole fic exchange game but I'm always up for an excellent exchange. And AU definitely falls under excellent in my book.

This chart is totally awesome, by the way, thanks to nanyakanya *____*

[track-04.livejournal.com]

Oooooh, I think this sounds like an awesome idea! Whether or not I'd be able to sign up depends on how my thesis is going at the time, but if I have the time, I'll be there with bells on! >.>

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

And actually, because I figured a lot of people would be in school still in May, I'm definitely leaning towards the end of May or the beginning of June, since I know most finals are done by mid May (hell, I got out of school like, May 5th!), and that'll give two, three weeks for everyone to actually have time and finish their fics. I'm not sure how the Canadian education system works? Is it at all like it is here?

[track-04.livejournal.com]

We have finals here in April (but I don't, since I'm done with classes and just doing my thesis... mwa ha ha 8D), but I think it varies from University to University. I'm pretty sure that most of them would coincide with schools in the states and have finals by early- to mid-May, though. >.>

[astrangerenters.livejournal.com]

You know I'm all over this. I just worry about the due date corresponding with people's finals and things. Not like I care since I don't have finals any more, la la la. LOL

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Ahahaha, trust me, I didn't think about it until Zoe brought it up, either! But yeah, as I was telling Da, the deadline would definitely be the end of May/beginning of June, giving people who are in school two or three weeks to get their fics done (if they're, y'know, on semesters instead of those silly things called trimesters idek). Of course, the deadline's negotiable, but that's my initial thought process.

[ltgmars.livejournal.com]

Yuhhsss.

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Yayyyy! :D

[katmillia.livejournal.com]

Tentatively in, but I'll be out of the country for the majority of May AND June for teaching practicum, so that's why I'm saying maybe. I do, however, absolutely love the idea. Obviously. LOL ♥ I mean it's me.

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

lol bitch please, i know how you write. you're gonna get your assignment and bang the thing out in like, three days.

[katmillia.livejournal.com]

..... OKAY MAYBE but also that's the end of my semester and I might be teaching 2 classes that last 7 weeks since we teach on quarters and my own classes are on semesters (don't ask). SO. Still tentative, but since sign-ups aren't til Feb I'd obvs know by then how my semesters were looking.

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

word! either way, i really hope you can do it, since you're one of the first people i ran it with and you seemed super excited about it.

ALSO EW, TAKE YOUR BITCHY KAME GIF AND GTFO.

[katmillia.livejournal.com]

You realize you say this and I want to spam you with more, right?

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

do it and i will off myself.














(as long as junno is in them, go ahead!)

[katmillia.livejournal.com]

(one-track mind)

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

(you know it.)

[krysyuy.livejournal.com]

Love AU. I would totally sign up. :)v

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Excellent! :D Ahaha I had no idea people were such AU fans. I thought it was just me and Zoe in our little tinhatty corner. XD;

[amhrancas]

Ok, I'm gonna say yes. I'm interested.

I'll hate myself and freak out the whole time, but it really does sound like fun.

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Nooo, no freaking out! As I said to Zoe last night, there's no crying (or freaking out!) in fic writing! 8|

Seriously, though, I've been such a pain in the ass with exchanges and deadlines that I'd just be a textbook case hypocrite if I gave anyone a hard time with fics being due, and we're all here to help regardless! My goal (or hope, really) is that by the end, everyone will have turned in something they themselves are proud of. The road to that can be as long (or short!) as everyone needs. (:

[moogle-tey.livejournal.com]

I myself would be very interested! As someone really new to all of this, I've realized that I get in kind of a stupid mindset where I don't immediately think of some genres unless the exchange is specifically for it. Which may be from inexperience, but sometimes it feels like, for example, writing something dark is a little odd for exchanges that aren't specifically dark. An AU exchange would be free reign to do AU without some of the hesitation that might come with more general exchanges. Short story long, OOOOOH~!!!!

I guess, also, I would need a pretty concrete AU definition to go along with such an exchange? Because in a way *I* think most fiction is technically AU. Ah, maybe not a concrete definition but a boundary? If that makes any sense? (Because are we talking really creative AUs like what Zoe writes, or that + standard high school/office that sort of thing AU or I dunno, I guess AU is really broad and in a way vague, which is what makes it appealing, but would it be targeted at certain kinds of AU or free for all? ...mmmm rambling~)

MWA!

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

AH, I totally get what you mean! I wanted to write a detective story for justfriends, but it just felt weird since it was all about friendship and not like, people solving murders together as a duo. I was hoping that just using the term 'AU' would be all inclusive enough that it would inspire all sorts of types, so I'm glad that you thought so!

Hmmm, I see what you mean. I think, though, the textbook definition of 'AU' would probably work best, and that being an alternate universe in its basic form, in regards to JE -- a world without Johnny's Entertainment. So if you wanted to write an entire fic on what the boys' lives would be like if there was no such thing as JE in Japan, then that would be considered AU. That's probably as close as it would cut it, though. In other worlds, if you wanted them to be idols, singers, whatever, that would also be completely acceptable, but if you wanted to be totally out there and write them as X-Men, or a professional league of car boosters, that's okay, too!

I think Zoe and I will band together and come up with a more concrete definition, but it's pretty much a free for all in my head. I'm sure Zoe wouldn't disagree, either! :D

[moogle-tey.livejournal.com]

*salutes* I could definitely work with that! :D

[beltenebra.livejournal.com]

I am very much down for this. I looove AUs. And I think the timing you have proposed means I might actually be able to participate! At the very least, I'll have a few days off during Golden Week. :3

[rockthecliche.livejournal.com]

Yayyyy! :D I really hope you'll do it, and like I was telling someone else, I've been absolutely awful with keeping to deadlines and stuff for the fic exchanges I've signed up for this year, so the deadline is more than negotiable on a case-by-case basis. I just want everyone to have fun and be proud of what they write! :D

[carmine-pink.livejournal.com]

Hi there, I saw nanyakanya pimping this and my interest is piqued. I'm still a rookie in this whole exchanges thing (just started participating in them this year) but I would be interested in signing up for an AU exchange :)

[getyourzexion.livejournal.com]

Hell yes, AU's! I think I have written...one thing that isn't AU? Haha, so yeah, I'm aaaall over this.