#peaky blinders exchange
After receiving feedback from people in a survey that’s now closed, I’m happy to announce that there’s definitely going to be another writing exchange! It will very likely be during late summer or early fall, and I will try to make it scheduled for after s5, seeing as s5 is rumored to air during the summer.
The exchange format (everyone writes a minimum of one gift and receives a minimum of one gift) is most popular in the survey (with 82% saying they’d be interested in participating), so I’ll stick with that for now.
Stuff I’m keeping from the last exchange due to survey results + my own taste:
- the anonymous period. it’s fun and helps people find new writers
- the schedule/writing period time
- relationship pairing
- 500 minimum wordcount, since I want to minimize stress
Stuff I’m adding:
- more explicit instructions on how to sign up (especially re: the difference between & and / requests)
- anonymous messaging between recipient and author through the mod (so if author has some questions they can get an answer without breaking anonymous period)
- Character matching (so if someone wants an Arthur character study, for instance, they can ask for Arthur & None)
- a tag nominations period - I think this will help extend the hype/advertising and also deal with some technical issues I had earlier
- a more organized and punctual approach to deadlines
Someone suggested a holiday theme and I think that’s a fun idea, so I have Secret Santa (a winter holiday themed exchange) in mind.
PEAKY WRITING + PEAKY EXCHANGES RESOURCES POST
I promised people some peaky writing & exchanges resources in the peaky exchange survey, so here they are! I’ve used all of them myself at one time or another.
WIKIS - basically versions of Wikipedia centered around specific subjects & run by fans
- peaky blinders wiki - a great place to go when you’re like “how old is Finn again??? nine? nineteen???” cause it has character biographies, episode summaries, etc
- fanlore.org - has articles on fandom terms & history, including all things fanfiction. If any of the things below sound confusing, chances are there’s an article here that will explain it all
Springfield! Springfield! Episode Scripts (Peaky Blinders) - complete transcripts of everything said in Peaky Blinders episodes. They don’t come with “Tommy said” etc, so sometimes you have to guess/use your memory about who’s saying what, but they’re still a good tool if you’re trying to write fic that’s parallel to the canon storyline.
DISCORD - a fun, free groupchat. you don’t need an app for it. great way to meet other people and discuss fandom & writing
- The Alfie/Tommy Discord - run by @pure-bastard-extract, this is a chat loosely centered around the romantic/sexual pairing of Alfie Solomons & Tommy Shelby. Has a fanworks channel where you can promote fanwork and a picspam channel where you can stare at an alarming number of Cillian/Tommy and Tom/Alfie pictures.
- The Peaky Fandom & Writing Discord - run by me & literally set up today, this is a chat centered around Peaky fandom chat and fanfiction writing. Hopefully people can find betas, RP partners, and friends here, plus we can all scream in the spoiler channel when s5 comes along.
- The Yuletide Discord - large & run by multiple people, this is focused on fic exchanges of all kinds, including single fandom exchanges and multi fandom exchanges. You can find beta readers for all different types of fandoms here, as well as casual chat about writing and exchanges. If you enjoyed the experience of the Peaky exchange and you’d be interested in different types of writing exchanges and challenges, this is a great spot. It’s named after the biggest exchange of them all, the Yuletide exchange, which is a multi fandom challenge that runs every winter and had 1529 participants in 2018.
- Exchanges After Dark - run by multiple people, this is similar to the Yuletide chat, but it’s smaller, doesn’t have beta readers, and is decidedly NSFW at times. (If you’ve ever got a smut-related writing question, this is definitely the place to ask it.)
- me - direct message me at ashling#7490 if you have any questions about exchanges, Peaky writing, discord, life, or whatever (but pls recognize my area of expertise is v small–for instance, I don’t know that much about life)
ARCHIVEOFOUROWN (AO3) - a by us for us fanfiction archive that will never punish you for “female presenting nipples” like Tumblr does. It will let you comment, bookmark, mark for later, and publish fanfiction. It’s the best multi-fandom fanfiction location currently available to my knowledge. No other archive could let you search for “Tommy Shelby” and “hurt/comfort” in the same search, or “Ada Shelby” and the category “F/F”. Great stuff. To get an account, all you have to do is give them an email and wait for a few days to get through the queue (this method is to weed out trolls/fake accounts/bots).
DREAMWIDTH - a by us for us blogging platform, basically a better version of Livejournal that is often used in the exchange world. great place to find new fanworks things to get involved in
- fandom_calendar - a calendar of fanworks exchanges, a place where I advertised the first peaky blinders exchange, a good place to keep an eye out for fan writing opportunities
- fandom_on_dw - ditto except a bit more expansive; some of the things it promotes aren’t about fanworks at all and are just about fandom (e.g. forums & communities & discussion boards)
If you’ve got questions about any of this, you can message me on hethrewmyheartinthecut.tumblr.com or peakyblindersexchange.tumblr.com or dm me on discord at ashling#7490.
For more info on the Peaky writing events I have planned, there’s this post.
Please fill out THIS SURVEY (it’s only 8 questions, really fast) so I have some information on whether or not people would like more Peaky writing events in future! Even if you didn’t participate in the last one, if you’re at all interested in future ones, it’d be enormously helpful.
[EDIT] UPDATE: Only ONE pinch hit needs writers now! #5 thewestmeadow
The collection is looking good! While some writers asked for extensions and are currently working on their assignments, others did not and hit the deadline without posting, so here’s the pinch hits below. If you would like to pick one up, comment on dreamwidth (comments are screened to keep anonymity), email me at [email protected], message me on discord at ashling#7490, OR message me at peakyblindersexchange.tumblr.com.
#1: comebackjessica-CLAIMED
TAKEN–thank you to the pinch hitter!
#2: convenience
TAKEN–thank you to the pinch hitter!
#3 fiveaces
TAKEN–thank you to the pinch hitter!
#4 Kevin_DesertBluffs
TAKEN–thank you to the pinch hitter!
#5 thewestmeadow
Request 1 by thewestmeadow
Luca Changretta/Reader
Wants: Hurt/comfort, a little fluffy, a little smutty
Luca and reader are both strangers in a strange land (ie Americans in a foreign country) and bond over this.
Things I love about Luca that would be great to have included: love of fine things such as food and clothes, the fact that he’s masquerading in England as a “lover of the theater,” his deep love of family and heritage.
Extra special bonus: Luca cooks authentic Italian food for reader at some point
Interesting but not necessary: Reader is involved in/affected by Luca’s life of crime. Reader is also involved in illegal/nefarious activities related to the Shelby and Changretta families.
Have fun, and thank you!!
Do Not Wants: mpreg, rape/noncon, gore/excessive violence (canon typical violence is fine)
Request 2 by thewestmeadow
Michael Gray & Reader
Summary
Friends from birth, from very different backgrounds (Reader background is totally up to you.) Polly is like a mother to Reader, a spiritual guide who also gives sex and relationship advice. Michael and Reader are not romantically attracted to each other but have a deep friendship and understanding, and aid each other through difficult and violent times
Want: Friendship, mentorship, a little angst or hurt/comfort if you feel like it. Just some fun with Michael and Reader alone or with Polly in the picture somewhere. Polly giving relationship/sex advice to both of them would be fun!
Do not want: mpreg, gore/excessive violence (canon typical violence is okay)
Request 3 by thewestmeadow
Polly Gray & Reader
Summary
Reader is American, distantly related to the Gray family, and has come to England to research her ancestry. Polly initially distrusts her but takes her under her wing. She teaches her some of what she knows about gypsy traditions as well as giving her some advice on relationships and sex. (Bonus: Reader is attracted to Luca Changretta. How does Polly react to this?)
Also open to: Reader is a new initiate into Shelby family, comes from America, is distrusted by some but liked by Polly. Polly is mentor/guide/friend to Reader.
Polly and Reader are similar in many ways, connected by blood, but from different backgrounds. Just something fun to show the friendship between an older and younger woman!
Want: Friendship, mentorship
Do Not Want: Gore, rape, noncon, mpreg…
#6 Birdywhistle
TAKEN–thank you to the pinch hitter!
AGAIN: If you would like to pick one up, comment on dreamwidth (comments are screened to keep anonymity), email me at [email protected], message me on discord at ashling#7490, OR message me at peakyblindersexchange.tumblr.com.
Hi everyone! With less than two weeks before the deadline, everything seems to be going well. A handful of people have already posted their fics, which is great! But even if you haven’t started, everything’s still fine. You’ve got lots of time and it’s only a 500 word minimum.
I have one assignment whose writer had to drop out due to an overload of exams work. It’s a super easy and open assignment because the recipient literally asked for “any relationship” with the only details being “no incest” so you could pretty much go hog wild with this one. Please send me an ask, a message, or an email at [email protected] if you’d be willing to pick it up.
If you need help brainstorming or editing, you can pick up a beta reader. We have a few writers in this exchange who have English as a second language and I want to make especially sure that they feel comfortable posting, but everyone’s encouraged & welcome to use a beta.
If you are capable of doing any kind of editing/beta reading/brainstorming help, please reply to this post, telling us what your skills are (e.g. proofreading) and how a writer could contact you.
If you really need a beta, please reply to this post, keeping it as anonymous as possible, just telling us what skills you need, how long the fit is, and if there are any trigger warnings. And obviously, please do not have your recipient be your beta, as that would defeat the entire anonymous period.
Have at it, and have fun! Don’t stress, I’ve got a period between the deadline and the work reveals so if anyone fails to post by the deadline I can still pull things together and make sure everyone has at least one gift by reveals. Everything’s gonna be fine.
And guys, some of the works already in the collection…TASTY.
There’s only three days left to sign up for the Peaky Blinders Gift Exchange! It’s an exchange where every participant receives one Peaky Blinders fic gift and writes one PB fic gift for someone else. It’s a great way to get to know other writers and build our tiny fandom! And I’m so excited to say we’re so close to our goal of 20 signups!
Right now signed up we have: @hethrewmyheartinthecut,@convenienc-e, @alfiesolcmons, @twistedrunes,@vamillepudding,@weeo,@sgtduckybucky, @veneredirimmel, @deadendtracks, and more for a total of 18 signups!
If curious, you can see all current requests here.
You can sign up here.
FAQhere.
If you’ve got any questions at all, feel free to contact this Tumblr, email questions to [email protected], or talk to me on discord at ashling#7490.
(And yeah, I know that it looks like Peaky Blinders Sex Change…because at least four different people have pointed it out. But hey, I Made A Mistake But I’m Too Far Along To Stop Now is basically the title of my autobiography.)
- if you’ve signed up, this is your reminder that the peaky blinders exchange deadline is next Friday (November 22)
- you can still tweak dialogue, add scenes, and other stuff between Nov 22 and fic reveals no Nov 29, but you should have a publishable fic of 500 words or more by Nov 22 or you will be defaulted
- anybody (whether they signed up or not) can write extra gifts aka treats for any requests that catch their eye. (view request prompts here)
- if you have any questions about this, send an ask to this tumblr or an email to [email protected]
- have fun! I can’t wait to read all the new fic when it hits!
The Peaky Blinders Fic Exchange is a fun, Secret Santa kind of thing where every participant gets one gift of Peaky Blinders fanfiction. Every participant also has to write one fic gift for someone else. Fics must be complete and a minimum of 500 words long.
- Signups open: October 12
- Signups close: October 20
- Assignments go out: October 21
- Posting deadline: November 22
- Story reveal: November 29
- Author reveal: December 6
To sign up, you need an Archive Of Our Own (AO3) account. If you have one, GO HERE TO SIGN UP. If you have an AO3 account but you have never signed up for an exchange before and want some detailed guidance, go here for an example signup. If you don’t have an account, go here for info on how to get one.
Signups close ad midnight EST on October 20. The countdown to signups closing is here.
For more general information, here is the profile and FAQ.
if you have any questions, drop an ask in the inbox or email mods at [email protected].
And even if you don’t sign up, please reblog & let your writer friends know about it! And if you signed up, feel free reblog this post and tell your followers why you’re participating! We’re looking to beat our record of 34 fics from the last round of the exchange.
Sign-ups close in roughly 11 hours! Countdown to closing here.
The Peaky Blinders Fic Exchange is a fun, Secret Santa kind of thing where every participant gets one gift of Peaky Blinders fanfiction. Every participant also has to write one fic gift for someone else. Fics must be complete and a minimum of 500 words long.
- Signups open: October 12
- Signups close: October 20
- Assignments go out: October 21
- Posting deadline: November 22
- Story reveal: November 29
- Author reveal: December 6
To sign up, you need an Archive Of Our Own (AO3) account. If you have one, GO HERE TO SIGN UP. If you have an AO3 account but you have never signed up for an exchange before and want some detailed guidance, go here for an example signup. If you don’t have an account, go here for info on how to get one.
Signups close ad midnight EST on October 20. The countdown to signups closing is here.
For more general information, here is the profile and FAQ.
if you have any questions, drop an ask in the inbox or email mods at [email protected].
And even if you don’t sign up, please reblog & let your writer friends know about it! And if you signed up, feel free reblog this post and tell your followers why you’re participating! We’re looking to beat our record of 34 fics from the last round of the exchange.
the Peaky Blinders Fic Exchange signups are well underway & I’m so excited! It’s a fic exchange, so every participant will get about a month to write one gift fic for someone else. And then at the end, they’ll receive one gift (minimum 500 words). Some people have told me they want to sign up but they’re not really sure how. No problem! This post will show you how.
You’ll need an archiveofourown account. If you don’t have one, no problem; you can either get one through the queue or skip the queue with an invitation from me (more info here).
Once you’re logged into your account, THIS LINK should take you to a signup page.
Requests.
These are the relationships that you’re interested in receiving fic about. You’ll need at least 3 of these, at most 10. Here, I’ll do an Alfie/Tommy example.
In the Fandom spot, select either Crossover Fandom or Peaky Blinders (TV). Alfie/Tommy isn’t a crossover pair, so I select Peaky Blinders (TV).
In the Relationship spot, start typing in the name of one of your characters. A bunch of relationship options should pop up (this sometimes takes a second, lmk if it gives you grief).
Scroll down, find the pairing you want, click on it…
And bam! Done.
Now, you can just do this for all your requests and offers and call it a day. Or you can add a little detail to help the writer that is making your gift figure out what kind of a fic you’d like to receive. You’d type this out in the Description box.
Here’s an example of what some helpful details might look like:
Here’s another example of what some helpful details might look like:
Hi, thanks for writing for me! For Jessie/Ada, I’d like something a little spicy. I loved their chemistry in the bar scene. They’re so different, but they can understand each other and communicate with each other so well. Ada gets where Jessie’s coming from because she used to fight for the cause, and Jessie gets where Ada is coming from because they’re both women getting leadership roles in male-dominated circles. And plus they’re both gorgeous and I’m GAY!
Do Not Want: any content involving rape/sexual harrassment/violent misogyny, Tommy/Jessie, pregnancy fics
If I were writing for this person, I’d be happy to get these details because they help me understand what you like about the pairing and what I can focus on. Also, it’ll help me to know what things you absolutely never want to read about, the Do Not Wants as we call em in exchange lingo, which is great.
Here’s another example.
For Tommy/Reader, I’m not gonna lie, I. Am. Horny. I’m talking office sex, desk sex, sex against a wall. Any gender you want for the reader, I just want it to be messy and wild.
If you’re not into writing smut, what about something dramatic and confrontational near the end of Tommy and the Reader’s relationship? Just let them have a knock-down drag-out fight about something they both hold dear–politics, family–and I’ll grab my popcorn.
Or really anything about Tommy being a dad and how Reader fits into the family dynamic. We rarely get to see Charlie and I feel cheated.
Likes: drama, rough sex, aftercare, family conflict, domesticity
Do not want: gratuitous or graphic violence
Sometimes it’s nice to receive prompts or story ideas, which gives the writer places to go. If the writer only got the first prompt and nothing else, and if they didn’t really like writing smut, they might get a little discouraged. But this reader has helpfully given more than one option, which makes it way easier on the writer.
Offers
Offers are relationships you’d be willing to write about. Keep in mind that “&” indicates a platonic relationship (so Aberama Gold & Polly Gray would be about their friendship) and “/” indicates a romantic or sexual relationship (so Aberama Gold/Polly Gray would be something shippy or smutty).
The “type in a character and see available relationships in the dropdown” trick should work here too.
Just pick some ships for your offers, and that’s it!
If you think of a prompt you forgot, no worries. You can edit your signups until signups close on October 20, 2019. The countdown to signups closing is here.
If you don’t like writing out all your stuff separately, you can put all your prompts, likes, Do Not Wants, and other random info into one place, a Dear Author letter, and then copy the URL in, like so:
Some common places to store a Dear Author Letter are Tumblr, Google Docs, Livejournal, and Dreamwidth.
I hope this was helpful! Let me know if I missed anything. You can contact me with questions at ashling#7490 on Discord, [email protected], or of course this Tumblr. I’m happy to help.
More info: SIGNUP LINK HERE |PROFILE, RULES & FAQ HERE
Happy writing! <3 Ashling
After the glory of the @peakyemergencyresponsefic writing challenge, which was run by the magnificent @darkandstormyslash and produced 25 fics on archiveofourown alone, here’s another fun fandom event!
This is a fandom event where everyone writes one fanfic for someone else and receives one fanfic from someone else, with gifts being fanfics that are at least 500 words long and about a requested relationship. Sometimes people write extra gifts, which is great, but optional.
The last exchange was super fun, with 26 people participating and 34 fics written. We saw everything from steamy Alfie/Tommy to fierce Ada/Jessie to romances of all kinds with original characters and Reader characters. But romance and sex wasn’t all; we also had fic about Tommy and Finn as brothers, fic about Michael and Reader as friends, and more! And we’re looking forward to another exchange jam-packed with a variety of Peaky goodness.
This exchange has one new feature, which is the inclusion of crossover pairings. Maybe the new Downton Abbey movie has you all excited about the 1920s, and you want May Carleton/Mary Crawley. You can ask for that! Or maybe you’re a Christopher Nolan aficionado and you want some Eames from Inception with Tommy Shelby. You can ask for that too!
This exchange is timed to begin with the Netflix release of Peaky Blinders Season 5 on October 4. If you’re interested, but you’re not sure, and you want more information, email your questions to [email protected], send in an ask, or continue reading. And please spread the word about this exchange to your friends! We’re hoping to have even more fics than last time.
Links
The AO3 Profile•The Tagset•The Dreamwidth
Schedule
- Nominations: October 4-October 11
- Sign-ups: October 12-October 20
- Deadline: November 22
- Reveals: November 29
Further Details
Just like last time, this exchange is being run through archiveofourown.org, the nonprofit fan fiction archive used by all kinds of fanfic authors. If you already have an ao3 account, great! If not, we can get you one, just email us at [email protected]. Or you can get yourself one here.
The first stage of the exchange, nominations, is purely optional. Basically, in order to match you with someone you can write for, they have to ask for a relationship, e.g. Tommy Shelby/Reader, and you have to offer to write for it. Nominating a relationship adds that relationship to a list of relationships that people can ask for. This helps us, because if we didn’t have that official list of relationships, we might have someone ask for “Thomas Shelby/Reader” and someone else offer “Tommy Shelby/Reader”, and the computer algorithm that matches up people would miss that because those are two different relationship tags.
If you already have an archiveofourown account, you can start nominating relationships to the tags here on October 4.
We will post more information about sign-ups, et cetera, when they start happening.
