Sign-ups are closed now. Thank you, everyone!

What is the 520 Day Reverse Exchange?

General info/rules/schedule post - please go there to ask questions if anything isn't clear.

If you're on Discord, Twitter, Bluesky, Tumblr or elsewhere for fandom, please help get the word out by promoting the exchange there. We have a tumblr post you can reblog, a promo graphic and text on the General info post, or you can make your own.

How do I sign up?

You will find the sign-up form below. Fill in something for each point, giving as much info as you like. All comments are screened so only mods (china_shop and trobadora) can see them.

Please read this post, including the 2025 sign-up form, fully before you sign up. You will need to check back at this community between Saturday 29 March and Friday 4 April to make your requests. This sign-up form is the first of two steps.

Sign-ups are open until 11:59pm UTC on Friday 28 March 2025. (What time is that for me?)

What happens next?

1. On Saturday 29 March, mods post the info from the sign-up forms as anonymous participant ads on this comm.


2. You choose 3 ads from the list and make a request for each. (We'll remove each ad from the list when we've received 3 requests for that offer.)


3. Mods assign one of your requests to the relevant writer/artist/creator.


4. You receive one request made for your offer. This is your assignment.

The sign-up form

Copy and paste the form from the text box into a comment and fill out your sign-up. There are guidelines for each question below. Note that we've made some changes, particularly for art offers, compared to last year! Comments are screened.

Please include something for every question. For any sections that don't apply to the media or canon you're offering, say "Not applicable."

<b>AO3 name:</b> <b>Email address:</b> <b>Are you aged 18 or over?</b> Delete as appropriate: Yes / No <b>Does your AO3 account allow gifts?</b> Delete as appropriate: Yes / No <b>Which part of Guardian fandom are you offering for?</b> Delete as appropriate: novel / drama / blend of novel and drama / real person fanworks <b>What are you offering?</b> Delete as appropriate: fanfic / fanart (drawing/painting) / fanart (graphic) / icons / vid / podfic / meta / remix of an existing fanwork (specify the media of the existing fanwork AND the media you'll create) / fanart for an existing fanwork (specify the media of the existing fanwork AND the type of fanart (drawing/painting or graphic) you'll create) <b>Characters and relationships you're willing to create for:</b> <b>Ratings you're willing to create for:</b> Delete as appropriate: General / Teen And Up / Mature / Explicit <b>Level of canon compliance you're willing to create for:</b> Delete as appropriate, and feel free to include extra detail: For drama and/or novel fanworks: fully canon-compliant work / canon divergence AU / canon universe AU / complete AU For real person fanworks: real world / real world AU / complete AU <b>For drama and/or novel fanworks, what era of canon are you willing to create for?</b> Delete as appropriate: present-day canon era / historical canon setting / other backstory / post-canon future / complete AU <b>The drama's ending:</b> <b>What you enjoy creating:</b> <b>What you WON'T create:</b> <b>If we need a pinch hitter, can we ask you? (This is not a commitment.)</b> Delete as appropriate: Yes / No

AO3 name: You'll need an AO3 account to post your work. If you don't have an account yet, you can request one here, or comment on the General info/rules post to ask the mods for an invite.
Email address: We send out assignments by email. We may also send reminders, seek clarification about your sign-up (offer or requests), and/or pass on inquiries from your creator. Please provide an email address you check regularly!
Are you aged 18 or over? Please give an age statement.
Does your AO3 account allow gifts? Please double-check if you're not sure - you can find the setting here: Profile > Set My Preferences > Collections, Challenges and Gifts > "Allow anyone to gift me works". (The default setting for new accounts is to not allow gifts.) If your AO3 account is set to not allow gifts, you're still welcome to participate: your creator will give your gift to the 520_Day_Reverse_Exchange account, and we'll email you the notification. )

None of the above information will be included in your anonymised ad offer.

Which part of Guardian fandom are you offering for? Options are Guardian novel, Guardian drama, a blend of novel and drama, and/or Guardian real person fanworks. If a blend, please describe/explain.
What are you offering? Options are fanfic, fanart (drawing/painting or graphic), icons, vids, podfic, meta, remix of an existing fanwork, fanart for an existing fanwork. If there are other media you'd like to offer, e.g. fancrafts, please discuss with the mods by commenting on the rules/FAQ post.
You can offer more than one medium. If you do, you will still only receive one request.
If you offer a remix of an existing fanwork, you must specify the possible media of the existing fanwork and the media you work in.
Remixes and fanart for existing fanworks will be given a choice of at least three fanworks to remix or make art for.
If you offer podfic, please give an indication of the length of fic you're willing to record, and whether you're open to specific story suggestions.

Characters and relationships you're willing to create for: Make sure you offer at least one character or relationship for each of the canons you're offering. Be as detailed as you like. Remember, people can only request what you're offering, so if you're willing to include minor characters, do mention them! Use / for romantic and sexual relationships, and & for other relationships such as friendships, family, etc.
You can list different characters and relationships for different media.
Ratings you're willing to create for: Options are the standard AO3 ratings: General, Teen And Up, Mature, and/or Explicit.
Participants who are under 18 may only request and offer works rated General or Teen And Up.

Level of canon compliance you're willing to create for: For drama and/or novel fanworks, the options are:

• canon-compliant works -- works that don't contradict canon, such as missing scenes, additional cases, backstory, or post-finale futurefic
• canon divergence AU -- diverging at some point during the canon timeline
• canon universe AU -- set in the canon world but with differences, such as a role reversal AU or everyone being Yashou
• complete AU -- different setting/world

For real person fanworks, the options are:

• real world
• real world AU -- for example, different occupations
• complete AU -- different setting/world

For drama and/or novel fanworks, what era of canon are you willing to create for? The options are:

• present-day canon era -- fanworks set during the contemporary parts of the drama or novel
• historical canon setting -- fanworks set during the historical parts of the novel or drama
• other backstory -- not included in canon
• post-canon future
• complete AU

Feel free to elaborate/specify.

The drama's ending: If you're offering for the drama, how do you feel about the ending? Are you okay with a gift that implies it's going to happen? Are you willing to fix it/avert it/create something set after the finale? Do you love it? Do you want to avoid it at all costs? Have you not seen it yet?

What you enjoy creating: Describe your likes here. These may include characterisation preferences, favourite tropes, plot elements, genres, themes, kinks, kinds of AUs; for art, the media you work in, your styles and themes; for icons, your style and whether you are willing to incorporate text (e.g., Chinese and/or English, up to 7 words/characters); for vids, style and music preferences; for podfic, style and genre preferences; anything else you want your requester to know.

Remember, the more info you give, the more likely you are to be picked by someone who wants exactly what you like to create!

What you WON'T create: List your DNWs here. These may be characterisations, tropes, plot elements, genres, themes, kinks, kinds of AUs, styles, anything. If you don't want anything to do with a particular subplot, or you have a particular headcanon you're not willing to go against, this is the place to say. Please keep your DNWs matter-of-fact and non-judgemental.

If we need a pinch hitter, can we ask you? (This is not a commitment.) Delete as appropriate: Yes / No
As this is a reverse exchange and requests are tailored to the offers, if we need a pinch hitter, where possible we prefer to ask the other people who were chosen by the participant. Answering yes to this question means we can approach you if someone who chose your ad is in need of a gift. You're not promising anything.

Note: If your sign-up includes omegaverse formatted in a way that forms an ethnic slur, with or without slashes, we'll replace it with "omegaverse".


All comments here are screened (i.e. only visible to mods). If there is a problem with your sign-up, for example if you've missed any important info, we will reply to your comment or email you to sort it out.

Go forth and sign up!

Currently signed up: Acoyotewhowanders, amedia, AVAAntares, china_shop, facethestrange, Gatoveja, Gavilan, hideyseek, ishipallthings, Koschei_B, laCommunarde, shadaras, tehfanglyfish, tinypinkmouse, Trobadora, velithya, xk_s_reads