#wh40k summer fest exchange

[wh40ksummerfest]

WH40K Summer Fest Exchange 2024

Summer Fest is back for 2024!

This summer exchange is a Warhammer 40,000/Horus Heresy-focused gift exchange for fanart and fanfiction, hosted on AO3.

Sign up to write a fanfic or create a piece of fanart, and receive a story or artwork in return!

Schedule:

June 2 - June 9: Nominate your favourite characters and pairings June 9 - June 16: Sign up for the exchange June 16: Matching and assignments go out July 27: Early default deadline August 11: Assignments due August 18: Works go live August 25: Creators are revealed

👉 You must be 18+ and have an AO3 account to participate.

For information on how to sign up and participate, see the AO3 exchange profile.

Please follow this blog for updates.

[aedensolus]

Memory is a fickle thing, Cawl knew. It was whispered among others of the priesthood that he had forgotten more than any other could ever hope to learn, especially in the realms of cloning and genetics. Some memories were removed by choice and necessity, some by force, and some simply slipped through his fingers.

But some memories were too important to risk, to trust to the delicate action of neurons, or even the sanctity of circuits. Some memories must be writ in flesh and bone, metal and wire. Matter and memory, made whole and kept safe, never to be lost.

~

At last, my piece for the @wh40ksummerfest exchange! Belisarius Cawl and the friend he can't let go of.

I haven't been this plain happy with a drawing in a long-ass time

[magistralucis]

From Darkness Unto Thy Light [Obyron/Zahndrekh Fanfiction]

He is the very model of a modern Sautekh nemesor: Botanically inclined and philosophical in spite of war, In grace and fair appearances you'll see no better epicure, He'd love a recitation by his vargard about paramours. In crises he's undaunted by traditional sagacity, His speech is most compassionate in infinite capacity, Of Setekh diabolical he's teeming with a lot o' news: (It's thanks to him the bastard won't receive his undeserved dues.) He merits the inheritance the world of Gidrim occupies, His regal might and army shall command that noble enterprise, He honours his Obyron true, they'll be together evermore: He is the very model of a modern Sautekh nemesor.

-----

Written for Sehn during the Summer Fest Gift Exchange 2024! 💖✨ A retelling of Obyron and Zahndrekh's beginnings at Yama, up to Zahndrekh's rule of Gidrim. Heavy spoilers for Severed ahead.

Minor content warnings for violence, PTSD, and Setekh. Obyron POV. Multichapter, pre-biotransference. SFW.

(EDIT: Now accompanied by this amazing art by the wonderful @eleooooooo!)

[Originally published 10/08/2024 - AO3 link here.]

[metashard]

Oh, creators have been revealed!

Behold, Mentep/Khertykh/Dagon polycule of no return! This was written for OriCat in the 40k Summer Exchange with a very detailed request, the core of which was "Give me all the gaslightling and blackmail and pressure and whatever else they can throw at each other - the most unethical polyamory." Thus this.

We got psychological abuse, emotional abuse, physical abuse, financial abuse, torture, descriptions of surgery, grad students getting drunk, cheating, gaslighting, gatekeeping, and so much they/them girlbossing you could melt a planet with it. Whump was asked of me and so I made whump.

If anyone has the time, I would appreciate constructive criticism on this. It... kind of languished unread for most of the anon period of the exchange, and I'd like to know what I could do to avoid that again. Probably just because the tags were negative and the characters were obscure, but if I'm missing some ingredient that would have fixed it, please let me know.

[nevesmose]

And huge thanks to @sharenadraculea and @chemos-factories for their lovely gifts which I very much recommend!

[wh40ksummerfest]

The Summer Fest tagset has passed 250 nominations, so we're sharing this excellent AO3 hack to keep track of them all.

Note that if you're already using a public site skin, such as the dark-mode Reversi, you will have to copy-paste the code from that skin into your custom site skin to use both simultaneously.

There are 48 hours left of the 2024 WH40K Summer Fest nomination period!

Nominations will close on Sunday, June 9, at 11:59am CET/5:59 EDT, so get yours in now.

AO3 tagset life hack

As we get more characters and ships added to the Sanguinala tagset, it's getting pretty unwieldy to read! However, there's a pretty straightforward way to change the display from this

to this:

If you already use a custom site skin on AO3, you can edit that skin to add the following CSS at the end:

.tagset .fandom.listbox .tags.index.group li { display: block; margin-top: 0.4em; line-height: 1; } .tagset .fandom.listbox .tags.index.group li::after { content: none; }

If you don't already use a custom site skin, you can make one with just this code. Go to your AO3 dashboard, choose "Skins" from the menu on the left, then hit the "Create Site Skin" button. Leave the dropdown set to "Site Skin," give it a title, and paste the code above into the CSS box. Hit "Submit" to save your skin and it will now appear as an entry on your Skins page. Click "Use" to turn it on.

This code will add line breaks between the characters/ships in any tagset you view while logged in. It doesn't change any other pages on the site.

Happy tagset browsing!

[iapetusneume]

For the fanfic end of the year asks

14 a fic you didn’t expect to write

22 events you participated in this year

and 25 a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

<3

14. A fic you didn't expect to write

"For Morale", which is actually a Diablo IV fanfic. I wasn't really expecting to write anything that wasn't 40k (and possibly FFXIV), so when the inspiration hit I was shocked and ran with it.

(Also, it's something that can be read without knowledge of Diablo IV. It's something I think that fans of MMOs would appreciate.)

22. Events you participated in this year

The WH40K Summer Fest Exchange - first time I participated in this. I was too scared in 2023 and too new to the fandom to have the courage to try. Had a lot of fun.

Eat Drink & Make Merry - this was multifandom, focusing around food or drink in some way. Joined because my favorites in 40k are vampires. Amusingly enough, I wrote (and received) fic about vampires... and not about blood. (But it's totally fine)

25. a fic you read this year you would recommend everyone read

It would be cheating to say "all the gifts I received in exchanges," even though they were all incredible. But if I'm forced to pick one, I'd say:

Tell me no by i_cant_say (NSFW)

Every time Thiel stands in his primarch’s presence, there is a sense of being measured. He knows it is only natural. He has read the reports on the assassination attempt by the Alpha Legion, traitors using arcane technology to steal his own face and infiltrate the Fortress of Hera. Still, he can’t help feeling he is being weighed on some invisible scale, and that this time, he will be found too light. He wonders if this is why he has been summoned for a private audience with the primarch. If this is the day he is finally to be censured. But Guilliman only waves away his apology with the feathered end of his data-quill. “I did not summon you to inspect your parade uniform,” the primarch says. He looks down, musing. “I suppose, in a way, you are here to inspect mine.”

[chemos-factories]

fic review 2024

tagged by @iapetusneume <3

Words and Fics

9 fics published (+ 1 previously started fic updated, will not be included in the ‘top 5 by-’ lists) 17,194 words

Top 3 Pairings/Relationships

Ummmmmm i have a bunch of one-off fics so i dont think i can really quantify this :P

Top 5 by Comments

Angel of the Underworld A Private Performance Nothing Left of You An Inheritance Hanes Cynon a Nuadan

Top 5 by Kudos

A Private Performance ‘til Only Lust Remains When Am I Ever Going to Need a Cheese Hatchet? Angel of the Underworld Nothing Left of You

Top 5 by Hits

A Private Performance ‘til Only Lust Remains When Am I Ever Going to Need a Cheese Hatchet? Nothing Left of You Hanes Cynon a Nuadan

Fandom Events in 2024

The WH40k Summer Fest Exchange 2024 Secret Sanguinala 2024

Writing Reflection

i was a lot more prolific this year than i thought i’d been! and it was more spread out over the year than i’d expected. p happy about that. heres to another year of just really weird niche porn.

im going to tag ummmmmmmmmm. @darthcatboy and @nevesmose annnnd @inquisitor-gayfax !

[lolipop1920art]

Sunset and teachings

I did these pieces for the the wh40k summer fest exchange 2024. I it's time to show it here.

Jain Zar and Asurmen laying on a park and a young Farsight being taught tactics by puretide

Here's another version of the sunset art without lighting

[fanwork-exchange-promos]

Warhammer 40000: Summer Fest gift exchange

Posted by: wh40ksummerexchange WH40K Summer Fest is a Warhammer 40,000/Horus Heresy-focused exchange for fanart and fanfiction. All character(s) from Warhammer 40,000 and the Horus Heresy series, including the tabletop codices and rpg rulebooks, Black Library novels, short stories and anthologies, computer games, Warhammer TV animated films, etc., are welcome. Participants sign up to write a complete story of at least 500 words or create a finished piece of fan art that is at minimum clean, finished line art on unlined paper and can stand as a completed work. Matching will be done on character/relationship. Links: tumblr profile | AO3 Collection | Tag Set 2024 Schedule: June 2 - June 9: Nominations June 9 - June 16: Sign-up June 16: Matching and assignments go out July 27: Early default deadline August 11: Assignments due August 18: Works go live August 25: Creators are revealed (but you can still post late treats) 👉 All dates and times are noon CET/6am EDT. The WH40K Summer Fest is currently open for nominations. Join us for fun and games in the grimdark future! comments via The Fandom Calendar https://ift.tt/g2Df05l

[wh40ksummerfest]

Sign-up is open!

Sign-up for the WH40K Summer Fest 2024 is open now!

You need to request and offer at least 3 characters/relationships to sign up; you are welcome to request/offer more. You can choose to create and receive either fanfiction, fanart, or both.

Helpful links:

Collection profile with full rules/info.

Request Summary shows other participants' requests.

The sign-up deadline is Sunday, June 16, 11:59am CET/5:59am EDT (countdown).

Signing up: Important info and step-by-step guide 👇

You must be 18+ and have an AO3 account to participate in the exchange. If you do not have an account, you can request an invitation to join the Archive here.

Note: In case the mod team needs to reach out to you, AO3 shows us the e-mail address you use to log in. If you end up unmatchable or if your creator sends us a question to forward to you, we will use this e-mail address. Be sure to be able to access it, check it regularly while the exchange is running—and, if your legal name is in it, to change it if you don’t want the mod team to see it! All e-mails from the mod team will be sent from 40kfanworkexchange@gmail.com using the name Roboute Guilliman (he handles our paperwork) or through AO3.

How to sign up

Click on 'Sign Up'/'Sign-up Form' on the exchange's profile page (or click here) to fill out your requests and offers.

You must submit at least 3 requests (at least one per box) for characters and/or relationships that you would like to receive fanfiction and/or fanart about. You can add additional request boxes, up to 10.

For each request box, choose 'Warhammer 40.000' as the fandom.

Add 1-20 characters or relationships from the exchange tag set. You can search for nominated characters/relationships using the drop-down menu. We allow up to 20 character/relationship tags per request, but please be mindful of the person receiving your request and try not to go overboard. You have to fill out Request 1, 2 and 3 with at least one character/relationship in each; if possible, group together tags that share the same character(s) or canon source, DNWs, or other characteristics into a single request.

Choose whether you'd like to receive only fanfiction, only fanart, or both. You can choose different media(s) for each request.

Linking to a 'dear creator' letter on an external website, i.e., a tumblr blog post, Google Doc, Dreamwidth page, etc. going into further details about your preferences, is optional. The person assigned to you is not obligated to read it, but may find it helpful for inspiration. Please make sure your page is publicly available; some tumblr links can only be accessed by tumblr users.

Use the text box for suggestions, optional prompts and preferences. Keep in mind that we have all sorts of participants, so be as broad as possible to inspire others without restricting their creativity — optional details are optional and your creator is not required to stick to your suggestions, but having a general idea of whether you like fluff/action/comedy/smut, the Great Crusade/Horus Heresy/M40/M42-era, your favourite tropes, art styles, etc. is very helpful. You MUST list anything you Do Not Want (DNW) to see in a gift, such as squicks and triggers. The mods will check your gift to make sure it doesn't contain any of your DNWs, but we only check for the specific ones listed in this text box. Your listed DNWs should, as a minimum, state whether you wish to avoid any of the four specific AO3 Archive Warnings: 1) Graphic depictions of violence, 2) Major Character Death, 3) Rape/Non-con, 4) Underage. If you would be uncomfortable receiving Mature or Explicit gifts, please also mention this in your DNWs. You can have different DNWs for different requests.

If you are unsure about what to include in your DNWs or optional details, check out other people's requests for ideas.

You must submit at least 3 offers (at least one per box) for characters and/or relationships that you would like to create fanfiction and/or fanart about. Your offered characters/relationships do not have to be identical to your requests.

For each offer, choose 'Warhammer 40.000' as the fandom.

Add 1-20 characters or relationships from the exchange tag set. You can search for nominated characters/relationships using the drop-down menu. You have to fill out Offer 1, 2 and 3 with at least one character/relationship in each, but it doesn't matter how you group your offers otherwise. No one will see your offers except you and the mods. You can make a total of 10 offers with up to 20 tags each = 200 characters/relationships. You are very welcome to do so, but make sure you are able and willing to create a gift if you match on any one of them! You will only be matched with one other participant and required to create a single gift regardless of how many offers you submit.

Choose whether you'd like to create only fanfiction, only fanart, or both. You'll only be required to make one gift for your assignment even if you offer both.

Please return to check before the sign-up deadline (June 16, 11:59am CET/5:59am EDT) that your offers match at least one request by another participant in the exchange.

If your offers don't match anyone else's requests by the time of the deadline, the mods will e-mail you to ask if you would like to add additional offers. If you do not respond to this e-mail within 12 hours or decline to add additional offers, your sign-up will be deleted.

Once you have filled out at least 3 requests and offers, hit 'Submit' at the bottom of the page. You have now signed up to participate in the exchange and your requests will be visible to other participants in the Request Summary.

You can edit/add to your requests and offers by clicking 'My Sign-up' on the exchange profile page. Note: After the sign-up deadline, only the mods will be able to edit your sign-up details.

"What if there is someone I don't want to be matched with?"

The best way to ensure a fun and enjoyable exchange experience is to keep an eye on the Request Summary and adjust your offers based on other participants' requests. Maybe you'll see something that inspires you to offer characters or relationships you didn't consider before — or maybe someone requests something for one of your offers that you would rather not create, in which case it's perfectly fine to edit your offers so you won't risk matching on that particular character/relationship.

If, however, there is another participant that you do not want to be matched with, please e-mail us at 40kfanworkexchange@gmail.com before the sign-up deadline and let us know:

Your AO3 username;

the AO3 username of the participant you do not want to be matched with;

whether your Do Not Match request is for creating, receiving, or both;

what you would like us to do if that participant offers to pick up your pinch hit;

what you would like us to do if that participant creates a treat for you.

Thank you — see you in the sign-ups!

[magistralucis]

I hope people like my Summer Fest entry. It is a labour of great love and gentle summer feelings of the kind so often lost in the hustle and bustle of everyday

[metashard]

I know the 40k Summer Exchange is still on anon creators, but when it's revealed, would it be bad form to ask for critique? Couldn't exactly do it before posting, and I feel there's a lot I should learn from this before trying again. I just worry it may be less accepted to ask for help when the work's already been posted.

I don't want individuals to feel obligated to crit later by responding, so have an anonymous option:

[nevesmose]

Fluffy, light-hearted Ferrus/Fulgrim Regency Romance AU featuring verbal sparring, initial dislike turning into affection, and as many genre tropes as possible all in a suitably ornate prose style.

And so I can now reveal my summer exchange fic! It turned out well I think.

[iapetusneume]

FIC WRITING REVIEW 2024

Thank you to @loki-is-my-kink for coming up with this.

Thank you to @mutuallyprime for tagging me!

Rules: Feel free to show whatever stats you have. Only want to show Ao3 stats? Rock on. Want to include some qualitative info instead of stats? Please do this. Want to change how yours is presented? Absolutely do that. Would rather eat glass than do this? Please don’t eat glass but don’t feel like you have to do this either. Artists and gif makers, please also join in with any quantitative or qualitative stats or facts you want to share about your year.

Words and Fics

18 fics published

93,309 words

Top 3 Pairings Relationships

(This came out as a tie, so I'm listing 5 here)

Lion el'Jonson/Sanguinius (5)

Raldoron/Sanguinius (5)

Roboute Guilliman/Sanguinius (3)

Lion el'Jonson/Roboute Guilliman (3)

Lion el'Jonson/Roboute Guilliman/Sanguinius (3)

Top 5 by Comments

Shared Compliance (58)

Unyielding (19)

Adjutant (16)

Macraggian Hospitality (10)

The Delay (8)

Top 5 by Kudos

Another tie!

Macraggian Hospitality (77)

Shared Compliance (58)

The Delay (37)

At His Speed (35)

The Gift of the Rope (33)

Adjutant (33)

Unyielding (33)

Top 5 by Hits

Shared Compliance (1221)

Macraggian Hospitality (1175)

Adjutant (630)

Alar Aladi (531)

The Delay (457)

Fandom Events in 2024

The WH40k Summer Fest Exchange 2024 - one of the two 40k exchanges that I endeavor to participate in. This one was actually my first for this, because in 2023 I was way too nervous and new to have any confidence in signing up.

Eat Drink and Make Merry 2024 - this is a multifandom exchange that focused on food and drink. I wasn't going to participate in any exchanges that weren't 40k exclusive - since I have so many projects going - but I was swayed by the fact that my favorite primarch and his legion are all vampires. (This one was really hard, because during the writing phase was when I was fired from my job. I've struggled to write since then, and I almost defaulted on this. But I didn't default, and the resulting story is for a rare pair and I'm pretty happy with it.)

Secret Sanguinala 2024 - This just wrapped up! The other 40k exchange I try to participate in. This is my 2nd time doing Sanguinala. Lots of new people participated, and it was pretty darn cool.

Writing Reflection

I honestly forgot how much I wrote this year. My biggest accomplishment - which I surpassed with my Sanguinala fic - was that 40k is now the fandom I've written the most words for. Previously it was for Saiyuki at 129k words, but now I'm at 132k for 40k. I also did it in 1 1/2 years, as opposed to 5 years for Saiyuki.

I'm also less than 10k words away from having posted 400k (across all fandoms) of published fic. I've put my older stuff on Ao3 and backdated it, so this reflects my writing since 2001.

I'm going to attempt writing 250 words a day in 2025. That'll put me to just above 91k in a year if I just do that. I'm hoping to hit 100k this year. Maybe even hit 500k across all fandoms by the end of 2025.

And this wasn't a stat that got talked about, but I am floored that Adjutant is one of my most-bookmarked fics. Kano doesn't have a lot for him, and I created the pairing tags of Raldoron/Kano and Sanguinius/Kano (and Sanguinius/Raldoron/Kano) when I posted it. Very proud, and glad that Kano is getting so much love.

.

Tagging: anyone who would like to do it! But maybe @feralkwe @defira85 and @chemos-factories?

[wh40ksummerfest]

How to: AO3 gift exchange nominations

If you are new to gift exchanges on AO3, here is a guide on how to submit character/relationship nominations to the WH40K Summer Fest exchange tag set. 👇

Like most exchanges on AO3, the WH40K Summer Fest begins with a two-step setup period:

During the nomination period (June 2-9), anyone can submit characters and relationships to the tag set created for the exchange.

During the sign-up period (June 9-16), participants submit requests and offers for characters/relationships from the tag set they would like to receive or create fanfic/fanart for. At the end of the sign-up period, the exchange mods will match participants based on their requests and offers.

You can only sign up to request or offer the characters and relationships contained in the tag set, so make sure to submit your nominations before Sunday, June 9, 11:59am CET/5:59am EDT. After this time, the tag set will close and additional nominations can't be added.

How to nominate

You need an AO3 account to participate in the exchange. If you do not have an account, you can request an invitation to join the Archive here.

Find the link to the tag set in the info box at the top of the exchange's profile page (or click here).

On the tag set page, click 'nominate' in the top right corner.

Choose 'Warhammer 40.000' for the fandom.

All nominations go in the 'Warhammer 40,000' fandom category, even if they belong to other media, e.g., the Horus Heresy series, the Rogue Trader computer game, etc. Nominations are only used for matching participants; when you upload your gift to AO3, you can use the fandom tag(s) of your choice.

Both characters and relationships go in the 'relationship' box for matching purposes.

Add characters to the tagset by writing: Character: [Name] and finishing with a comma.

Add pairings by writing Name/Name (for romantic or sexual pairings) or Name & Name (for platonic pairings/friendships/enemyships — any specific characters you want interacting in a non-romantic/non-sexual way). If the tag has been used on AO3 before, you can choose it from the dropdown menu, otherwise finish with a comma.

You can nominate Original Characters as characters or in relationships. HOWEVER, note that it will be the creator's choice which OC to use; e.g., if you request "Saint Celestine/Original Female Character," the creator can use an OC you suggest but can also use their own idea. You may nominate original characters that specify an OC's faction ("Original Ultramarine & Original Tau Fire Warrior") and/or gender ("Original Transfem Sister of Battle/Original Nonbinary Imperial Guard").

You can also nominate 'Any' characters, e.g., "Sanguinius & Any Blood Angel(s)", "Ciaphas Cain/Any Canon Female Character", to give the creator freedom to choose which character(s) to include.

You can nominate up to 20 characters or pairings.

Once you are done, click 'submit' at the bottom of the page.

You can always add more characters and pairings, up to 20, by clicking 'My nominations' on the tag set page, but once your nominations have been approved by the mods they can't be deleted.

If you nominate something that has already been nominated by someone else, or if the mods change the wording/order of names to match archive conventions (e.g., "Ulfar of the Space Wolves" ➡ "Ulfar Redmane"), it may continue to appear on your 'My nominations' page as unapproved. Click 'Expand All' on the tag set page to see a full list of all nominated characters/relationships and check if your nominations are included, possibly under a slightly different name.

It may take up to 24+ hours for a nomination to be approved, so please don't delete your unapproved nominations.

If you have any questions about your nominations, contact the mods at 40kfanworkexchange@gmail.com.