topgunhappilyeverafter

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

It's that time of year, aviators!

Are you ready to spread the love to your fellow fandom friends, scratch that happily ever after itch, and get creating?

Well, have no fear because Top Gun Happily Ever After is back for year three!

Keep your peepers out for this year's changes (there aren't many), and mark your calendars as Stage 1 of sign-ups open on 12/26/24!

We look forward to seeing you here!

Mods Alex & Saturn

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Rules/Info

Info:

This event isn’t like your typical exchange. In the hopes that all artists/writers are able to really dig into a prompt and find inspiration, there will be two stages of sign-ups. The first stage (to be completed by December 31st (11:59PM EST) is standard: you’ll submit your information and the three (3) prompts you’d like a chance at having filled. One (1) of your submitted prompts will be filled by another participant.

Stage 2 of sign-ups (to be held from January 1st - January 5th 11:59 EST) is where things are a bit different. You’ll be sent an anonymized list of all participant prompts submitted in stage one, sorted by pairing and rating, and check “yes” on any prompt you’re personally interested in writing/drawing for. After Stage 2 closes, the host team will work their magic and assign you a recipient based on One (1) of the prompts you selected.

Why the extra step? Because we, as creators and event participants ourselves, understand the anxiety and disappointment of being assigned a prompt you’re just not feeling. This two-stage process is geared towards mitigating that possibility as much as humanly possible!

Example of how this works:

Assuming 20 people sign-up, 60 prompts will be available (as three prompts will be submitted per person)

Of those 60, each participant will select all the prompts they’re interested in filling.

Based on the responses of all participants, the host team will assign prompts to writers/artists.

Each participant will be assigned based on one (1) prompt they selected from the masterlist.

Each participant will have only one (1) of their requested prompts filled.

Rules:

This is an 18+ exchange. 

In submitting a prompt, it is expected that you will be filling one as well.

The writing minimum is a completed fic of no fewer than 2k words.

All ships, ratings, and themes/archive warnings are welcome. It is expected that writers/artists will adhere to the prompt/ship/rating assigned and respect all recipient hard-nos. 

Prompts will not be re-issued, so please, when checking off the prompts you want to write/draw for, make sure you are only picking the prompts you definitely want to complete.

All prompts for this exchange must be posted to the AO3 Collection. If help is needed for posting to the collection, please review the FAQ which will have a walkthrough with screenshots to assist.

If you cannot fulfill your prompt on time or at all, it is expected that you advise us as soon as possible.

You can find the complete exchange timeline HERE.

Additional Reminder: All fics/artworks will be posted/unveiled February 13th-15th in the order they were submitted to the collection. You will be contacted the day before your submission goes live so you can adjust the posting date on AO3 to ensure your work appears at the top of the page.

For more specific questions, please consult the FAQ

Welcome Page

Thank you,

Alex & Saturn

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

FAQ

1. Is the exchange open to all pairings and ratings requests? 

Sure is!

2. Do all my prompt requests have to be for the same ship or rating?

Nope! Each prompt can be for a different pairing, rating, and request.

3. How many prompts will I be assigned to write? 

Just one!

4. How many of the prompts I request will be filled? 

While you’ll submit three prompts, only one will be filled.

5. What happens if no one picks any of my prompts? 

Don’t worry—we’ve got a few writers on standby who like to be surprised. If you love rarepairs, we do recommend you submit more than one ship.

6. What happens if I really like a specific prompt and want to write that one? 

While we can’t guarantee anything, we’ll have a spot on the request form going out on January 1st for you to note your top 5 favorite prompts, and we’ll do our best to accommodate those assignments.

7. How long will I have to return the Prompts Interest Form? 

Approximately 5 days.

8. What happens if I don’t return the Prompts Interest Form? 

To participate in the exchange, you must fill out the form. Otherwise, your requested prompts won’t be assigned to anyone, and you won’t receive a writing assignment to fill.

9. Can my fic be chaptered?

Yes, but your fic must be complete when it is submitted.

10. No maximum word count this year?

Nope! Just be aware of the turn around time and that your work is expected to be completed on February 10th.

11. What do I need to do if I need more time/to drop out/a beta?

Reach out to a mod via Tumblr DM, Discord, or email ASAP, and we will help you to the best of our ability.

12. How/When will I know if my fic/art is posted?

Posting will begin on Tuesday, February 13th, in the order fic/art was submitted. You will be contacted the day before your fic/art is set to be unveiled so that you’re prepared to change the posting date of your fic/art accordingly the following day. Changing the posting date will ensure your fic shows at the top of the tags for the fandom/your ship. 

12. What do I do once my art/fic is completed?

Once you are finished, please post to the collection and gift your piece to the name you were provided in your assignment email. Because the collection is unrevealed, you do not need to be worried about your giftee seeing their fic before February 13th!

For a more comprehensive, step-by-step how-to post into the collection, please see below:

Step 1:

Follow the COLLECTION LINK

Step 2:

Click “Post to Collection”

(this will look a little different for you, but the post to collection button will be there)

Step 3:

Fill out your fic/art as you normally would with tags/ships/etc. and then put the name of the giftee we have provided to you here:

Step 4:

Preview/Post to your liking, and then your fic/art will be added to the collection. Again, as this is an unveiled collection, it will not show up in your works or in the collection until it’s posted on the date provided to you.

Welcome Page

Thank you,

Alex & Saturn

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Schedule

With a turnaround time of roughly 5 weeks, we encourage all participants to follow this blog and turn on notifications so you can be kept up to date.

Stage 1: Initial Sign-ups: December 26th - December 31st (11:59pm EST)

Stage 2: Prompt Interest Form: January 1st - January 5th (11:59pm EST)

Prompts Assigned: January 8th (no later than 11:59pm EST)

Check-in #1: January 26th (2 weeks left!)

Check-in #2: February 5th (5 days left!)

Fics/Art Due: February 10th (11:59pm EST)

Fics/Art Posted: February 13th - February 15th

Reminder: Times for this exchange are in EST - Please use this CONVERTER to calculate that on your end.

Welcome Page

Thank you,

Alex & Saturn

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

And just like that (my world turns upside down)

By: @Chocabel | Chocabel

For: @suchelegantmonsters | greenstuff

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: G

Word count: 4,875

Summary: Accepting a dare to pull a date for Valentine's day is one thing. Getting through said date unscathed is a whole other beast. What could go wrong?

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

smoke gets in your eyes

By: Notchka88

For: @magdarko | magdarko

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: E

Word count: 7,395

Summary: “Correction, Rough Rider, two bogeys. Coming in hot.”

Bradley’s blood runs cold.

“Support is airborne, Hangman. ETA eight minutes.”

Glancing at the radar, Bradley mentally calculates the distance and time to the provided coordinates. It’s too fucking long—anything could happen.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Bluebonnet Bonanza

By: @doodledrawreblogs | doodlewrite

For: @viridimessorem | viridimessorem

Pairing: Javy "Coyote" Machado/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: G

Word count: ART!

Summary: Jake had never had a boyfriend before, so he wouldn't know. But this is excessive, right?

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

we were young, dumb, taking our chance

By: @paulmezcal | discosleaze

For: @coconutcordiale | coconutcordiale

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: E

Word count: 10,907

Summary: “Marriage pact. If you guys don’t get married by the time you’re thirty, you have to marry each other.”

“Jesus Christ,” Bradley mutters, “You guys are psychotic. We are not getting married on a dare.”

“Aw, darling, are you saying we’d get married outside of a dare?” Jake taunts. Bradley kicks him under the table.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

dancing in convertibles

By: @coconutcordiale | coconutcordiale

For: @katiesharms | davidbyrne

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: M

Word count: 5,280

Summary: “He’s not that great,” Jake mumbles.

“You’re only saying that ‘cause he’s your ex,” Charlotte accuses, but it’s without malice. He thinks.

“I’m really not.”

It’s not a lie, since they never actually dated, but it’s not like he’s going to admit that out loud.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Like Cats and Dogs

By: @film-in-my-soul | ReformedTsundere

For: WaffleToaster

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: T

Word count: 2,900

Summary: Where shifting is a sign of trust and love, indifferent Bradley realizes only when it's too late to stop his quick temper he might care more than he thought that Jake hasn't shifted in front of him even after dating for almost a year.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

we keep behind closed doors (and, i'll always be yours)

By: @growingupbrown | growingupbrown

For: @steviecopeland | steviecopeland

Pairing: Javy "Coyote" Machado/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: T

Word count: 8,859

Summary: Javy jokingly tells them not to get Jake started on his lecture about how Valentine’s Day is just an excuse for the card and chocolate companies to take advantage of desperate single people. Even though they’ve known each other for fourteen years, Jake’s impressed that his boyfriend knows him so well because that’s precisely what he’d say.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Keep It Secret, Keep It Safe

By: @fear-frost | fearfrost1211

For: @paulmezcal | discosleaze

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: E

Word count: 2,814

Summary: J: Did you mean what you said?

B: I said a lot of things…

J: Rooster.

B.: I meant every word, Jake

J: Good. I’m coming to kiss you before you head back to VA

B: Door’s always open for you baby

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Plausible Deniability

By: @glitterfayy | glitterfayy

For: @blendinginthecrowd | Lacerta

Pairing: Tom Cruise/Glen Powell

Rating: M

Word count: 2,160

Summary: Tom doesn’t like to make big moves spontaneously. He likes to be prepared. But after it becomes increasingly obvious that Glen is unaware his feelings for Tom can be seen from space, Tom figures he needs to make his move.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

where the heart lies, with you

By: @hangsterhell | iridescent

For: @themissmango | cheaptrickandacheesyoneliner

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: E

Word count: 10,919

Summary: “What’s this for?” Bradshaw asks warily in the middle of the tarmac, staring down at the protein bar Jake shoved unceremoniously into his hand. He looks suspicious and slightly bewildered, like he always does whenever he’s within proximity to Jake.

“For decoration, obviously,” Jake replies, mocking. It’s the last in the box he keeps in his locker as an easy means of refueling pre or post hop, but Bradshaw needn’t know all that. “I had extra and don’t like that flavor anyway.”

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

Beautiful Things Don't Ask for Attention

By: @chicabae | ChicaBae

For: @wordsonamission | wordsonamission

Pairing: Tom "Iceman" Kazansky/Pete "Maverick" Mitchell

Rating: G

Word count: 2,389

Summary: To say Tom Kazansky has lived a fulfilling life would be an understatement. However, during the speeches at his retirement party, he can't help but notice one person missing from every story. So what's an Admiral to do but share his spotlight.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

What You Need to Know About Cupids

By: @icezansky | icezansky

For: @ladylanera | LadyLanera

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: G

Word count: 5,076

Summary: According to the Fates, one “Jake Seresin” and one “Bradley Bradshaw” are destined to love one another. They just need a little intervention in the form of a Cupid to seal the bond.

COLLECTION

[topgunhappilyeverafter]

here i stand (i'm your man)

By: @magdarko | magdarko

For: Notchka88

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw/Jake "Hangman" Seresin

Rating: E

Word count: 10,027

Summary: What Bradley has with Jake is good. It is, really. He's not desperately wishing for something more at all.

So, of course, he's going to handle it fantastically well when it drops into his lap. Right?

COLLECTION