Friday, April 3rd, 2026 09:27 pm
Signups are open here! Go forth and request fanworks! They will close on 11 April.

As you do, please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the rules and the FAQ. Please let us know if they need any clarification. You can comment here or shoot us an email if you have any questions.

As an important reminder, Fandom5K does not allow the use of generative AI for the creation of text or images.

In the meantime, there's still some tagset cleanup in progress--please double-check all your tags, and see if I have questions about your nominations here.

I have cleared all existing nominations and reopened the tagset. You may nominate an additional 3 fandoms with 4 relationships for each fandom, but I'd ask that you please only do so for tags that you are planning to offer or request.

Please note that this year I am allowing you to repeat fandoms in multiple requests and offers, but you must still have at least 3 unique fandoms in your requests and 4 unique offers. AO3 doesn't support those exact requirements, so it's up to you to make sure you have enough unique fandoms. I'll be checking regularly and getting in touch with anyone who needs to add fandoms, but at the point that signups close, you'll have a limited time to fix the problem, so please make sure you only submit your signup once it meets the minimum!

There are more details at the FAQ, but here are the basics:

Read more... )

Here is the list of Additional Tags available for genres.

Here is the full tag set. You can also view tags and signup information on the app.
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Friday, April 3rd, 2026 09:14 pm
Signups are about to open! As previously announced, I'll be clearing all nominations to allow everyone to nominate an additional 3 fandoms with up to 4 relationships each.

I have saved off details of all pending nominations where I have questions below. I'll add those to the tagset myself once I've clarified with the nominator.

Please also use this post to let me know if anything in the tagset looks incorrect, especially if you see duplicates.

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All Media Types:

I'm generally happy to approve this type of fandom if the various adaptations or spinoffs are in continuity with one another. However, there are cases where adaptations are different enough that it could lead to disappointment if a creator familiar with one version gets matched to recipient interested the other. To the best of my knowledge, that applies to the following fandoms--if you're the nominator, please pick a version or explain why this doesn't apply:
  • The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
  • Teen Titans - All Media Types
  • Transformers - All Media Types

16th Century CE RPF
Along with the 19th and 20th Century US Politics RPF nominations, I have decided I am not prepared to handle the implied real-life subject matter in an exchange context and will not approve this fandom. (ETA due to questions--RPF is generally fine! Historical RPF subjects I will not approve include people known primarily for committing things like war crimes, genocide, or slavery. Please feel free to ask if you're not sure.)


A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
It doesn't look like these characters are part of the main ASoIaF series. Are you looking for Fire and Blood - George R. R. Martin or House of the Dragon (TV)?
  • Alicent Hightower/Mysaria | Lady Misery/Rhaenyra Targaryen (ASoIaF)
  • Alicent Hightower/Rhaenyra Targaryen (ASoIaF)
  • Alicent Hightower/Rhaenyra Targaryen//Rhaenys Targaryen Velaryon (ASoIaF)
  • Alys Rivers of House Strong/Aemond "One-Eye" Targaryen/Rhaenyra Targaryen (AsoIaF)


Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
I've moved these tags under Crossover FandomDoctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), and Torchwood. Please let me know if any look incorrect.


Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
We do have Star Trek: The Original Series (TV) already in the tagset. I don't think I've ever seen the original films nominated separately--can the nominator please comment so we can discuss what you're looking for?
Tuesday, March 31st, 2026 11:43 pm
We have about 24 hours to go until nominations close temporarily! They will reopen during signups. Please note that I plan to clear all nominations at that time, so if you want to keep track of what you submitted, please save a copy of your nominations page.

Below are some questions and clarifications about nominated fandoms and relationships. Please also use this post to let me know if anything in the tagset looks incorrect.

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All Media Types:

I'm generally happy to approve this type of fandom if the various adaptations or spinoffs are in continuity with one another. However, there are cases where adaptations are different enough that it could lead to disappointment if a creator familiar with one version gets matched to recipient interested in another. To the best of my knowledge, that applies to the following fandoms--if you're the nominator, please pick a version or explain why this doesn't apply:
  • Howl's Moving Castle - All Media Types
  • Interview with the Vampire (all media types)
  • The Lord of the Rings - All Media Types
  • Teen Titans - All Media Types
  • Twilight Series - All Media Types

Angel: the Series
Was Buffybot a character on this show, or is Buffybot/Gwen Raiden a crossover nom?


Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
I've approved other nominations under Doctor Who (1963), Doctor Who (2005), and Torchwood.


Original Work:

I'm happy to approve original characters on a pretty broad spectrum of specificity, but these nominations seem too general to me. It might help to have a look at the approved tags under Original Work and see some examples. If you need some help, please comment, and we can workshop these nominations a bit.
  • Any Father Figure & Any Child Figure
  • Any Female Character & Any Female Character
  • Any Female Character & Any Male Character
  • Any Male Character & Any Male Character
  • Sibling & sibling

Political RPF - US 19th c.
and Political RPF - US 20th c.
While I don't have preexisting rules around RPF nominations, I've given some consideration to these slates and decided I don't feel prepared to handle the implied subject matter as a solo moderator, so I won't be approving them.

This may be inconsistent with my decision to approve the Political RPF - US 21st c. ships, but those feel different to me for satirical purposes. Also, anything that would make Martha-Ann Alito wave her Vergogna flag seems like a net positive.


Ready or Not (Movies) and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026)
I'd like to combine these nominations; any concerns?


Star Trek: The Original Series (Movies)
We do have Star Trek: The Original Series (TV) already in the tagset. I don't think I've ever seen the original films nominated separately--can the nominator please comment so we can discuss what you're looking for?


True Detective (TV 2014):

Danvers/Navarro has been approved separately under True Detective: Night Country (2024).

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I'm nearly caught up with everything else! Thanks for your patience, please let me know if there are corrections, and I'll check in again soon.


Sunday, March 22nd, 2026 01:17 pm
Welcome to Fandom 5K nominations, 2026 and final edition!

Nominations are open over here. They will close on April 1st for cleanup and will re-open during signups. Note that I will probably clear existing nominations when the form re-opens, so if you want to keep track of exactly what you nominated, please save the list for your own purposes.

There are no restrictions on what can be nominated in terms of fandom size, type, and so forth, and we also allow crossovers and original fandoms to be nominated. Please nominate crossover relationships into the Crossover Fandom tag, and original characters and relationships into the Original Work tag.

Fandom5K does not allow Creator's Choice of Fandom.

In terms of how to nominate characters versus relationships, please follow the format below:Read more... )

Large franchise fandoms continue to get more and more complicated! I'm going to hold off on those approvals for a few days to see if we need to make changes to past year's guidelines. Below is what we did last year. If you plan to nominate in these fandoms, please discuss either keeping as-is or doing something that makes more sense to you in the comments:
  • Dragon Age - nominate as "Dragon Age (Video Games)" or "Dragon Age: Absolution".
  • Marvel Cinematic Universe - please only nominate characters who have appeared in the movies into this fandom. Relationships between movie-only and TV-only characters should be nominated as crossovers.
  • Marvel Netflix series - early series should all be nominated as "Defenders (TV)"; others should be nominated under the individual series
  • Star Wars - please nominate films in terms of "Star Wars Prequel Trilogy", "Star Wars Original Trilogy", "Star Wars Sequel Trilogy" etc.; nominate TV under separate titles
  • X-Men films - as "X-Men (Alternate Timeline Movies)" and "X-Men (Original Timeline Movies)"
  • Arrowverse - use "DC's Arrowverse" for Arrow, Flash, Supergirl, Batwoman, Black Lightning, Legends of Tomorrow and Superman & Lois, etc.
  • Marvel and DC Comics - as "Marvel (Comics)" and "DC Comics"
I am not familiar with every fandom or up-to-date on the needs of every franchise, so I will be taking guidance from you as to how your fandoms work in terms of fandom tags, etc. Please watch this space for queries!
Sunday, February 1st, 2026 06:27 pm
Welcome to Fandom 5K! 2026 will be our tenth and final year.

This is a multi-fandom gift exchange for fic with a 5,000-word minimum and comics with a 5-page minimum. The challenge can be found here on AO3.

Before signing up, please read the rules! You can also see the 2026 FAQ for some common questions

Other questions to the mods can be posted to the community or emailed to fandom5kmod@gmail.com. Please contact us privately for any concerns about your assignment or your gift.

Quick links for 2026 TBA:

2026 schedule:
  • Nominations: 22 March - 1 April
  • Signups: 3 April - 11 April
  • Assignments out by: 14 April
  • Mandatory check-in: 8-15 May
  • Default deadline: 15 May
  • Works due: 5 June
  • Works revealed: 26 June
  • Creators revealed: 11 July
All deadlines are at 10:59 PM EDT on the date listed, unless otherwise indicated. (This is an hour earlier than last year. Your mod is getting older and fonder of sleep.)

As a reminder, for the final round, I am issuing an amnesty to anyone who defaulted late in 2025 or previous years, as long as that default occurred before the works due deadline.
 
That is, if you forgot to contact me during check-in week, or you checked in but then hit the default button before the deadline because something came up, you no longer need to create a make-up assignment to participate in the final round.
 
If you didn't default before the works due deadline--maybe you simply didn't show up on that date and never turned a work in, or you defaulted with an extension--I will still ask you to turn in a makeup assignment before signing up next year. This also may apply if you turned in a placeholder or your gift otherwise didn't fulfill our rules.
 
If you have any questions about how this amnesty applies to you, please email me!

Tags:
Saturday, August 16th, 2025 10:53 pm
Creators are revealed, but the collection is still open for new works, of which we've had several already! And, of course, you can continue to read and comment to your heart's content.

Find more to read here!

Thank you to everyone who participated this year, and especially to all the pinch hitters who got us across the finish line--I appreciate you very much.

I also have an announcement to make:

Next year will be the tenth round of Fandom5K, if you can believe that! I've also decided it will be the last.

I've had a great time running this exchange, I've met some amazing people, and I've been delighted to see millions and millions of words posted to make other fans happy. However, ten years is a long time to do anything, and I'm ready to focus on personal projects. The exchange scene is much busier now than it was when CBMod and I kicked this off--hopefully participants can find plenty of other options throughout the year.

My plan is to retire the exchange rather than handing it over to a new mod, but of course anyone is welcome to start up an exchange on a similar theme. If you are interested in doing so and have any questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

To make the tenth and final year something we can all look forward to, two sub-announcements:

First, I plan to announce the 2026 schedule by 1 February, 2026.

Hopefully that way everyone who wants to join can plan ahead more easily, and hopefully I can keep myself from letting the schedule creep later and later every year, as it has a habit of doing.

Second, I am issuing an amnesty to anyone who defaulted late in 2025 or previous years, as long as that default occurred before the works due deadline.

That is, if you forgot to contact me during check-in week, or you checked in but then hit the default button before the deadline because something came up, you no longer need to create a make-up assignment to participate in the final round.

If you didn't default before the works due deadline--maybe you simply didn't show up on that date and never turned a work in, or you defaulted with an extension--I will still ask you to turn in a makeup assignment before signing up next year. This also may apply if you turned in a placeholder or your gift otherwise didn't fulfill our rules.

If you have any questions about how this amnesty applies to you, please let me know! I may take a little time to get back to you during the offseason, so I'd suggest asking early if you need to plan ahead.