Pick Me Up: A Happily Ever After Exchange

 Hoorah! The 2025 Pick Me Up Collection works are now revealed!

We hope you'll drink in all these delightful works and that these happily ever afters give you the pick me up you're looking for. 

Huge thank you to all of our creators and pinch hitters that made this exchange possible. 

Creators will be revealed in exactly 1 week. 

2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests |

We're truly depresso, but we have to delay reveals again! We're giving a bit of a longer delay to ensure pinch hitters have time to create gifts for these recips. We're sharing these far and wide, but feel free to pass them along if you know of a creator that may be interested!

The list of current pinch hits is below. The deadline for these PDPHs is July 2, 2025, 11:59 AM CST (Timezone Conversion).

The collection will now open on July 5, 2025, 11:59 AM CST (Timezone Conversion).

All PH fills must meet all Pick Me Up 2025 Fanwork Minimum Requirements (1000 words of fic). Please be mindful that there is a rating selection for each request as well.

To claim any one of the following, please respond to this post (all comments are screened) or email ao3modball+pickup@gmail.com with your AO3 username to claim. We encourage all pinch hitters that did not originally sign up for Pick Me Up to sign up under our Pinch Hitter Requests post!

The collection will not open until every participant guaranteed a gift has one.

( CLAIMED PH 1 - Dragon Age (Video Games), Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games), Hades (Supergiant Games Video Games), Hamilton - Miranda, Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game) )

(  CLAIMED PH 4 - Marvel Cinematic Universe, 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Anime), Naruto (Anime & Manga), Murder House (Puppet Combo Video Game), Outlast (Video Games), 呪術廻戦 | Jujutsu Kaisen (Manga) )

( CLAIMED PH 7 - Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon), Hazbin Hotel (Cartoon) )

2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests |

This PH post is outdated. Please see here for most recent pinch hits.

( Outdated Pinch Hits )


2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests |

This PH post is outdated. Please see here for most recent pinch hits.

( Outdated Pinch Hits )

Matching is currently in progress! We have 4 unmatchables. If your username starts with A, M, or T, please check your email.

We have given 24 hours for unmatchables to respond to us. If they respond earlier and we can resolve matching, we will do so ASAP. We like our deadlines like we like our coffee - hot and urgent!

2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests (Link Pending) |

Thank you to everyone who has nominated so far! We are seeking clarification on the following nominations.

**Please respond to this post by the official sign-up open: March 30, 9 PM CST (UTC-6) (Timezone Conversion)** or the following nominations will be rejected.


Fandom-specific Freeforms

Freeforms in this exchange are intended to function as the inciting incident where creators begin their fic, eventually leading to the story's "Happily Ever After."

Additionally, we ask that fandom-specific Freeforms still be generic to the fandom itself, meaning we will not approve fandom-specific Freeforms that apply only to specific characters. If you have unapproved fandom-specific Freeforms, please update accordingly.


Potentially Unclear/Vague Freeforms

Freeforms in this exchange are intended to function as the inciting incident where creators begin their fic, eventually leading to the story's "Happily Ever After."

Nominators, please clarify in what way the following Freeforms act as a singular inciting incident:

• Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage - Characters Fall In Love During Engagement

Relationship Nomination Reminders

• Please ensure that all Relationship nominations are submitted disambiguated by Fandom, e.g. "Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes (MCU)" (if your nominations are rejected for incorrect formatting, and you are out of nomination slots, you may email us a list of your nominations in the correct format).
• All Relationships must be submitted as “/” nominations, indicating romantic and/or sexual relationships between characters.

Thank you to everyone who has nominated so far! We are seeking clarification on the following nominations.

**Please respond to this post OR update your nominations within 24 hours of this post** or the following nominations will be rejected.


Potentially Unclear/Vague Freeforms

Freeforms in this exchange are intended to function as the inciting incident where creators begin their fic, eventually leading to the story's "Happily Ever After."

Nominators, please clarify in what way the following Freeforms act as a singular inciting incident and/or how they indicate where, when, or how the requested characters’ relationship begins in the fic:

• Scenario - A And B Are Rival Spies Who Work Together Against A Common Enemy
• Scenario - A and B are secret sappy romance lovers

Relationship Nomination Reminders

• Please ensure that all Relationship nominations are submitted disambiguated by Fandom, e.g. "Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes (MCU)" (if your nominations are rejected for incorrect formatting, and you are out of nomination slots, you may email us a list of your nominations in the correct format).
• All Relationships must be submitted as “/” nominations, indicating romantic and/or sexual relationships between characters.

 Hi all! Nominations are rolling in and they're looking quite tasty!

By way of reminder: please ensure that all Relationship nominations are submitted disambiguated by Fandom, e.g. "Steve Rogers/Bucky Barnes (MCU)"

If you have any Relationship nominations that have been rejected for not being formatted correctly, you are welcome to resubmit them if you have sufficient nomination slots, OR if you do not have sufficient nomination slots, you may email us at ao3modball+pickup@gmail.com with a list of your nominations in the correct format and we can upload the Relationships for you. 

Thanks everyone!

What brings our favorite characters together?

Is it a suave pick up line? A chance meeting at a coffee shop?

Or maybe you prefer the one where one character spills coffee all over the other, interrupting the most terrible pick up line imaginable?

Whether it’s a meet-cute, or a meet-ugly, or a slowburn for the ages after a steamy one-night stand, this exchange is dedicated to all the ways we love to watch our faves get together over and over (and over) again.

2025 Links

| Tagset | AO3 Collection | Dreamwidth Community | Sign-up | App Exchange Page | Pinch Hitter Requests |

2025 Schedule

Nominations Open: March 23, 2025 11:59 am CST (UTC -6)
Nominations Close: March 30, 2025 11:59 am CST (UTC -6) 
Sign-up Opens: March 30, 2025 9:00 PM (or earlier) CST (UTC -6)
Sign-ups Close: April 6, 2025 11:59 am CST (UTC -6) 
Assignments Due: May 25, 2025 11:59 am CST (UTC -6)
**UPDATED** Works Revealed: July 5, 2025, 11:59 AM CST 
Creators Revealed: July 12, 2025 11:59 am CST (UTC -6) 

TL;DR

• Mod Email: ao3modball+pickup@gmail.com
• This exchange uses OR matching, and matches on: Fandom, Relationship, Additional Tags (freeforms), and Rating
• This is a fanfic only exchange; word count minimum is 1,000
• There are no eligibility requirements for Fandoms to be nominated
• Freeforms must be related to the inciting incident that leads requested ship(s) to their Happily Ever After (HEA)
• Request Minimums: 1 Fandom; 3 unique Fandoms required for gift guarantee
• Offer Minimums: 3 unique Fandoms
• Prime Directive: don’t be an asshole
• You must be 18 or older to participate in this exchange

( Pick Me Up Rules )
( Nomination Period: Formatting & Details )
( Sign-up Period )
( Creation Period )
( How To Post )
( Reveals )