Pinch Hit FAQ and Resources
May. 23rd, 2021 02:40 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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pinchhitsWhat is a pinch hit?
Pinch hits occur in exchanges and other fannish events when no-one is assigned to create for a recipient. This may happen due to the matching algorithm when assignments first go out or later in the exchange when a creator drops out. When this happens, someone needs to create a fanwork for that recipient.
The term "pinch hit" comes from baseball, but it's also used colloquially in other non-fannish contexts when a substitute is needed to perform a task.
What are initial, post-deadline, and emergency pinch hits?
These specific terms are usually used in fanwork exchanges.
Initial pinch hits are posted at the beginning of an exchange when everyone has been matched to a recipient and assignments are sent out. If someone is an initial pinch hit, it doesn't necessarily mean nobody offered to create for their requests--often, it just means that AO3's matching algorithm assigned all their potential creators to other recipients first.
For exchanges that have posting deadlines (usually followed by a waiting period before the collection is revealed), post-deadline pinch hits are pinch hits that are needed at the time of that deadline. Often, they occur because a creator defaulted just before the deadline or did not post a fanwork by the deadline. Usually, these pinch hits need to be turned in as soon as possible for the collection to be revealed and everyone to have a gift.
Emergency pinch hits are usually pinch hits that are needed because of a problem that arises after the deadline. Most frequently, this happens if the mod notices a gift doesn't fulfill the requirements of an exchange or if for some reason the creator deletes their fanwork. You may even hear the term "pinch hit of the apocalypse", which usually means a pinch hit that's needed after all gifts have been revealed in a collection.
How are pinch hits assigned?
This varies depending on the event. One common method is for the mod of an event to post details of the recipient's requests on the Dreamwidth community for the exchange, setting the Dreamwidth post to screen all comments. That way, pinch hitters can offer to take the assignment without making the offer public. Other mods post on different platforms or use email lists.
If I want to take a pinch hit, what should I do?
First, make sure you understand the deadline and the rules for the event, since they can vary a great deal! Then, if you found the pinch hit on this community, follow the link on the event's post here to the place where the pinch hits are posted and claimed. Please do not attempt to claim the pinch hit by leaving a comment on this community.
If I want to advertise a pinch hit, what should I do?
First, read the posting guidelines. Then, post! You can also advertise in other locations, such as Discord servers.
Other resources for mods:
Formatting and posting pinch hits can be extremely time-consuming. Fortunately, if your event is run through AO3, there are tools to help with this!
The AO3 Pinch Hit Helper bookmarklet can format individual exchange requests in an html-friendly way. To use, bookmark the javascript at that link, open the request page for the pinch hit, and click the bookmark. This is extremely fast, but it doesn't separate all the different available tag types and may require some manual formatting.
Asymptotical's Pinch Hit to Dreamwidth Google sheet requires a little more finessing to use, but it creates beautifully-formatted html including Dreamwidth cut text that lists the fandoms for each request.
If you want to advertise on Discord, check out the pinch hit channels on the Yuletide Discord server and the Exchanges After Dark Discord server. These spaces have their own rules for pinch hits, so please review them before posting.
Pinch hits occur in exchanges and other fannish events when no-one is assigned to create for a recipient. This may happen due to the matching algorithm when assignments first go out or later in the exchange when a creator drops out. When this happens, someone needs to create a fanwork for that recipient.
The term "pinch hit" comes from baseball, but it's also used colloquially in other non-fannish contexts when a substitute is needed to perform a task.
What are initial, post-deadline, and emergency pinch hits?
These specific terms are usually used in fanwork exchanges.
Initial pinch hits are posted at the beginning of an exchange when everyone has been matched to a recipient and assignments are sent out. If someone is an initial pinch hit, it doesn't necessarily mean nobody offered to create for their requests--often, it just means that AO3's matching algorithm assigned all their potential creators to other recipients first.
For exchanges that have posting deadlines (usually followed by a waiting period before the collection is revealed), post-deadline pinch hits are pinch hits that are needed at the time of that deadline. Often, they occur because a creator defaulted just before the deadline or did not post a fanwork by the deadline. Usually, these pinch hits need to be turned in as soon as possible for the collection to be revealed and everyone to have a gift.
Emergency pinch hits are usually pinch hits that are needed because of a problem that arises after the deadline. Most frequently, this happens if the mod notices a gift doesn't fulfill the requirements of an exchange or if for some reason the creator deletes their fanwork. You may even hear the term "pinch hit of the apocalypse", which usually means a pinch hit that's needed after all gifts have been revealed in a collection.
How are pinch hits assigned?
This varies depending on the event. One common method is for the mod of an event to post details of the recipient's requests on the Dreamwidth community for the exchange, setting the Dreamwidth post to screen all comments. That way, pinch hitters can offer to take the assignment without making the offer public. Other mods post on different platforms or use email lists.
If I want to take a pinch hit, what should I do?
First, make sure you understand the deadline and the rules for the event, since they can vary a great deal! Then, if you found the pinch hit on this community, follow the link on the event's post here to the place where the pinch hits are posted and claimed. Please do not attempt to claim the pinch hit by leaving a comment on this community.
If I want to advertise a pinch hit, what should I do?
First, read the posting guidelines. Then, post! You can also advertise in other locations, such as Discord servers.
Other resources for mods:
Formatting and posting pinch hits can be extremely time-consuming. Fortunately, if your event is run through AO3, there are tools to help with this!
The AO3 Pinch Hit Helper bookmarklet can format individual exchange requests in an html-friendly way. To use, bookmark the javascript at that link, open the request page for the pinch hit, and click the bookmark. This is extremely fast, but it doesn't separate all the different available tag types and may require some manual formatting.
Asymptotical's Pinch Hit to Dreamwidth Google sheet requires a little more finessing to use, but it creates beautifully-formatted html including Dreamwidth cut text that lists the fandoms for each request.
If you want to advertise on Discord, check out the pinch hit channels on the Yuletide Discord server and the Exchanges After Dark Discord server. These spaces have their own rules for pinch hits, so please review them before posting.