Lessons learned from being a swap mod

There will always be one person who routinely requests the same thing, or a variation on a theme, for every single exchange (hi, guilty as charged!)

I will always be introduced to fandom tropes that I had no idea were a thing and I will feel old and out of touch.

There always seems to be an overarching theme. Last AinA, for example, was The Summer of Feanorian Incest Fics. I saw the first request come in and panicked (see below: That One Request)... and then a bunch of others came in and I cycled from relief to astonishment to amusement.

Certain pairings seem to go in and out of vogue (I'm looking at you, "Angbang" and "Silverfisting," and formerly Legolas/Everyone!), but Erestor/Glorfindel are, apparently, A Thing forever.

There will always be this freaky synergy where at least two people will make the same very, very, obscure and very, very specific request!  And I have to go back and double-check that it really is two different people making that obscure and specfic request, and figure out if they might be thrilled to write for someone who shares their same obscure and specific request, or if that will be a total bummer/bore for them.

There will always be That One Request that you will gnash your teeth and rip your hair out over. Whether it's the unlikeliness of the pairing, the outrageous crackiness of the scenario, the type of kink desired, or the parameters of "must have.."/"please don't include..." There is always ONE that makes you tremble in fear of ever finding a writer for it.

There will always be a bold handful of people who are incredibly generous and flexible with their writing requests to help you manage That One Request. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, you delightfully game souls! I hope you know who you are!