Because this is a Big Bang, the goal is to match every fic with art. That is the end goal and purpose of this collaborative event.

This hypothetical could possibly arise from several reasons, which would be approached differently, so I’ll try to clarify the approach in each situation.

There is a possibility, because this challenge is fandom-encompassing (i.e. not restricted to a particular ship, theme, or content restrictions), that niche content could theoretically be difficult to match. In the scenario where there’s no artist willing to illustrate for certain content (which I hope is an unlikely scenario), FFXIVBB will do everything possible to locate a match. This may include calls for more artists, sending requests to the pinch hit pool, and anything else that seems sensible. What authors can do to mitigate this outcome themself is (1) sign up with an artist also interested in that niche content as a partner or, alternatively, (2) to remember that this is a collaborative event and bring content that is more likely to be matched.

Another scenario that could lead to this situation is if we have a lot more author than artist interest. To mitigate this situation, FFXIVBB has the following built into our process: (1) artist sign ups will run longer than author sign ups, (2) artists may sign up for more than one claim, (3) establishing a pool of pinch hitters, and (4) the third author check in requires authors to have their fics 75% complete so as to avoid having authors drop after claims are made.

In the worst case scenario—a fic simply cannot be matched despite all of the above—FFXIV will suggest the author continue on in a solo track (i.e. no matching to art) or feel free to post their work outside of the exchange. But I am hoping that we don’t need to get to that point.

[Side note: FFXIVBB will strive to have a maximum of one art per fic; however, in the reverse scenario, if there's a great deal more artist interest than author interest, there may be teams assigned with multiple artists.]