What is this community for?A Big Bang/Mini-Bang is a writing challenge that prompts authors and artists to work together to create a story and work of art that go together. In this case, our fandom is the DC Universe, and our goal is 10,000/5,000 words
10k/5k is a lot. How long do I have to come up with that?Don't worry - you've got plenty of time! Sign-ups will open up in May, and rough drafts won't be due until the end of August, with a complete beta-read version due in mid-October to the end of November. Your story must be finished and posted in its complete form on your posting date, regardless of length or how many chapters it is. (Minor editing after it has been posted is okay, of course!)
What about artists? How much time will we have?More than a month. You'll pick a story after rough drafts are submitted at the end of August, and your final product will be due when the completed story is due in mid-October.
If you are an artist that would like more than a month to work on your art pieces, consider getting partnered up with an author early on! This is known as a
tandem sign-up and artists and authors will be able to find partners on the Discord server, if this is the path you would like to go! This allows artists as much time as the author’s have to work on their pieces!
So, what's allowed here?The easy answer to that is: pretty much anything! We're open to slash, het, and gen, no matter your pairing preference. If you want to write Clark/Lex or Jason/Tim, that's awesome, and if you've got a great idea for an epic Batman/Catwoman or M'gann/Conner, that's perfectly acceptable as well. You can base your story off of any medium - so whether you’re a diehard Young Justice cartoon fan, into Smallville, or someone who loves the comics, you can participate!
The only thing explicitly not allowed is pedophilia for the sake of pedophilia - if it's a plot point, it's okay, but we're not going to post stories that have sexual situations involving children (for our purposes, anyone under the age of 15). If you have a question about your pairing or specific idea, leave a note in the
Page-A-Mod post, send an email to dcubang@gmail.com, or send
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
luciferxdamien a PM, and I'll discuss it with you on a case-by-case basis.
Stories and art have to be
new. If you've written something that's 10k already and posted it, awesome! However, this is a chance to create something new, so if your story has been posted elsewhere, it doesn't qualify for this challenge.
Sequels to stories you've written are acceptable! If you write a sequel, be sure to link back to the original story, so people can read that as well. =D
What about crossovers, fusions, and AUs?The only requirement for this Bang is that the primary focus of your story be on at least one character from the DC Universe. If you want to write Batman in Ancient Rome or Superman as a new member of the Hawaii Five-0 task force, you are more than welcome to. However, if you want to write a crossover that focuses on Harry Potter being a new member of the Justice League, this is not the place for it. The focus must be on a DC character. Crossovers with other comics fandoms are allowed, but the focus has to be on the DC character.
What are the requirements for fic?Traditional Big Bang 10k: Your story has to be at least 10,000 words, and there's no maximum limit. You can work with a co-author or a group, if you're more comfortable; the minimum word count will be 10k no matter how many authors work on it.
New Mini-Bang 5k: Your story has to be at least 5,000 words and there’s no maximum limit! You can still work with a co-author or a group, if that is something you are more comfortable doing, and the word count must be at least 5k, no matter how many author’s work on it.
You'll also need a beta reader for your story. If you have your own, that's awesome! If not, there will be a Discord channel for finding partners, so you'll be able to find someone there to work with.
This is non-negotiable. You have to have a beta reader. If you want to have more than one person beta read your story, that's fine, too. One is a minimum, not a maximum. =D
Can I sign up to write more than one story?Sure! You can sign-up to write to
two different stories for this challenge. If you do want to write two stories make sure to
sign-up separately for both. If you have to drop one or both make sure to contact
luciferxdamien before rough drafts are due so that you don't leave an artist hanging!!! If you have to drop either story
after you have turned in the rough draft you will be banned from next year's challenge.
Can I sign up with a co-author?You can work with a co-author or a group, if you're more comfortable. But remember, the word count will still be 10k no matter how many authors work on it. Just make sure to sign-up all authors on the sign-up sheet and have everyone join the comm. The limit of two stories per author still stands even if all the stories are co-written.
What if I've already posted part of a fic? Can I finish it for this challenge?The purpose of this bang is to unveil a brand-new, completed piece on your posting date, however we are okay with you finishing your piece as long as you have not posted more than
2,000 words for the 10k Traditional Big Bang or
1,000 words for the 5k Mini-Bang and
do not post any more until your posting date. Since this Bang has a minimum word count of 10,000/5,000 words we are asking that no more than 2,000/1,000 words be posted prior to signing up, so that at least 80% of the fic is new.
Please note that the 2,000/1,000 word limit still holds no matter how long your fic is - even if you complete a 100k epic, you can only submit it for this fest if you've published less than 2,000/1,000 words of it before signing up for this challenge!
What counts as art?Lots of things! Traditional art, digital art, manips, and fanmixes (with cover art) are all fine. Vids are also an acceptable form of art. If you want to check that what you have in mind is appropriate, leave a note in the
Page-A-Mod post. We'll discuss it on a case-by-case basis.
I'm interested, but I'm not sure what to write.There will be a channel in the Discord server, just for prompts! Anyone can leave a prompt, and anyone can take a prompt. If six authors choose to write from the same prompt, that's totally fine. If someone wants to mash three prompts together, that's also fine. If someone wants to use half of a prompt, that's fine. Sensing a trend yet? =D
This also means, should you choose to leave a prompt, it is for anyone to use, in whichever way they want. If there is an idea that you want done in a very specific manner, it may not be the best for you to leave it for this Bang, as all authors are free to use prompts however they see fit.
Where can I post my story?The simple answer to this is: wherever you feel comfortable. If you want to post in your own journal, that's great; if you want it up on AO3, that's fine too. You can put it at Dreamwidth/LiveJournal or your personal website or anywhere you feel comfortable hosting it, so long as it can be publicly viewed.
We don't care about where, but we do care about when: don't post your story - or even parts of it - before the date you will select in October.
How many pieces of art can I create for one story? The minimum is
one piece of art and there is no maximum! Please do not take on more than you can complete!!! However, if you would like to create multiple pieces of art, consider claiming more than one story, in the event we have more stories that need claiming than there are artists signed up!
Will every story have art?/What if too many artists sign up for the amount of stories written?/What if I want to create for more than one story?As it stands, we're aiming for every story to have art with it. If we have five authors sign up with ten artists, well, stories will be double-claimed. Some people will want to sign up as a solo participant and don't want to work with an author/artist and other people will want to work with a specific author/artist, which is a tandem sign-up.
During the first round of claims, each artist can only claim
one story. However, after the first round of claims is complete, if there are still stories in need of an artist, a second round of claims will go up, and all artists will be able to claim a second story, if they wish to do so. If, after the second round of claims, there are still stories in need of an artist, artists will be able to claim additional stories until they are all claimed.
As an artist, please do not claim more than you can finish!Can I sign up as an author and an artist?If you want to, more power to you! That's awesome! If you wish to create art for your story only, you can sign up as a solo-author, and it will be entirely up to you to create art for your story! By signing up as an artist, you are offering to create art for someone else’s story during the claiming period, so if your intent is to create for your own story only, sign up as a solo-author!
And again! Please do not take on more than you can handle!!! If, for at any reason, you do not believe you can continue, as an artist or an author, contact me ASAP!
What is a solo author/artist?A solo author/artist is someone who wants the structure of a fanwork challenge without having to work with someone else to create an accompanying fanwork. By working alone, you don't have to worry about whether you complete your project or not because you won't have a partner depending on you. You can also decide to do your own art or find your own partner to work with. Basically, I won't be matching you with an artist or an author, but you can still have a fic with art if you arrange it yourself. You can also work on other kinds of projects like podfic if you desire.
It will also be possible for solo-author/solo-artists to change their mind, should they feel capable of completing their works in time for posting!
Please do not choose to switch from solo if you are not confident you can complete your story/art. If, after switching from solo and you are not able to complete your story/art and you have been paired with an artist/author, you will be banned from participating next year. We don’t want to leave anyone hanging!
What is a tandem sign-up? A tandem sign-up is when an author and artist choose to sign-up together. This way, the artist will be able to work with the author throughout the entire process and have more time to complete their art. If an author or artist want to work with each other, after one or both have already signed up, no problem! Just send me a message and I will get that updated!
This is a great option for artists, and authors that want to have more time working together. The Discord server will have channels set up so that artists and authors wanting to work longer together can find a partner!
What if I can't finish my story in time?That's fine! I understand that sometimes the muses won't cooperate or life gets too hectic. You are free to drop out of the challenge with no penalty any time
before you turn in your rough draft, just let me know. You are also welcome to participate as a solo author and not submit your stories for an artist claim. That way if you finish it, you can post, and if not, there will be no penalty! However, if you have to drop out
after an artist has claimed your story, you will be banned from participating in next year's bang. We don't want to leave any artists hanging if we can help it.
If the artist and author agree to drop out together, there is no penalty!
Do I have to join LJ/DW/Discord/AO3/Tumblr to participate?The short answer is no. You don't have to join any particular platform in order to participate. However, if you want to keep up with Bang updates and take part in the more social aspect of this challenge you will want to follow us on the platform of your choice. Discord in particular is where the prompt post, beta finding help, writing support, word sprints, and more are going to be, so you may want to at least join up there!
Can I have some more specific dates, please?Of course! There will be a timetable going up in May.
2018 DCU Big Bang Schedule can be found right here!I still have questions! Where can I ask them?There's the
Page-A-Mod post right here. Just leave a comment there and I will get back to you as soon as possible! Or, if you would prefer to email me at dcubang@gmail.com, that is totally fine too!
Cross-posted Guidelines on LiveJournal ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
