Schedule/Rules/FAQ

[katiemariie]

Schedule
December 1st, 2012 - Sign-ups open
May 1st, 2013 - Fic rough drafts due + Sign-ups close
May 29th - Rough drafts due + Artists sign-ups close
June 1st - Claims open
July 24th - Artist rough drafts due
August 1st - Posting begins
August 31st - Posting ends

General
What is a big bang challenge?A big bang challenge is a type of fic

Comments

[chordatesrock]

I have a question. My fandom (in which virtually every longfic would qualify for this challenge because of the sheer number of disabled characters and the fact that two of them are the two leads) has a deadfic that I recently offered (privately) to revive. I don't have any of my own work posted for this fic yet. I'm not sure how long it will run. It's AU, but not a disability AU (i.e., the disabled characters in the fic had the same disabilities in canon) and not technically a cure AU, although the eventual repercussions will involve one character not acquiring two more disabilities.

What say you?

[katiemariie]

Well, would the portion of the fic you are writing be stand alone, completed by the rough draft deadline, and able to be understood without reading the portion of the fic written by the previous author?

[chordatesrock]

It could technically be understood, in the same way that you could technically start reading chapter five of any book and eventually figure out what was happening, but no, it's not really standalone. I take it that's not permissible.

By the way, is there a requirement that, to enter a work in a Big Bang challenge, you cannot have done any writing on the project before the challenge? There are projects that I would love to use this as a motivator and accountability tool for, but they have anywhere from a few sentences to a few pages already written.

Thank you for answering my questions. :)

[katiemariie]

Yeah, that's not allowed. Sorry.

Projects that you've gotten some writing done on are allowed as long as you haven't posted parts of that project, and as long as you'll be adding at least 9000 words to the project over the course of this challenge.

I hope that answers your questions.

[raktajinos]

can I just say how much I love you(s) for starting this. Fantastic! Amazing! Yay!

[saare_snowqueen]

Have a question about eligible disabilities for this.

Is old age, wrinkles, general ugliness, arthritis & loneliness an acceptable disability for this event?

If so I might have an idea. It would be another in the series of stories about the Estonian island of Saaremaa that I have been working on which would allow me to justify taking the time.

[katiemariie]

Arthritis would count as a disability for this challenge. ;)

[saare_snowqueen]

OK, then I'm going to have a go at this. Thank you

[felinephoenix]

I'm scrapping my original comment in favor of something that's, hopefully, a lot more coherent. I hope that's all right!

Here's my issue: I love the idea of this. I want to participate! I'm disabled (mentally and physically, always have been and always will be) and characters with disabilities mean a lot to me for obvious reasons. Seeing them get a little more fandom love is great!

On the other hand, the name of this community makes me very uncomfortable. I know that "cripple" can be reclaimed and that's awesome, but for me, it's only been used an insult. It feels like a metaphorical punch to the gut -- here's a comm that has everything I could want! But it's wrapped up in a word that still hurts. I don't understand why this couldn't be called disabilitybigbang or something less likely to accidentally upset the people it's supposed to represent. I'm not asking for it to be changed, but I do feel like I should say something.

[katiemariie]

I understand where you're coming from and it's a totally valid reaction; I've had conversations like this about the reclamation of derogatory terms with my mom (who spent most of her childhood in Shriner's Hospital for the Crippled Children, as it was known back then). As someone who wasn't institutionalized as a child in 1960s Chicago, my experience and engagement with "crip" is very different from hers. Our receptiveness to reclaiming terms is very much situated in the context of our lives and cultures.

This community is situated in an internet disability culture that freely uses disability slurs as a form of self-definition that directly and aggressively challenges attempts to make disability disappear and silence people with disabilities. (See: dot_gimp_snark, Bipolar: Crazy Mermaid's Blog, Tales from the Crip.) My position within this culture clearly influenced my decision in naming this challenge. I knew in using a reclaimed slur in the challenge's title I ran the risk of alienating other people with disabilities, but placing this challenge

[felinephoenix]

This response makes me feel a lot better, actually.

I lurk at dot_gimp_snark and Tales from the Crip (and I am a huge fan of Bitch in general). In case I gave the wrong impression, I think I should clarify that I'm in my mid-twenties here? I spent a lot of time in Shriners Hospitals as a kid, too, though fortunately they had changed the name by then. Reclaiming words is a part of my experience as well -- I just have mixed feelings about it.

(It may be because reclaiming has not really been a safe experience for me, I admit. Too many people not getting that it's my term to use and not theirs. Yes, I am a little bit bitter. Besides, I have a hard enough time getting people to understand why I'm so tempted to whack them with my cane every time they call me "differently abled" or "inspirational". Ugh

[katiemariie]

I'm glad my comment at least made you feel better. (And I'm sorry if it came off like I was comparing you to my baby boomer generation mom! I was not trying to call you old. Not that there's anything wrong with old... but I digress...)

There's definitely a risk in reclaiming terms. I think it's really up to an individual when (if ever) and in what company they reclaim terms. It can be a matter of safety and survival not to reclaim terms (even just in certain circumstances). It's something everyone has to decide for themselves.

Take all the time you need; sign-ups are open until *scrolls up the page to check* May 1st.

[telm_393]

I'm sorry, are sign-ups closed yet? The dates are confusing me a bit--do sign-ups close on May 1, 2013? I can't actually think of how it would work if they didn't, but I'm easily confused. Thanks. :)

[katiemariie]

Sign-ups are still open. They'll close on May 1, 2013. Sorry for the confusion.