Rules & FAQs
Rules & FAQs
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Eligibility
Q: Is the challenge fic-only?
A: No. Vids and vidlets, fanart and manips, podfics, and/or soundmixes are also acceptable. You can mix and match your responses to the prompts, so a mixture of fics, fan art, podfic, and vidlets would be a valid submission for a bingo. The idea is to generate a fresh infusion of fanworks based on the NCIS & NCIS: LA shows and its inhabitants.
Q: Can I write gen / het / slash / femslash? Or a combination?
A: Yes, absolutely. Art or other fanworks may be any of these as well.
Q: Can I write stories containing different fandoms?
A: Yes. Crossovers are acceptable, provided you insert the other fandom/characters into the NCIS & NCIS: LA shows - i.e. the Winchesters would have to work their next job in Washington DC or the TARDIS crashes on a beach in Los Angeles.
Q: I've written lots of fics that meet prompts on my card in the last couple of years. Can I use them to score a bingo right away?
A: No. Only new fic and other fanworks are eligible for inclusion. The idea here is fresh blood, if you will.*
*Since we're allowing podfic for fills, it is understood that it will be a "new" podfic, not one already made. Podfic needs to be a minimum of 500 words. Owing to the nature of podfic, this is the only instance where a previously written fic may be used.
Q: I'm taking part in another challenge. Can I use one of my NCIS Bingo fics as my submission for that challenge?
A: Well, you could potentially have an issue with the other challenge, but we’re not going to be a stickler about double-dipping. Naturally, we hope that you’ll have written any fic or created any fanwork to fulfill a NCIS Bingo prompt first and foremost; however, if you do double up, we ask that you identify that the fic or art was also also done for NCIS Bingo. If you have questions about this one, please ask and a mod will be happy to clarify.
Q: Can I write original fiction?
A: Owing to the nature of this Bingo challenge, NCIS/NCIS:LA must be featured; however, you may write original characters. In fact, you may write secondary characters and/or original characters and only feature the main characters in the background if at all. Our goal is to encourage the writing... as long as the action takes place in Washington DC or Los Angeles - and preferably the Washington DC / LA we know from the shows - the rest is up to the writer.
Q: I'd like to write a sequel to a fic I wrote last year. Can I do that?
A: Yes. As long as it's a new fic and fulfills one of the NCIS bingo prompts on your card. We'll include series or 'verses here, too. However, it would be a good idea to note that it’s a sequel, 'verse, etc. and include a link to the original story when you post your bingo to the comm.
How and When Do I Post?
Q: Do I have to wait until I've completed all the fics for a bingo or other combo, and then post them all together?
A: No. You can post each story as you complete it to your own journal or any other community you’d like. However, when you've completed all the fics that make up a bingo, then you make a single post to the NCIS Bingo comm outlining your combo and providing links to the fics that comprise it. A posting template is provided for you via a link on the community sidebar.
Q: Can I post the fic I've written for NCIS Bingo to other communities (like fandom-specific noticeboards) as well?
A: Yes, absolutely.
Q: Do I have to post everything I write/make for the challenge to the comm?
A: No, in fact, it would be preferable if you didn't, as the posting volume would make it more difficult to showcase everyone’s cumulative accomplishment. We'd ask that you only link to your fics from you announcement post.
Miscellaneous
Q: Can I write one big story that covers several prompts - like a 2500 word fic that covers five prompts?
A: No. Unless you're writing a postage stamp story, which will contain four prompts from the four squares in any one corner of your card, your fic can only count against a single prompt. If it covers more than one prompt, then you should choose which one you want it to count against.
Q: Can I sign up as a team with someone else and co-write fics?
A: Yes, although you can't sign up as a team and then split the prompts between you to complete them faster. That would be against the spirit of the game and, obviously, the reason you decided to team up. But you may co-author (or co-produce other fanworks) with someone else.
Q: If I post a line bingo, and then later decide to do a blackout, how do I handle that?
A: Yes, you can post the line bingo and then do a blackout. When you complete your card blackout, post to the comm announcing it, and include links to all 25 stories, including the five that made up the line bingo.
Q: Can I fill a square with podfic?
A: Yes, provided the fic is a minimum of 500 words and it is a NEW podfic, i.e. not previously recorded and posted elsewhere.
Q: Is RPF accepted?
A: Unfortunately no. Sorry.
If you have a question or concern we haven't addressed here, please leave a comment to this post.
Inspired by the FAQs from the H50_bingo, with permission
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment to this entry and one of the mods will respond as soon as possible.
meekosan & sexycazzy
your community moderators
- Each NCIS Bingo card is made up of prompts drawn at random from a set of themed lists.
- You are encouraged to interpret the prompts in whatever way inspires you, but the NCIS/NCIS: LA characters has to be featured and be an integral part of the fill. Accepted works include drabbles (100 words), fic/ficlets (minimum 100 words, no max), art (icons must be a minimum of 5 to be considered a completed prompt), vids, soundmixes, mini-mixes, podfics (podfic must be of at least 500 words). Crossovers with any other fandom are acceptable.
- Prompts may be filled using gen, het, slash, femslash, or any combination.
- Once you have your card, you may not ask for a fresh card until you have completed at least ONE bingo on that card.
- If filling your prompt(s) with fic, it must be NEW fic. The primary purpose of NCIS BINGO is inspire writers and creators to post new stories and fanart. Previously posted writings and art will not be accepted.
- A bingo is a horizontal or vertical line, a diagonal line or an X, or a card blackout (all 24 prompts plus the wildcard not-always-in-the-middle square). A bingo is also a postage stamp, which can be either one fic or fanwork that incorporates all four prompts from any corner of your card, or four separate fics or fanworks for each prompt in any corner.
- Once you've completed a bingo, you can ask for a new card and keep playing until the deadline, or you can continue to write more bingos or extras (postage stamps, simultaneous double lines) on your original card. You can re-use a prompt you've already used in a previous bingo, as long as you write a new story or create a new fanwork for it. So, if you've written a vertical line including your 'Don’t Touch That!' square, you can make a second bingo for a horizontal line which also includes the 'Don’t Touch That!' square -- as long as you write a new story or create a new fanwork for that square.
- When you've completed one bingo as defined in these rules, you should announce it in the community by making a post which says what combo you've completed, and posting links to the fic and/or fanworks. Please don't post the actual works to the comm, as the volume of posts that would create would make it harder to feature your accomplishment. Since we are not scoring, you are certainly not obligated to post your links; however, in order to receive a recognition/participation banner, you must post your bingo to the community. A posting template will be available on the profile page of the community or on the sidebar to use.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Eligibility
Q: Is the challenge fic-only?
A: No. Vids and vidlets, fanart and manips, podfics, and/or soundmixes are also acceptable. You can mix and match your responses to the prompts, so a mixture of fics, fan art, podfic, and vidlets would be a valid submission for a bingo. The idea is to generate a fresh infusion of fanworks based on the NCIS & NCIS: LA shows and its inhabitants.
Q: Can I write gen / het / slash / femslash? Or a combination?
A: Yes, absolutely. Art or other fanworks may be any of these as well.
Q: Can I write stories containing different fandoms?
A: Yes. Crossovers are acceptable, provided you insert the other fandom/characters into the NCIS & NCIS: LA shows - i.e. the Winchesters would have to work their next job in Washington DC or the TARDIS crashes on a beach in Los Angeles.
Q: I've written lots of fics that meet prompts on my card in the last couple of years. Can I use them to score a bingo right away?
A: No. Only new fic and other fanworks are eligible for inclusion. The idea here is fresh blood, if you will.*
*Since we're allowing podfic for fills, it is understood that it will be a "new" podfic, not one already made. Podfic needs to be a minimum of 500 words. Owing to the nature of podfic, this is the only instance where a previously written fic may be used.
Q: I'm taking part in another challenge. Can I use one of my NCIS Bingo fics as my submission for that challenge?
A: Well, you could potentially have an issue with the other challenge, but we’re not going to be a stickler about double-dipping. Naturally, we hope that you’ll have written any fic or created any fanwork to fulfill a NCIS Bingo prompt first and foremost; however, if you do double up, we ask that you identify that the fic or art was also also done for NCIS Bingo. If you have questions about this one, please ask and a mod will be happy to clarify.
Q: Can I write original fiction?
A: Owing to the nature of this Bingo challenge, NCIS/NCIS:LA must be featured; however, you may write original characters. In fact, you may write secondary characters and/or original characters and only feature the main characters in the background if at all. Our goal is to encourage the writing... as long as the action takes place in Washington DC or Los Angeles - and preferably the Washington DC / LA we know from the shows - the rest is up to the writer.
Q: I'd like to write a sequel to a fic I wrote last year. Can I do that?
A: Yes. As long as it's a new fic and fulfills one of the NCIS bingo prompts on your card. We'll include series or 'verses here, too. However, it would be a good idea to note that it’s a sequel, 'verse, etc. and include a link to the original story when you post your bingo to the comm.
How and When Do I Post?
Q: Do I have to wait until I've completed all the fics for a bingo or other combo, and then post them all together?
A: No. You can post each story as you complete it to your own journal or any other community you’d like. However, when you've completed all the fics that make up a bingo, then you make a single post to the NCIS Bingo comm outlining your combo and providing links to the fics that comprise it. A posting template is provided for you via a link on the community sidebar.
Q: Can I post the fic I've written for NCIS Bingo to other communities (like fandom-specific noticeboards) as well?
A: Yes, absolutely.
Q: Do I have to post everything I write/make for the challenge to the comm?
A: No, in fact, it would be preferable if you didn't, as the posting volume would make it more difficult to showcase everyone’s cumulative accomplishment. We'd ask that you only link to your fics from you announcement post.
Miscellaneous
Q: Can I write one big story that covers several prompts - like a 2500 word fic that covers five prompts?
A: No. Unless you're writing a postage stamp story, which will contain four prompts from the four squares in any one corner of your card, your fic can only count against a single prompt. If it covers more than one prompt, then you should choose which one you want it to count against.
Q: Can I sign up as a team with someone else and co-write fics?
A: Yes, although you can't sign up as a team and then split the prompts between you to complete them faster. That would be against the spirit of the game and, obviously, the reason you decided to team up. But you may co-author (or co-produce other fanworks) with someone else.
Q: If I post a line bingo, and then later decide to do a blackout, how do I handle that?
A: Yes, you can post the line bingo and then do a blackout. When you complete your card blackout, post to the comm announcing it, and include links to all 25 stories, including the five that made up the line bingo.
Q: Can I fill a square with podfic?
A: Yes, provided the fic is a minimum of 500 words and it is a NEW podfic, i.e. not previously recorded and posted elsewhere.
Q: Is RPF accepted?
A: Unfortunately no. Sorry.
If you have a question or concern we haven't addressed here, please leave a comment to this post.
Inspired by the FAQs from the H50_bingo, with permission
If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment to this entry and one of the mods will respond as soon as possible.
meekosan & sexycazzy
your community moderators