Updated FAQ 2012-2013
Frequently Asked Questions
What is SuperWho?
It is a crossover between Supernatural, a show about two brothers who save people and hunt things; the family business, and Doctor Who, a show about a Time Lord and his companion. Characters from either show interact with each other as if they were in the same universe-or, alternatively, both from their own respective dimensions, but they somehow end up crossing over to meet one another. It’s a brilliant explosion of guns, homoerotic subtext and bow ties, because bow ties are cool.
What is a Big Bang challenge?
There are lots of variations of big bangs, all differing in one way or another, but generally it’s a process in which authors write long fanfics, usually with a minimum word count of around 10K to 15K, and artists create pieces of artwork for them.
How do I sign up?
When sign ups start, there'll be one post for authors and one post for artists for you to sign up in.
Writing Requirements
What type of writing requirements are there?
Your fanfic must be at least 10,000 words long for a big bang and 4,000 words long for a mini bang, and, if possible, beta-read before the posting date. It must focus on the characters from Supernatural and Doctor Who and they must interact; the entire point of SuperWho is that it’s a crossover between the two, so your fanfic must include characters from both shows.
If I’m already writing a SuperWho fanfic, can I use that?
If it is unseen by the internet, yes. You are not allowed to continue with a WIP that has already been posted somewhere, but if it is simply resting on your hard drive, then yes. ((This rule might be bended on a case-by-case basis. Please comment.))
What genres/pairings/ratings are allowed?
All genres are allowed and that includes RPF. If you chose to write that however, at least one of the actors of each show must be featured. Examples of this is David Tennant going hunting with Sam and Dean or Misha Collins hitting it off with captain Jack. As for pairing, anything goes in form of het, slash or femme-slash. Of course, gen is allowed too. At least one of the main couple needs to be from either Supernatural, Doctor Who (or Torchwood) or an actor from either show. All ratings are allowed. We just ask you to warn properly
Which fandoms can I cross over?
You have to have either Supernatural/Doctor Who or Supernatural/Torchwood, but if you'd like to continue crossing, it's just awesome. As long as it's at least partially Superwho or Superwood, you are more than welcome to turn it into, say, Superwholock by adding Sherlock into the mix.
I’ve got a whole bunch of ideas-how many fanfics am I allowed to I write?
You are allowed to write one of the following options:
Two big bang fanfics
Two mini bang fics and one big bang fic- Three mini bang fics
Of course, you are allowed to write just one big bang or just one mini bang. These are the top amounts.
Can I write a fanfic with someone else?
Yes, you are allowed to co-author a fic with up to three authors/fic. However, an additional 2,000 words are added for each author. Are you two authors, your word count would be 12,000 (or 6,000) and if you are three, it would be 14,000 (or 8,000)
Can I switch between the big bang and the mini bang?
Yes, you can both upgrade and downgrade your fic. If you signed up for the big bang, but your fic won't reach 10,000, you can downgrade to a mini bang, and the same is if you signed up for a mini bang, but your fic is longer than 10,000 you can upgrade to a big bang. The deadline for this is going to be the third and final checkpoint. More information at the actual checkpoint.
Artist Requirements
What art can I make?
You can make whatever art you want, in whatever medium you can think of. This could be traditional art, digital art, a little comic strip, photo manips, gifs, a video, a fanmix or a song-whatever you can think of, really. Be as creative as possible, but please put some work in the pieces of art as your authors has spent a long time working on their fics.
How many pieces am I supposed to create and what are the requirements?
If you are doing art for a big bang, you need to do at least two pieces. For the mini bang you need to do at least one piece of art. Painted art should be a minimum of 500x500. Fanmixes should consist of at least eight track + one cover art. Videos should be a minimum of 30 seconds.
How do I know who I’m making art for?
When the authors have finished writing their rough drafts, I’ll create an anonymous claims post. In this post, I’ll include the story summary, as written by the author, as well as the genre, title, any pairings, the rating and any warnings the author chooses to give. After everyone has had a chance to look at the different fics, claiming will begin, and you’ll pick the fanfic you want and it will be crossed off the list. Claims are done on a first come, first served basis, so we’ll decide on a suitable time for all of us at a later date.
How will I get in contact with my author?
When the claims are done, we will reveal a masterpost featuring all the author/artist combination. From there, it's up to you to contact each other. Should your author or your artist fail to reply within a week from the claim date, please tell us so. That way we're able to help you.
What happens if the number of authors doesn’t match up with the number of artists?
Should not all fic be claimed in the first round, there will be a second round where artist can claim a second fic, and those who hadn't signed up before can have a go at it. The claims will not end until each and every fic has been claimed. Should there be more artists than authors, several artists will work on the same fic. Either way, everybody who has signed up will have a partner to work with.
Can I create art and write a fanfic?
Of course, as long as you feel that you can handle the time frame.
Timeline
What’s the schedule, then?
Summer Mini Bang
Author sign ups open - 5st July, 2012
Artist sign ups open - 5st July, 2012
Author sign ups close - 31st July, 2012
Checkpoint 1 - 1st August, 2012
Checkpoint 2 - 15th August, 2012
Rough Drafts Due - 31st August, 2012
Artist Claims - 3rd September, 2012
Reveal Post and Posting Claim Post up - 8th September, 2012
Author and Artist Checkpoint - 20th September, 2013
Art Rough Draft Due - 30th September, 2012
Posting Begins - 15th October, 2012
Winter Big and Mini Bang
Author sign ups open - 1st November, 2012
Artist sign ups open - 1st November, 2012
Author sign ups close - 30th November, 2012
Checkpoint 1 - 1st December, 2012
Checkpoint 2 - 10st January, 2013
Checkpoint 3 - 10th February 2013 (upgrade/downgrade)
Rough Drafts Due - 28rd February, 2013
Artist Claims - 3th March, 2013
Reveal Post and Posting Claim Post up - 8th March
Artist Checkpoint - 25st March, 2013
Art Rough Draft Due - 15th April, 2013
Posting Begins - 1st May, 2013
What is a checkpoint?
They’re something which helps give you a feel where an author should be in the writing process-you can share snippets of your fanfic here, too. They aren’t mandatory, but they are helpful encouragement, and you can ask for help here.
Do artists get checkpoints?
Yup, and they’re mandatory! They’re used to make sure that the artist has been in contact with their author, and to check whether they’re going to be finished in time.
What should my rough draft look like?
It should be at least 8,000 words (big bang), 3,000 words (minibang), or 80%, of your fanfic; you don’t have to have finished your fanfic by this point, and you can still be working on it. You can get it beta-read or have a friend read over it for moral support by then. I just need to make sure that you’ll realistically be finished by the deadline for final drafts.
What do I do if I need an extension?
I’ll be able to give authors or artists extensions if they desperately need them. If you think you might need one, please say so at the third and final checkpoint.
Community Requirements
Can I join this community?
Definitely! Feel free to join or watch the community even if you don’t plan on signing up for the Big Bang, because you’ll still end up with a load of wonderful fanfiction and fanart by the end of it all. If you do plan on signing up, then join the community as soon as possible, as some posts will be members locked.
Posting Requirements
What are the posting requirements?
You’ll have to include a header with all the necessary information in it-it has to include any warnings, as not all readers will enjoy the same thing. Here is an example headers, with all the things you must include in it:
Title:
Author(s):
Artist:
Characters/Pairings:
Fandoms:
Rating:
Word Count:
Disclaimer:
Warnings:
Spoilers:
Summary:
Link to Story Master Post:
Link to Art Master Post:
Can I post it on my journal at an earlier point to show my friends?
While you can post your fanfic in advance on your journal, your fanfic must be revealed for the first time on this Big Bang, on your specific reveal day, as shown in the schedule. If you do plan on posting in advance, please lock the post so that only you can see it.
What should I do if my fanfic exceeds the character limit for one post?
Most people choose to split their fanfic into different parts-this could be for each chapter, and so on-and then created a masterlist of all the different parts, as well as the art, in one place. You could also post your fanfic on Archive of Our Own, as well as Dreamwidth or fanfiction.net. Alternatively, you could create a PDF for your fanfic, which could include the art on it.
I’m an artist-where can I upload my graphics?
You could do this on Tinypic, Photobucket or Imgur.
If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask them below or, alternatively, contact slowsunrise (or fullmetal_cute), the mods.