2nd Annual Women of Dragon Age Challenge FAQ

Feb 18, 2013 20:41




Hello everyone!  Now that the biggest excitement of the Dragon Age Big Bang (dragonagebb) is over for the winter, we're ready to bring back the Women of Dragon Age Challenge for it's second year.  We were so absolutely thrilled at how many people decided to take up the challenge last year, and hope that you're up for it again this time around.  The rules of the challenge are pretty simple, and if you need a refresher on anything, check out the FAQ below.  If you're up for it, keep an eye out for the sign-up post (I'll link that once it's up) coming very, very shortly.

What's the Women of Dragon Age Fandom Challenge?
This challenge was created for the sole purpose of celebrating the women of Dragon Age, and to create works that show the relationships between those women. Works should be able to pass the Bechdel Test, and for the purposes of this challenge the women must be the primary focus of the work. Works do not have to be sexual or intimate in nature, and could be focused on the friendship of two characters (eg.Isabela & Aveline) without a romantic nature.

What’s the Bechdel Test, and what does it mean for this challenge?
The Bechdel Test is a story that passes all of the following rules:

1) it must include more than one woman
2) who have at least one conversation
3) about something other than a man/men.

For this challenge, we’re asking participants to create a work that centers on the relationship (romantic or not, canon or not) between at least two of the female characters of Dragon Age. It could be romantic or sexual. It could be friendship. It could be women adventuring together. It could be an interaction between enemies. Anything, as long as the main plot of the story revolves around multiple women and their interactions with each other - interactions that are not about/centered around male characters.

For more information on The Bechdel Test, you can read about it here.

So, are you only looking for stories?
No! This challenge is open to writers, artists, and fanmixers. We’d love to see art or mixes dedicated to the relationships between Dragon Age women.

No boys allowed?
Men/boys are allowed in your story, as long as they are not the main focus. For example, you can write a story about how Leliana and Morrigan save Alistair when he falls down a well, but it should focus on what Leliana and Morrigan are doing, not on how Alistair is trying to get himself free.

How does the challenge work?
...Sign-ups are open between now and March 1st, 2013.
...You’ll have time to write or create your work between now and March 31th, 2013.
...Respond to the check-in on March 20th to let us know you’re still working.
...Works should be turned in to the mods on March 31th, 2013, after which time you'll be assigned a posting date.
...Posting will begin on April 8th, 2013.

Where do I sign up?
The sign-up post is here. Please read the sign-up post and make sure to leave a comment with your information.

Do I have to wait until the 30th, to send in my work if I finish early?
No! Please, if you finish early, email the mods as soon as you’re ready. This will give us extra time to start the posting schedule before everyone finishes on the 29th.

What if I miss the turn-in date on the 31th?
Well, ultimately, we’d like this not to happen. But, we understand that life sometimes gets in the way and that you might be a little late. If, you tell us in advance that you’re going to be a little late, we’re happy to accept your submission as long as it’s before the 8th of April. However if we don't have any notice, it makes it difficult for us to plan posting dates around it when it comes in, and we will not accept late submissions after the 31st of March.  (That said, last year, we did offer an amnesty round after the official round was over and we may do that again this year, depending on the time the mods have available.)

How long does the work have to be?
Stories must be at least 1,000 words.
Fanmixes must contain at least 12 songs, and have some kind of cover art.
Art is hard to quantify, but we trust that all fanartists will give their project their best! :)

I want to play, but I have no idea what to write/draw/mix!
That’s okay! We’ll also be setting up a post dedicated exclusively to prompts - hopefully one of those will inspire you! Keep an eye on the community for that post, with more details.  Last year's prompt posts are also still open if you want to take a look there too.

Are crossovers allowed? What about AUs?
Fandom crossovers are allowed, but your work must center around at least one female Dragon Age character. And the main point of the work must still be the relationship between two women - two DA women, a DA character and a female character from your crossover fandom, whatever works in your context!

And we encourage all the AUs ever. :D

What if I want to write a story AND make a mix? And make art, because I’m that ambitious!
You can initially sign up to make one of each art form - so, if you’re sufficiently motivated, you can sign up to write, mix, and make art! You’ll get a separate posting date for each work created.

Also, you’ll be allowed to sign up to make another work if you turn in your first project early! We just ask that you don’t rush your work - make sure you take the time to edit, get a beta, do whatever you need to do to make your work the best possible piece!

What happens when posting begins?
After you turn in your finished work, we’ll email you with your posting date - on that day, you can post your work to whatever platform you prefer. (LJ, DW, AO3, Tumblr, DeviantArt, et cetera.) Then, make a post to the LJ community with a link back to your work, so we can all flail over it!

Why are you assigning dates?
So that your work can be properly appreciated! It’s much easier for people to read/view/download your work right away if it’s only one of a handful of things posted that day, rather than one of a couple dozen or so things all posted at the exact same time. In other words - less competition! Everyone wins!

But I don’t have an LJ account!

If you don’t want to create a free account, you can use the OpenID platform to log in using a different account, or just leave a comment anonymously with all the information we'll need.  This is a challenge, not an exchange of writing/art for the other.  When your piece is finished, you can email it to the mods and they'll post it to the LJ account in your stead, just to keep everything collected in one place.  :)

Why do the Dreamwidth and Tumblr communities exist, then?
The mods will be posting links and roundups to DW and Tumblr, advertising the work posted on the LJ community. We also created an AO3 collection for last year's works and we will be doing that again this year as well.

Oh no! I missed the deadline by # days! Is it too late to sign up?
Well, technically speaking, yes. However, we’re going to keep a place available for people that miss the deadline, or have things that don’t quite meet the length requirements, or have already finished on project. We want to support the works that have been created and want them to be appreciated by everyone.

Do I really have to give you my LJ user name/email address?

Well, it’s really the best way for us to get in contact with you. Having your LJ name will help know who to give posting access to when posting time rolls around. And having your email address will help us keep in contact with you about final check-in and due dates.

Is that it?
Just about, yeah. If you have further concerns/queries, read the FAQ first, and if they still haven't been addressed, then feel free to email the mods at womenofda@gmail.com.

faq, the bechdel test, the mods post

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