Welcome and FAQ
Welcome to Rare Big Bang! (Woohoo!) This is a Big Bang centered on three (3) things:
- Rare Fandom
- Rare Pairings
- Crossover (rare pairings)
But I'll get more into that later.
What is a "big bang"?
A "big bang" is a writing challenge where you have to produce a fic of a certain length. For this Big Bang, there will be three (3) options: Mini Bang (6,000 word minimum), Big Bang (12,000 minimum) or Super Big Bang (20,000 words).
Can I exceed x words?
Of course, you can! The Mini Bang will require between 6,000-11,999 words. If you go over that, you are now writing a Big Bang which requires 12,000-19,999 words. If you write more than that, you are officially in Super Big Bang territory which has a minimum of 20,000 words and no upper word limit. You may switch between any of the three Bangs up until you submit your draft and are paired with an artist (due to the artist requirement).
What if I don't meet the minimum?
As I said, you can switch between any of the three Bangs at any time up until your rough draft. So if you aim for a Super Big Bang but only make it to 18,000 words, then you have simply switched to a Big Bang, no biggie. Or if you aimed for a Big Bang but only got 8,000 words, then you have switched to a Mini Bang. You cannot, however, go lower than a Mini Bang. Meaning that, no matter what, you must have 6,000 words. No Matter What.
What are the minimum requirements for artists?
That will depend on which Bang they chose.
Super Big Bangs require 3 of the following, Big Bangs require 2 and Mini Bangs only require 1.
-Story Banner
-Chapter Banners
-3 icons
-Fanmix (containing a minimum of 5 songs)
-Fanvid (3 minutes minimum length)
-Wallpaper
And yes, you may repeat options. So for example, say an artist chose to produce art for a Super Big Bang, they may choose to do 1 story banner and 6 icons (choosing the icon option twice) or a fanmix with 15 songs (choosing the fanmix option three times). That is allowed.
What is the Rare Big Bang?
This Big Bang is divided into, you guessed it, 3 sections. Rare Fandom, Rare Ship and Crossovers. Merriam-Webster defines rare as "seldom occurring or found; uncommon". That being said, each person will have to define whether what they want to write in considered "rare"; I'm hardly going to police it.
Rare Fandom means that your fandom is not well known. Maybe there's not a lot of art or fanfic or even just general fans. In other words, an under-appreciated fandom.
Rare Ship means a pairing that is uncommon. Maybe these two characters don't get along. Maybe they've never shown any romantic interest in each other. Maybe they've never even met!
Crossover means that two (or more) fandoms are colliding. For the purpose of this big bang, either (a) one of the fandoms in the crossover must be rare and also the focus OR (b) the pairings must be rare (which can include a crossover pairing) OR (c) a rare crossing of two fandoms. For example, (a) crossing Dark Oracle and Twilight. Sure, Edward Cullen can be in the fic, but the focus must be on the rare fandom, so either it takes place in Dark Oracle or the main character is from Dark Oracle. OR (b) for crossed ships, you can have Cally Stone/Edward Cullen because they are from different fandoms and are thus 'rare', but you cannot have the focus be on Edward/Bella because that is not a rare ship. You can have Edward/Bella be a couple and explore the Dark Oracle world (because that counts as the focus being on the rare fandom, option (a)). Lastly, you can cross two fandoms that are not commonly crossed. Like Pretty Little Liars? Like Batman? Why not make a crossover of the two fandoms (a rare crossover). Make sense?
Is gen fic allowed?
Absolutely! No ships are necessary at all if you're focusing on a rare fandom. Plus, not all ships have to be romantic relationships, friendships are allowed!
Are threesomes/foursomes/moresomes allowed?
Er, sure. Why not? If it's rare, it's allowed.
Can I have original characters in my story?
No. You can have OC fillers (like extras), but the story must revolve around canon characters only. Allowing OCs would kinda defeat the purpose, I think.
Can I write RPF?
Uhm, I'm gonna tentatively okay this. Provided that it's rare! This would count as a rare ship so that means that it cannot be a popular RPF pairing. So no Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, people. But you can do Jensen Ackles/Jessica Alba because they have never been linked romantically and are not a popular ship amongst fans.
Can I co-write a story with a friend?
Yes, but that precludes you from participating in the Mini Bang. That means that, at minimum, you must write a 12,000 word fic together (or divided, 6,000 each). Talk to me if you want to work with more than one other author.
Can I write more than one story? Can I sign up to be an author and an artist?
Yes. To both.
Are WIPs allowed?
No. The only exception would be if you are completely redoing/revamping it until it is essentially a brand new fic.
What needs to be sent in the Rough Draft?
This will be your fic. There will be a format that I'll show you later. It needs to be 75% completed. Basically, your rough draft proves to me that your fic will be completed on time.
Does my story have to be beta read?
That depends on you and your writing. The fic posted must be of good quality. If you feel that you do not need a beta to do so, then that is your decision. But I do encourage beta-ing.
How do artists claim a fic? Can I claim more than one?
There will be a claiming period that will be first come first serve. You can choose more than one, but only one at a time. So, select 1 fic and then wait until it seems like no one new is gonna pick (maybe a day?) and then choose another. I may have another round of claiming posted depending.
Can I work together with my artist once they are working on their submission?
That is between you and your artist. Just like you had freedom to do your writing, they will need freedom to do their art. That being said, there is nothing against collaboration.
Can I submit early?
Yes, you are free to submit your work early. E-mail your submissions to rarebigbang@gmail.com. You may have to wait until the submission due date to receive a confirmation email, however, as I won't be checking that email until it is necessary.
Can I post my submission anywhere else?
You are free to post elsewhere AFTER you have submitted here. The only exception is your journal where you will first be posting before linking it to here. It is preferred that if you post your work on your journal early, that you lock it until the posting date.
What if I can't finish my story? What if I miss a deadline?
You have until the rough draft submission to drop out. The only deadlines are your rough draft and your posting date. If you contact me with a reason for why your rough draft will be late, we can discuss it. The posting date is the posting date, it will be a date you choose. If something comes up and you can no longer post on that date, you can contact another author and switch (just make sure to inform me - and your artist obviously) or you can change to one of the empty days (as in a day that no one has chosen to post). If you simply forgot to post, you can contact me and I can give you a new posting date using the leftover empty days.
So, what's the schedule?
Round 1:
August: Sign-ups open - August 1st
September: Sign-ups close - September 30th
October: Check in #1 - October 15th
November: Check in #2 - November 15th
December: Check in #3 - December 15th
January: Rough Draft due - January 31st (75% completion) / Drop Out Deadline (this is your last chance to drop)
February: Art claims open - February 15th
March: Art claims close - March 1st
April: Final submissions, Fic & Art due - April 30th (100% completion)
May: Scheduling post up - May 1st
June: Posting begins
*this schedule is subject to change
Any other questions? Leave a comment below!
- Rare Fandom
- Rare Pairings
- Crossover (rare pairings)
But I'll get more into that later.
What is a "big bang"?
A "big bang" is a writing challenge where you have to produce a fic of a certain length. For this Big Bang, there will be three (3) options: Mini Bang (6,000 word minimum), Big Bang (12,000 minimum) or Super Big Bang (20,000 words).
Can I exceed x words?
Of course, you can! The Mini Bang will require between 6,000-11,999 words. If you go over that, you are now writing a Big Bang which requires 12,000-19,999 words. If you write more than that, you are officially in Super Big Bang territory which has a minimum of 20,000 words and no upper word limit. You may switch between any of the three Bangs up until you submit your draft and are paired with an artist (due to the artist requirement).
What if I don't meet the minimum?
As I said, you can switch between any of the three Bangs at any time up until your rough draft. So if you aim for a Super Big Bang but only make it to 18,000 words, then you have simply switched to a Big Bang, no biggie. Or if you aimed for a Big Bang but only got 8,000 words, then you have switched to a Mini Bang. You cannot, however, go lower than a Mini Bang. Meaning that, no matter what, you must have 6,000 words. No Matter What.
What are the minimum requirements for artists?
That will depend on which Bang they chose.
Super Big Bangs require 3 of the following, Big Bangs require 2 and Mini Bangs only require 1.
-Story Banner
-Chapter Banners
-3 icons
-Fanmix (containing a minimum of 5 songs)
-Fanvid (3 minutes minimum length)
-Wallpaper
And yes, you may repeat options. So for example, say an artist chose to produce art for a Super Big Bang, they may choose to do 1 story banner and 6 icons (choosing the icon option twice) or a fanmix with 15 songs (choosing the fanmix option three times). That is allowed.
What is the Rare Big Bang?
This Big Bang is divided into, you guessed it, 3 sections. Rare Fandom, Rare Ship and Crossovers. Merriam-Webster defines rare as "seldom occurring or found; uncommon". That being said, each person will have to define whether what they want to write in considered "rare"; I'm hardly going to police it.
Rare Fandom means that your fandom is not well known. Maybe there's not a lot of art or fanfic or even just general fans. In other words, an under-appreciated fandom.
Rare Ship means a pairing that is uncommon. Maybe these two characters don't get along. Maybe they've never shown any romantic interest in each other. Maybe they've never even met!
Crossover means that two (or more) fandoms are colliding. For the purpose of this big bang, either (a) one of the fandoms in the crossover must be rare and also the focus OR (b) the pairings must be rare (which can include a crossover pairing) OR (c) a rare crossing of two fandoms. For example, (a) crossing Dark Oracle and Twilight. Sure, Edward Cullen can be in the fic, but the focus must be on the rare fandom, so either it takes place in Dark Oracle or the main character is from Dark Oracle. OR (b) for crossed ships, you can have Cally Stone/Edward Cullen because they are from different fandoms and are thus 'rare', but you cannot have the focus be on Edward/Bella because that is not a rare ship. You can have Edward/Bella be a couple and explore the Dark Oracle world (because that counts as the focus being on the rare fandom, option (a)). Lastly, you can cross two fandoms that are not commonly crossed. Like Pretty Little Liars? Like Batman? Why not make a crossover of the two fandoms (a rare crossover). Make sense?
Is gen fic allowed?
Absolutely! No ships are necessary at all if you're focusing on a rare fandom. Plus, not all ships have to be romantic relationships, friendships are allowed!
Are threesomes/foursomes/moresomes allowed?
Er, sure. Why not? If it's rare, it's allowed.
Can I have original characters in my story?
No. You can have OC fillers (like extras), but the story must revolve around canon characters only. Allowing OCs would kinda defeat the purpose, I think.
Can I write RPF?
Uhm, I'm gonna tentatively okay this. Provided that it's rare! This would count as a rare ship so that means that it cannot be a popular RPF pairing. So no Jensen Ackles/Jared Padalecki, people. But you can do Jensen Ackles/Jessica Alba because they have never been linked romantically and are not a popular ship amongst fans.
Can I co-write a story with a friend?
Yes, but that precludes you from participating in the Mini Bang. That means that, at minimum, you must write a 12,000 word fic together (or divided, 6,000 each). Talk to me if you want to work with more than one other author.
Can I write more than one story? Can I sign up to be an author and an artist?
Yes. To both.
Are WIPs allowed?
No. The only exception would be if you are completely redoing/revamping it until it is essentially a brand new fic.
What needs to be sent in the Rough Draft?
This will be your fic. There will be a format that I'll show you later. It needs to be 75% completed. Basically, your rough draft proves to me that your fic will be completed on time.
Does my story have to be beta read?
That depends on you and your writing. The fic posted must be of good quality. If you feel that you do not need a beta to do so, then that is your decision. But I do encourage beta-ing.
How do artists claim a fic? Can I claim more than one?
There will be a claiming period that will be first come first serve. You can choose more than one, but only one at a time. So, select 1 fic and then wait until it seems like no one new is gonna pick (maybe a day?) and then choose another. I may have another round of claiming posted depending.
Can I work together with my artist once they are working on their submission?
That is between you and your artist. Just like you had freedom to do your writing, they will need freedom to do their art. That being said, there is nothing against collaboration.
Can I submit early?
Yes, you are free to submit your work early. E-mail your submissions to rarebigbang@gmail.com. You may have to wait until the submission due date to receive a confirmation email, however, as I won't be checking that email until it is necessary.
Can I post my submission anywhere else?
You are free to post elsewhere AFTER you have submitted here. The only exception is your journal where you will first be posting before linking it to here. It is preferred that if you post your work on your journal early, that you lock it until the posting date.
What if I can't finish my story? What if I miss a deadline?
You have until the rough draft submission to drop out. The only deadlines are your rough draft and your posting date. If you contact me with a reason for why your rough draft will be late, we can discuss it. The posting date is the posting date, it will be a date you choose. If something comes up and you can no longer post on that date, you can contact another author and switch (just make sure to inform me - and your artist obviously) or you can change to one of the empty days (as in a day that no one has chosen to post). If you simply forgot to post, you can contact me and I can give you a new posting date using the leftover empty days.
So, what's the schedule?
Round 1:
August: Sign-ups open - August 1st
September: Sign-ups close - September 30th
October: Check in #1 - October 15th
November: Check in #2 - November 15th
December: Check in #3 - December 15th
January: Rough Draft due - January 31st (75% completion) / Drop Out Deadline (this is your last chance to drop)
February: Art claims open - February 15th
March: Art claims close - March 1st
April: Final submissions, Fic & Art due - April 30th (100% completion)
May: Scheduling post up - May 1st
June: Posting begins
*this schedule is subject to change
Any other questions? Leave a comment below!