#it’s not that i don’t see where the differences lie between character fanfic and rpf | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

tfwbigbang · 3 years

Text

Team Free Will Big Bang FAQ and Rules 2021

Rules

You must be aged 18 or over upon registration in order to take part in this bang. If you lie about your age, you will be banned from all future TFW Big Bangs and other events run by this bang’s mods.

Authors, Artists and Betas will be sent a confirmation email within 48 hours of signing up. You must reply to this email to complete sign up.

What do I create?

Authors:

A story of a minimum of 15,000 words (big bang).

Or a story of a minimum of 5000 words (mini bang).

The story must feature Team Free Will (Dean, Sam and Cas) at the center of the story or Team Free Will 2.0 (Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack).

Or be a real person fanfic (RPF) featuring Jared, Jensen and Misha at the center of the story (Alexander Calvert can also be included as a central character if you so desire).

No story may feature anyone under the age of 16 in an explicit sexual situation, this rises to 18 for RPF.

Your story must be posted in full on your assigned posting day.

See further in the FAQ for more details.

Artists:

For a big bang: a cover and two pieces of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art).

For a mini bang: a cover and a piece of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art).

No art may feature anyone under the age of 18 in an explicit sexual situation.

No explicit art may be posted to Tumblr.

No art can be made of photo manipulations.

Note that this bang runs a no fic left behind policy.

See further in the FAQ for more details

Authors must not discuss their stories publicly on places like social media or Discord servers before claims, unless it is in vague terms to secure a beta reader. You may discuss your story with your beta reader and on the TFWBB Discord server.

All authors and artists must familiarize themselves with the bang schedule.

All authors and artists must make attempts to regularly communicate with each other once paired.

For those taking part, we have created a Discord server. Details about this are available upon bang sign-up.

For more in-depth information on how to be a good bang participant: check out this post on allspnships.

FAQ

What are the differences between mini and big bangs?

Basically how long your story is. The Big Bang has a minimum of 15,000 words, and will receive a minimum of two art pieces from the artist plus a fic cover, while the Minibang has a minimum of 5,000 words, and will receive a cover and at least one piece of art.

Do covers have to be completely separate pieces of art from the rest of the bang’s art?

Covers can be remixes of art already created for the fic. But they need to feature the fic title, the names of the artist and the author(s).

How/where do I submit my draft?

We will provide details about this directly to creators nearer posting time.

How long does my story need to be?

You have two options: for a Big Bang, you need a minimum of 15,000 words. For a Minibang, you need at least 5,000.

What does the focus of my story need to be?

Your story must focus on all three members of Team Free Will: Dean, Sam, and Castiel. This means the story can be Dean/Sam, Dean/Cas, Sam/Cas, Sam/Dean/Cas or gen. If you choose a two-person pairing, the third character must be an equal focus on the story.

We won’t be counting words, but please try to stay within the spirit of the challenge. This is about celebrating Team Free Will characters, so have fun with them.

Since 2018, we have accepted interpretations of Team Free Will that include Jack Kline (Team Free Will 2.0), but everyone must still have equal importance in your story.

Team Free Love (Sam/Castiel/Dean/Gabriel) is not accepted for this bang.

Reader inserts are not accepted for this bang.

We will allow pairings where the four are with other characters, such as Sam/Eileen or Dean/Gabriel, BUT that pairing cannot be the main focus of the story.

Are AUs, crossovers and fusions allowed?

Yes, all are allowed. However, the more obscure the other fandom, the harder finding an artist who knows both will be, so keep that in mind.

What about RPF?

RPF is welcome, but must focus on Jared, Misha, Jensen and (if you want) Alexander, and their relationships with each other. So any combination of these four is welcome, as is a gen RPF where no one’s together. Everyone of these three (or four) needs equal weight in your plot.

What about underage?

Please ensure that all fanfic doesn’t include under 16s depicted in sexual situations—this raises to 18 for RPF. Basically, off the page is fine, but not on the page. All explicit art can only feature characters aged 18 and upwards.

Is it okay to write a sequel or prequel to an existing fic?

No, it needs to be a completely new story.

Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?

Yes, but you cannot claim your own fic.

Can I create additional art for my fic/have other artists make banners and art?

Not until a year after your post date.

May I do photo manipulations for art?

Due to issues of quality with manips in previous years, we have decided that photo manipulations are no longer welcome in the Team Free Will Big Bang.

May I do paper art or use alternative physical mediums like textiles or clay?

Yes.

Covers—can they feature explicit art?

Due to masterposts being posted on Tumblr, covers cannot feature explicit imagery.

Will there be promos? Can I advertise my fic on my Tumblr, Pillowfort, Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc?

There will be a formal promo period available to you during August, once posting dates are known. Promos will be promoted on all our blogs and Twitter. Details on how to promo will be made available in August.

Please do not promote stories ahead of this. You will be welcome to reblog/retweet your promos from our official blogs and Twitter.

Where do I post my fic/art when it’s complete?

All fics must be posted to AO3 and made live on your posting date, with the art embedded in the appropriate scenes if the artist allows.

All art must have a masterpost on either Dreamwidth, Pillowfort, AO3, or Tumblr made live on your posting day. Remember that explicit art should not be posted to Tumblr, unless it is extensively censored.

On or before your posting day, both links must be submitted in a post to the TFW Big Bang Dreamwidth, Pillowfort community and/or Tumblr blog. We will share the posting format nearer the time of posting. We will check over the masterpost, and make it public on the appropriate day on all platforms.

Do I need to link back to my artist’s master art post on my AO3 story?

Yes, all stories must have a link that goes to the art masterpost made by your artist. We advise you add this link in your notes using HTML like:

Will there be an AO3 collection for posted fics and art?

You will be able to add your fics and art to the moderated collection via: tfw_bb_2021.

Do I need a Dreamwidth/Pillowfort/Tumblr/AO3 account to participate?

Artists should have at least one to post their art to, and authors should have at least AO3 to post their fic to. No account besides an email address is required for claims.

Masterpost submissions to Pillowfort or Dreamwidth will require an account on the service you want to use. Tumblr may be submitted to without an account. Submit the fic and art masterpost to your preferred platform and it will be crossposted by the mods.

Due to changes in LiveJournal’s terms of service in April 2017, the bang is no longer being actively run on LJ, though may be promoted there.

Can I write more than one story/collaborate on a story?

Each author can write only one story for this challenge. You are welcome to collaborate on a story, but that counts as your one story.

Can I claim more than one fic to make art for?

The first round of claiming will allow artists to claim only one story. If there are still unclaimed stories 24 hours after the claiming begins, we’ll open a second round for artists to claim a second piece or for artists who didn’t originally sign up to participate. If artists drop out after assignments are set, artists can pinch hit as well regardless of whether they’re already assigned one story.

What do I need to provide for claims?

Fic writers will need to provide drafts that are at least 80% complete (with a beginning, middle and (almost an) end) for claims, along with a summary. Specifics on how to do this will be shared via email ahead of the submissions date.

We will not accept drafts that fail to meet this criteria, as it’s not fair on artists.

What is “no fic left behind”?

If an artist fails to meet art draft check-ins, providing proof of art, when required: they will be removed from the bang and a new artist found for the affected bang story.

The only exception to this is those affected by extenuating circumstances who manage to communicate with their author or the mods—in this instance an extension will be given.

What if something happens in RL and I need to post on a different day or get an extension, or something?

Contact the mods, or get your teammate to contact the mods, or get a friend to contact the mods. Stuff happens and we don’t want our bang to be an extra stress, but you need to let us know that you need help so that we can help you. We can be pretty flexible, so please don’t worry and get in touch. You can reach us at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.

How will claims work?

There will be a preview doc with each summary posted at least 48 hours before claims and emailed to artists who have already signed up. When claims open, we will email a link to a Google Form where we’ll ask you to resubmit some of your artist details and your top five picks for doing art. We’ll update the preview summaries with notes on fics as they’re assigned.

Do writers need beta readers?

Yes, all fic needs to be beta read for at least spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you don’t have a beta reader, you can try asking someone from our beta list to beta for you.

Ask on /r/fandomnatural or you can check out our list of beta readers for the bang. Details of this list will be emailed to authors once available.

May I post a WIP?

Works in progress (WIP) are not permitted to be posted for this bang. Fics must be posted complete (i.e. no serial posting).

You didn’t answer my question

Please contact hit_the_books,majesticduxk and fogsrollingin at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.

#mod post #rules and faq #tfwbigbang2021

9 notes · View notes

miseriathome · 5 years

Text

Requested (cross)post about celebrity rpf

[Real person fic] is almost always about celebrities. And at a certain point, we don't actually understand or know celebrities as real people. After all, celebrities are never actually genuine to the public--even if they seem genuine, it's always a part of the role they play as highly public figures. Celebrities as we know them are personas that real people put on. Fic about them by people who have never intimately met them before is actually fic about their personas--not about the real person. Likewise, as always, fic isn't actually a representation of what you want in real life. You can absolutely write fanfiction about Martin Freeman/Benedict Cumberbatch while being aware of/respecting their real world relationships with other people, and their potential forever lack of interest in one another along those lines. So to that extent, I don't see why rpf about celebrities should be a big deal.

And because I like pointing out grey areas as a way to illustrate why lines are drawn in the sand and nothing matters, here's a bunch of bullet points:

What about self-insert non-rpf fic? What about second-person/reader fic? Aren't there real people involved in those? What if your original character is a thinly-veiled real person?

How do anti-rpf folks feel about Hamilton? Or Bohemian Rhapsody? Or that Steve Jobs movie? Is it only okay when the real people are dead? What about The Social Network? Or that movie about the Obamas? How far in the past do real events have to be to be acceptably reportrayed with creative licenses taken? Are SNL's incredibly timely political skits acceptable? Or are these things only okay because they're professionally produced? In which case, isn't this all just catering to the invisible line between professional authordom and fanfiction authordom that literally constantly shows up in fandom wank as a blatantly obvious double standard?

To follow that train of thought, is it wrong to make posts like "Steve Irwin definitely forgave that manta ray in heaven?" Because you're literally setting up a fictional interaction about a real person against that real person's consent (since, after all, he could have secretly resented and hated that rayfor killing him, even despite his public persona saying it was just doing its job! Because the disjoint between celebrities' public and personal lives is not one you're privy to seeing!) What about posts that are like "Marie Kondo loves you?" What if it's not true? You're literally putting words in a real person's mouth. Where's the line when it comes to acceptable shared comfort illusions based around real people, and when does it start being "too much" and turn into unacceptable real person fic?

Isn't it kind of fucky to say things like "I ship the Obamas?" I mean, what if behind closed doors, their relationship is actually super abusive? Then you're shipping real life abuse! And what if they got divorced? Would you stop shipping them? Or would you continue shipping two people who don't want to be together against their consent? /s

You know when little girls fill up notebooks with "Mrs [their name] [celebrity name]" because they have crushes on celebrities? That's literally a ship. It comes with daydreams about getting married and being domestic and doing interviews because now you're famous. And daydreams are just... unwritten fic. So if an entire real person fanfiction exists in somebody's mind, is it still a problem? Or is it only bad when somebody can see it? What if that little girl tells a friend about those daydreams? What if she writes the fic in a notebook? What if it's in a word doc? What if it's on a private only-those-with-a-link-can-access webpage? What if it only gets sent to people who signed themselves up to be part of a fic-sharing email chain? What if it's on a tiny blog under a read more? When does a fanfiction actually become a fanfiction, and therefore policeable the way thoughts can't be?

What about when the daydream is subconscious? What if it was a dream somebody had about real people? What if they write it down in a dream journal? What if they tell somebody else about it? What if they submit it to a crowdsourced dream journal online?

Where's the line between a fic and a headcanon? When we made memes about Joe Biden desperately wanting to share government secrets, was that going too far? Is role play based on real people fucked up? Because if it is, then the source of the "then perish" meme should be morally appalling.

Boy, do I have thoughts about people who fight over who a celebrity should "get with." Lots of people will only stan the person that somebody is currently with, speaking to that person's decision to be involved with them... but is a show like The Bachelor where you're supposed to root for somebody with a high probability of being wrong exploitative? The people on that show are all real people, and the proper way to engage with that show is to want two of them to get together, but you don't actually know if they will. So really, you're headcanoning and you're shipping. About real people. While also doing exactly what those tv shows expect you to do. Because it's almost like this wank is a nonissue in regular life.

What about tabloids and reality television? It's well known that tabloids lie and reality television is partially scripted/omits things in favor of creating dramatic and entertaining narratives.

What about when it's a fic about somebody whose public persona is very obviously not like their real self? What about when somebody plays a fictional character, but that fictional character has the same name as their real life self (The Colbert Report, Seinfeld, The Drew Carey Show)? How do you navigate that? Is it okay to write about the fictional characters they play? Or if that crossing a line because in some sense, those fictional characters are still them?

Here's the thing: Being anti- something doesn't do anything. It's not even an ideology, it's just a moral code that nobody else has to adhere to. And especially when it comes to a decentralized, non-industrial, unpoliceable phenomena like fanfiction, there's no way to change what people are putting out or why or how. So really, you have to suck up the fact that even if you hate it and it goes against your personal morals, it's going to happen, and then the real question is "what are you going to do about it?" And that's where an anti- morality falls flat, is because they either can't rise above moaning about it or they go out of their way to attack people for having different moralities. So in my opinion, the far more productive and uplifting ideology is to go "okay, this thing exists and I just have to live with that fact. What can I do to help people?"

And... I think also.......... the argument that real people aren't consenting to be a part of those fanfics falls flat when those real people aren't actually a part of the process of creating that fanfiction. You don't get to consent (or not) to something that doesn't involve you, that doesn't affect you. And the idea that these things affect celebrities is ridiculous. Wank about real person fic, headcanons about OC's, etc are ridiculous. Fanfics are thoughts put on paper and published, and really it's only possible to be against what you can see. If you loudly decree that (any type of) fanfiction is wrong, the least that happens is literally nothing, and the most that happens is you manage to chase it out of the public eye, but it will nonetheless continue on smaller websites or in email chain or in physical zines or in personal notebooks or in peoples' brains. But if anti- types are just satisfied with having it out of sight and out of mind, then they don't actually care about the arguments they're making about peoples' rights... and this effect could have just as easily been achieved by those people curating their own environments to not contain real person fiction, instead of treading on the toes of people writing it.

Being a celebrity means being known and being interpreted and even being misread. In fact, being a social being comes with these risks. People will misunderstand you, misread you, misattribute things to you, misremember you, miscategorize you. I think there are a lot of people who fear what it means to be known, and they channel their anxieties and insecurities into "defending" the "rights" of others not to be misrepresented in others' minds. But that's not how being a secure person works. Becoming, for all intents and purposes, a persona in the minds of others--being turned into a caricature and being framed and reframed through every lens possible--is part of the job description of being a public figure. People are supposed to think they understand something about celebrities. Celebrities are supposed to sell themselves as fantasy/outrage fuel. If a celebrity weren't interesting enough to invoke masses of people thinking about them, they would be out of a job. People are supposed to turn celebrities into dolls to play with in their minds, and there's no shame in engaging with culture as culture is set up to function.

Obviously this write-up overlooks non-celebrity real person fic which has more nuance to it, but ultimately I think the point that “people are going to do it anyways, so what are you going to do about it?” still stands.

#1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #rpf #fanfiction #discourse #shipping discourse #just saying

57 notes · View notes

lexpistachio · 7 years

Note

Hi lex, i had a question. Are there lgbtq books/comics that you enjoyed that you think are more representative and are narratively better than cp? If you do i would love to check more out and get a feel for the differences.

Not gonna lie, I’ve been hemming and hawing about how to answer this ask haha. But thank you for your q!!!

Yes, there are a lot of lgbt books/comics that I have enjoyed better than CP and that I think are narratively better and which treatment of LGBT issues I did find more satisfying.

But I’ve also read (and critiqued) CP by itself, like how I read any other works, and try to come up with things that are objectively enjoyable about it and things I don’t like about it in a vacuum. I wanted to shy away from making any comparisons, lest it be incongruous or void. I didn’t want to be unfair in comparing it to a work of a different medium or genre, or make hierarchies on works that tackle LGBT issues based on their treatment of it. And anyway, I feel like the brunt of my criticisms about CP has something to do with its abandonment of some of its storylines and its uncompelling character arcs and story. That is to say, I think… maybe any other well-structured, well-written story will do?

For instance, I just recently finished Andre Aciman’s Call Me By Your Name, and it’s a coming-of-age love story between two guys with a sizeable age difference, and further, it’s a story where there are no extrinsic deterrents to their relationship and what drives the story are just their feelings, how they act on it and don’t act on it, and y’all it doesn’t even tackle coming out, or homophobia; in those aspects, you can compare it to CP, and it just does a better job of addressing the issue of age difference or in general, just expressing the nature of desire and physicality and confusion that comes with First Love. The younger guy’s insecurity, while it was assuaged, never really went away, but at least it was addressed. Are the two works really comparable? No. But did I enjoy it better? Absolutely. And it’s the same for like, I guess 90% of LGBT works I’ve read vis a vis CP.

And I have read a lot of stuff. In the interest of full disclosure, I did grow up reading shonen-ai and yaoi?? If you know what those are, you won’t be surprised at how fluffy comics with “queer” characters has existed long before CP (or, while at it, how reminiscent zim*its is of a traditional yaoi pairing with the Hunky Seme and blushing virginal Uke; might be also why i hate the pairing for how i’ve seen that dynamics a million times before). Though I make no value judgments about yaoi, I guess what I’m trying to say is that there are a LOT of romance (and even scifi and fantasy) LGBT works that don’t focus on queer issues, and they aren’t less enjoyable for that fact. The key is deciding early on if queer issues such as homophobia is something to be dealt with in the comic’s universe, and not flip flop midway and ending lacklustre and lacking like how CP did it. I guess I wanted to address the point that our criticisms of its lack of discussion about stuff is waived because CP is “supposed to be fluffy”; I maintain that it’s worthy of criticism because it wasn’t consistent on its discussion. Shhh this stays as a secret lol but one of the earliest yaoi novel I remember reading was this pulp trashy novel Only The Ring Finger Knows and it’s about two guys falling for each other and navigating their relationship and living together and they don’t really face scrutiny for being gay. But all their insecurities and all the misunderstandings were addressed properly, and it’s not Man Booker material but I remember feeling satisfied.

In addition, I do believe that the Coming Out story where the protagonist comes out stronger™ for it is as cliche as they come.

One of the most nonchalant mention of sexuality that I can remember is from one of my favorite webcomics ever– The Less Than Epic Adventures of TJ and Amal--when TJ gets asked if he’s gay and he replies, “I ping all I am ninja.” But it’s also a story about a POC who’s gay and trapped in an arranged marriage, but it doesn’t dwell on that and the story keeps moving. At the heart of that comic is just two guys finding themselves and falling in love while on a roadtrip. That’s as tropey as you get, and yet the character development is to die for.

There’s a lot of LGBT stories where the queerness aren’t used solely as a device to drive a larger story. There is A LOT.

Off the top of my head, Sarah Waters has historical novels like Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet that are more plot-driven, doesn’t deal with the queer issues, but have women falling in love and being happy together. Fingersmith is also where the movie The Handmaiden is based from, which if you haven’t watched, should. Some of David Levithan’s stories deal with homophobia, but most are just guys falling in love and being happy and cute. Hanya Yanagihara’s A Little Life–a read I don’t recommend to anyone dear to me– has its protagonist fall in love with his Hollywood celebrity best friend (though I think the takeaway from this novel is that love doesn’t cure trauma, though people suffering from it can be happy) and there is no fuss about their queerness at all, and the book is actually nominated for a Man Booker.

There are also works like Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe (POC, LGBT), or Perry Moore’s Hero, or Tillie Walden’s autobiographical graphic novel Spinning (LGBT, sports) that are about coming-of-age and aren’t afraid to tackle the warping effect of homophobia, the feelings of shame and fear that comes with being queer in a realistic world, and yet did not demure to end on a hopeful note.

I know the webcomic Tripping Over You is but a fluffy slice-of-life that’s just two guys who are in a relationship, talking it out and that’s it?? And it’s satisfying, and I can’t help but highlight how the coming out story of one of its characters, Liam, to his father was nothing but his decision to make, despite all the hiding he did was affecting his relationship with his partner as well. That coming out arc was a blip in the larger story arcs that are… their relationship and about being adults.

And I mean you even have fanfics that include that feature its characters coming out, and I have read a disturbing amount of fics you guys, even hockey rpf featuring different pairings, that discuss the issues that CP seemed to present (but didn’t follow through on) in a better way. I remember this lowkey one about a beat reporter starting a relationship with a professional hockey player, and the difference in their status is addressed, financially and in other terms, and that both of them are fully cognizant about these things as they proceed with the relationship. And the hopeful coming out scenario is a product of playing out the consequences of it and the alternative. I also remember this moment in that fic where the main POV character deals with a panic attack with his partner present, and it’s so much powerful to me than anything CP has shown about mental health.

In terms of mental health, I remember reading Tobias and Guy which is as light and fluffy as you get when a guy (literally named Guy) falls in love with a demon guy, and has this arc when Guy dealt with depression while in that relationship, and it was short and succinct but dared one of its characters to at least ask “but his family are loving and are supportive of him. how can he think like that?” for the sake of expounding the topic. I think it’s an okay portrayal of how partners in a relationship might deal in a situation where on suffers from mental health illness. I feel like the show You’re The Worst has also been exemplary in that regard. SKAM’s season 3 deals with internal homophobia and mental health illness while in a relationship and coming out (with none of the backlash of homophobia like CP) but doesn’t deal with cliches, and remains as a compelling and moving story.

In terms of insight into sports, a notable read for me is Nina Revoyr’s The Necessary Hunger (LGBT, POC, Sports), as it treated the sport the characters are in as integral part of who they are, which, I think is an effective use of the sports as a genre. As a manga-reader though, I’ve been spoiled by sports manga which are the best! sports! comics! (Slam Dunk! Hajime no Ippo! Hikaru no Go!) because they deal with their respective sport with so much insight, aplomb and passion, viewed in the eyes of the hero who’s in a journey to triumph. In manga, even baking bread can be a sport haha. To be honest these sports comics don’t need to have an athlete’s insider info on the world it’s set in. They just have to be believable. CP, I think, lacks both believability and insight, and more importantly, a deep tangible way the sports affects its protagonist. I find that so unsatisfying. I’m looking forward to how well C.S. Pacat’s Fence does.

My favorite college slice-of-life comic isn’t LGBT however, but it’s about a group of occasionally-starved college students in an art school. I read/saw the anime when I was in high school and has since stuck with me. I was equally invested in each of the characters’ storylines, not much like how I lost interest in CP after Rans and Holster and Shitty and Lardo were relegated to the fawning supportive straight friends stereotypes. The main romance doesn’t detract from the characters having their own stories and careers they want to fulfill. Even the POV character, who wasn’t my fave, had an endearing and compelling story.

As a bottomline: I don’t think there is a holy grail of lgbt works insomuch as they subjectively appeals to us. These are just some works that stand out to my memory and there are various takeaways from each for our purpose of comparison, but there are tons of material out there, LGBT and otherwise. SERIOUSLY. And I think there’s nothing wrong with trying it out one work at a time, see if it pings you. Trust your judgment friend!

#this answer is A MESS i'm sorry #omgcheckplease #omgcp #omgcp_critical #lukestarrunner

29 notes · View notes

tfwbigbang · 4 years

Text

Team Free Will Big Bang FAQ and Rules 2020

Rules

Authors, Artists and Betas will be sent a confirmation email within 48 hours of signing up. You must reply to this email to complete sign up.

What do I create?

Authors:

A story of a minimum of 15,000 words (big bang)

Or a story of a minimum of 5000 words (mini bang)

The story must feature Team Free Will (Dean, Sam and Cas) at the center of the story or Team Free Will 2.0 (Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack)

Or be a real person fanfic (RPF) featuring Jared, Jensen and Misha at the center of the story (Alexander Calvert can also be included as a central character if you so desire)

No story may feature anyone under the age of 16 in an explicit sexual situation, this rises to 18 for RPF

Your story must be posted in full on your assigned posting day

See further in the FAQ for more details

Artists:

For a big bang: a cover and two pieces of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)

For a mini bang: a cover and a piece of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)

No art may feature anyone under the age of 18 in an explicit sexual situation

No explicit art may be posted to Tumblr

No art can be made of photo manipulations <<< NEW FOR 2020

Note that this bang runs a no fic left behind policy

See further in the FAQ for more details

All authors and artists must familiarize themselves with the bang schedule.

All authors and artists must make attempts to regularly communicate with each other once paired.

For those taking part, we have created a Discord server. Details about this are available upon bang sign-up.

For more in-depth information on how to be a good bang participant: check out this post on allspnships.

FAQ

What are the differences between mini and big bangs?

Do covers have to be completely separate pieces of art from the rest of the bang’s art?

Covers can be remixes of art already created for the fic. But they need to feature the fic title, the names of the artist and the author(s).

How/where do I submit my draft?

We will provide details about this directly to creators nearer posting time.

How long does my story need to be?

You have two options: for a Big Bang, you need a minimum of 15,000 words. For a Minibang, you need at least 5,000.

What does the focus of my story need to be?

We won’t be counting words, but please try to stay within the spirit of the challenge. This is about celebrating Team Free Will characters, so have fun with them.

Since 2018, we have accepted interpretations of Team Free Will that include Jack Kline (Team Free Will 2.0), but everyone must still have equal importance in your story.

Team Free Love (Sam/Castiel/Dean/Gabriel) is not accepted for this bang.

Reader inserts are not accepted for this bang.

We will allow pairings where the four are with other characters, such as Sam/Eileen or Dean/Gabriel, BUT that pairing cannot be the main focus of the story.

Are AUs, crossovers and fusions allowed?

Yes, all are allowed. However, the more obscure the other fandom, the harder finding an artist who knows both will be, so keep that in mind.

What about RPF?

RPF is welcome, but must focus on Jared, Misha, Jensen and (if you want) Alexander. and their relationships with each other. So any combination of these four is welcome, as is a gen RPF where no one’s together. Everyone of these three (or four) needs equal weight in your plot.

What about underage?

Please ensure that all fanfic doesn’t include under 16s depicted in sexual situations - this raises to 18 for RPF. Basically - off the page is fine, but not on the page. All explicit art can only feature characters aged 18 and upwards.

Is it okay to write a sequel or prequel to an existing fic?

No, it needs to be a completely new story.

Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?

Yes, but you cannot claim your own fic.

Can I create additional art for my fic/have other artists make banners and art?

Not until after your post date.

May I do photo manipulations for art?

Due to issues of quality with manips in previous years, we have decided that photo manipulations are no longer welcome in the Team Free Will Big Bang.

May I do paper art or use alternative physical mediums like textiles or clay?

Yes.

Covers - can they feature explicit art?

Due to masterposts being posted on Tumblr, covers cannot feature explicit imagery.

Can I advertise my fic on my Tumblr, Pillowfort, Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc?

Once claims are completed and you’ve been assigned your artist, you are welcome to advertise your fic on whatever media you’d like as long as you don’t post any snippets of the actual fic.

Where do I post my fic/art when it’s complete?

All fics must be posted to AO3 and made live on your posting date, with the art embedded in the appropriate scenes if the artist allows.

All art must have a masterpost on either Dreamwidth, Pillowfort, AO3, or Tumblr made live on your posting day. Remember that explicit art should not be posted to Tumblr.

Do I need to link back to my artist’s master art post on my AO3 story?

Yes, all stories must have a link that goes to the art masterpost made by your artist. We advise you add this link in your notes using HTML like:

Will there be an AO3 collection for posted fics and art?

You will be able to add your fics and art to the moderated collection via: tfw_bb_2020

Do I need a Dreamwidth/Pillowfort/Tumblr/AO3 account to participate?

Artists should have at least one to post their art to, and authors should have at least AO3 to post their fic to. No account besides an email address is required for claims.

Due to changes in LiveJournal’s terms of service in April 2017, the bang is no longer being actively run on LJ, though may be promoted there.

Can I write more than one story/collaborate on a story?

Each author can write only one story for this challenge. You are welcome to collaborate on a story, but that counts as your one story.

Can I claim more than one fic to make art for?

What do I need to provide for claims?

We will not accept drafts that fail to meet this criteria, as it’s not fair on artists.

What is “no fic left behind”?

If an artist fails to meet art draft check-ins, providing proof of art, when required: they will be removed from the bang and a new artist found for the affected bang story.

The only exception to this is those affected by extenuating circumstances who manage to communicate with their author or the mods - in this instance an extension will be given.

What if something happens in RL and I need to post on a different day or get an extension, or something?

How will claims work?

Do writers need beta readers?

Yes, all fic needs to be beta read for at least spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you don’t have a beta reader, you can try asking someone from our beta list to beta for you.

Ask on /r/fandomnatural or you can check out our list of beta readers for the bang. Details of this list will be emailed to authors once available.

May I post a WIP?

Works in progress (WIP) are not permitted to be posted for this bang. Fics must be posted complete (i.e. no serial posting), with art embedded.

You didn’t answer my question

The please contact hit_the_books and majesticduxk at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.

#mod post #rules and faq #tfwbigbang2020

2 notes · View notes

tfwbigbang · 5 years

Text

Team Free Will Big Bang FAQ and Rules 2019

Rules

You must be aged 18 or over upon registration in order to take part in this bang. If you lie about your age, you will be banned from all future TFW Big Bangs.

What do I create?

Authors:

A story of a minimum of 15,000 words (big bang)

Or a story of a minimum of 5000 words (mini bang)

The story must feature Team Free Will (Dean, Sam and Cas) at the center of the story or Team Free Will 2.0 (Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack)

Or be a real person fanfic (RPF) featuring Jared, Jensen and Misha at the center of the story (Alexander Calvert can also be included as a central character if you so desire)

No story may feature anyone under the age of 16 in an explicit sexual situation, this rises to 18 for RPF

Your story must be posted in full on your assigned posting day

See further in the FAQ for more details

Artists:

For a big bang: a cover and two pieces of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)

For a mini bang: a cover and a piece of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)

No art may feature anyone under the age of 18 in an explicit sexual situation

No explicit art may be posted to Tumblr

Note that this bang runs a no fic left behind policy

See further in the FAQ for more details

All authors and artists must familiarize themselves with the bang schedule.

All authors and artists must make attempts to regularly communicate with each other once paired.

For those taking part, we have created a Discord server. Details about this are available upon bang sign-up. (Thanks to the DC Server mods, museaway and Jojo, for leading the way in using Discord for SPN fandom events.)

For more in-depth information on how to be a good bang participant: check out this post on allspnships.

FAQ

What are the differences between mini and big bangs?

Basically how long your story is. The Big Bang has a minimum of 15,000 words, and will receive a minimum of two art pieces from the artist plus a fic cover, while the Minibang has a minimum of 5,000, and will receive a cover and at least one piece of art.

Do covers have to be completely separate pieces of art from the rest of the bang’s art?

Covers can be remixes of art already created for the fic. But they need to feature the fic title, the names of the artist and the author(s).

How/where do I submit my draft?

We will provide details about this directly to creators nearer posting time.

How long does my story need to be?

You have two options: for a Big Bang, you need a minimum of 15,000 words. For a Minibang, you need at least 5,000.

What does the focus of my story need to be?

We won’t be counting words, but please try to stay within the spirit of the challenge. This is about celebrating all three characters, so have fun with them.

Since 2018, we have accepted interpretations of Team Free Will that include Jack Kline (Team Free Will 2.0), but everyone must still have equal importance in your story.

Team Free Love (Sam/Castiel/Dean/Gabriel) is not accepted for this bang.

Are AUs, crossovers and fusions allowed?

Yes, all are allowed. However, the more obscure the other fandom, the harder finding an artist who knows both will be, so keep that in mind.

What about RPF?

What about underage?

Is it okay to write a sequel or prequel to an existing fic?

No, it needs to be a completely new story.

Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?

Yes, but you cannot claim your own fic.

Can I create additional art for my fic/have other artists make banners and art?

Not until after your post date.

May I do photo manipulations for art?

You may, but any photo manipulations must create a fully realized new image that is well blended. It is not okay to create mood boards or just do a copy and paste of existing still character images onto a new background.

Covers - can they feature explicit art?

Due to masterposts being posted on Tumblr, covers cannot feature explicit imagery.

Can I advertise my fic on my Tumblr, Pillowfort, Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc?

Once claims are completed and you’ve been assigned your artist, you are welcome to advertise your fic on whatever media you’d like as long as you don’t post any snippets of the actual fic.

Where do I post my fic/art when it’s complete?

All fics must be posted to AO3 and made live on your posting date, with the art embedded in the appropriate scenes if the artist allows.

All art must have a masterpost on either Dreamwidth, Pillowfort, AO3, or Tumblr made live on your posting day. Remember that explicit art should not be posted to Tumblr.

Will there be an AO3 collection for posted fics and art?

You will be able to add your fics and art to the moderated collection via: tfw_bb_2019

Do I need a Dreamwidth/Pillowfort/Tumblr/AO3 account to participate?

Artists should have at least one to post their art to, and authors should have at least AO3 to post their fic to. No account besides an email address is required for claims.

Due to changes in LiveJournal’s terms of service in April 2017, the bang is no longer running on LJ.

Can I write more than one story/collaborate on a story?

Each author can write only one story for this challenge. You are welcome to collaborate on a story, but that counts as your one story.

Can I claim more than one fic to make art for?

What do I need to provide for claims?

We will not accept drafts that fail to meet this criteria, as it’s not fair on artists.

What is “no fic left behind”?

If an artist fails to meet art draft check-ins, providing proof of art, when required: they will be removed from the bang and a new artist found for the affected bang story.

The only exception to this is those affected by extenuating circumstances who manage to communicate with their author or the mods - in this instance an extension will be given.

What if something happens in RL and I need to post on a different day or get an extension, or something?

How will claims work?

Do writers need beta readers?

Yes, all fic needs to be beta read for at least spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you don’t have a beta reader, you can try asking for help over on

/r/fandomnatural or you can check out our list of beta readers for the bang. Details of this list will be emailed to authors once available.

May I post a WIP?

Works in progress (WIP) are not permitted to be posted for this bang. Fics must be posted complete (i.e. no serial posting), with art embedded.

You didn’t answer my question

The please contact hit_the_books and majesticduxk at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.

#mod post #rules and faq

1 note · View note