#stbb: admin

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LAST DAY of Author Sign-ups!

Author sign up (Feb 15 - March 15)

Artist sign up (Feb 15 - May 11)

Beta reader sign up (ongoing)

We're back for our 4th annual big bang! Our minimum word count is 10k, and we're open to all Stranger Things characters and ships! Find more information here:

Guidelines | FAQ | Warnings Policy

Schedule

February 15th, 2024 — March 15th, 2024 — Author Sign Ups

February 15th, 2024 — May 11th, 2024 — Artist Sign Ups

March 1st, 2024 — Writing begins

April 1st, 2024 — First Author Check-in

May 1st, 2024 — Second Author Check-in (5000 words minimum due)

May 7-8th, 2024 — Art claims, round 1

May 10-11th, 2024 — Art claims, round 2 (if needed)

June 1st, 2024 — Author Check-in #3, Artist Check-in #1

June 15th, 2024 — Author Check-in #4, Artist Check-in #2

July 1st, 2024 — Author Check-in #5, Artist Check-in #3

July 5th, 2024 — Posting begins

Reblog to signal boost!

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Art Claims Round 1 is over

If your story was claimed, it should appear on this page. If your story is marked as claimed and you did not receive a confirmation email, please email us at stbigbang.mod@gmail.com and let us know.

Art Claims Round 2 NOW OPEN!

We have 25 unclaimed fics after round 1, so we'll move into round 2 of claims. Unclaimed stories can be found on this page. Please note that stories 43, 44, and 45 are new for round 2. These stories reached the 5000 word minimum after the cut off for round 1, but reached 5k in time for round 2!

Making a second claim is completely optional. Any artists who are willing and able to claim a second story, they can do so by filling out this form before 11:59 PM PDT on May 13.

New artists are welcome to make claims as well! You can sign up using the same claims form linked above. We're trying to match as many stories with artists as we can, so if any of the story summaries call to you, please consider signing up!

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FYI: These Qs and As were added to the FAQ today (2/24)

Can I submit works I generated using AI?

No. This big bang is a celebration of human creativity and our shared love of the Stranger Things universe. Please do not submit AI generated works to our big bang. We run on the honor system and will not be using AI-detection software (which is notoriously inaccurate), but if you brag publicly about getting away with submitting AI-generated work, the mods may use their discretion to exclude you from future big bangs.

Can an author and artist sign up as a team?

We don’t have a mechanism for signing up as a team, since we think part of the fun of a big bang is working with someone you might not have interacted with before. However, we do let authors opt out of the art claims lottery. If you’d like to work with a specific artist, choose that option (it’s in Author Check-in #2) and let us know after Art Claims are done who your artist is and how we can contact them.

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Who are the mods for this bang?

Hey! The lead mod is me, @pterawaters!

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2022 (vol 2) Sign-ups

Author sign-up (August 1st - 31st, 2022)

Artist sign-up (August 1st - October 22, 2022)

Beta reader sign-up (August 17th, 2022 - January 15th, 2023)

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Check-in #2 is now open. This check-in precedes art claims, so we are asking for the following information: Story Title (stories with titles are more likely to be chosen by artists, so we suggest against using "untitled" at this time) Story Summary (Summaries should be short 100-200 words, and a SINGLE PARAGRAPH - seriously, if you put carriage returns into the summary, it's much more difficult to format.) Pairings Rating (G, PG, etc) Genre Warnings (Please consult our policy on warnings and include any that may apply to the finished story) Word Count (Only stories with at least 5000 words will be included in art claims. You may check in before reaching 5000 words, then let us know when you do hit that minimum word count) Completeness of Story (on a scale of 1-10) Art preferences Art rating preferences

The check-in will close on April 5th (11:59 PM PDT), but early check-ins are very much appreciated. If you haven't written at least 5000 words by April 5th, please check in anyway. If you can reach 5k before April 9th, we can still include you in the art claims.

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Author Check-in #1 is now open

It’s time for the first check in. Please fill out this form (link) by March 5th. The info you give us during this check-in is all preliminary, but the check-in itself is mandatory, so don’t forget!  

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Navigation - ST Big Bang

Guidelines | FAQ | Warnings Policy

Sign-ups

Schedule

January 1st, 2022 — January 31st, 2022 — Author Sign Ups 

January 1st, 2022 — April 5th, 2022 (or when all stories are claimed) — Artist Sign Ups 

February 1st, 2022 — Writing Officially Starts 

March 1st — 5th, 2022 —  First Check-In (Summaries Due) 

April 1st — 5th, 2022 — Second Check-In (5000+ words required) 

April 9th, 2022 — Artist Claim Post (for stories at 5000+ words only) 

May 1st — 5th, 2022 — Third Check-In for Authors, Artist Check-In 

June 1st — 5th, 2022 — Final Check-In; Stories complete, beta read, and edited; Art complete 

June 9th, 2022 — Posting Starts

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2022 Stranger Things Big Bang Sign-ups

Author sign-up (January 1st - 31st, 2022)

Artist sign-up (January 1st - April 5th, 2022)

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the missing piece of me (is you) by wolfish_willow Art by pterawaters 23k, PG-13, Jonathan/Steve/Nancy, No warnings

Best Laid Plans by pterawaters Art by kingstoken 11k, PG-13, Steve Harrington & Dustin Henderson, Warnings here

Free to Run by Whookami Art by falsewings 23k, PG-13, Steve Harrington & Max Mayfield, Warnings here

luck like a button (can’t stop pushing it) by diogxnes  Art by pixelated-paradox 25k, PG-13, Robin Buckley & Steve Harrington, Robin/Nancy, Steve/Jonathan

fugit inreparabile tempus by lucdarling Art by pterawaters 17k, PG, Max & The Party, Max & Billy, Max/Lucas

Make sure to read, kudos, and comment on all the hard work our authors and artists have done! 

Join our mailing list to be notified when next year’s big bang is scheduled! 

All characters and ships are welcome!

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Art Claim Previews are now up! Artists, take a look and make note of your top 2-5 choices!

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Guidelines

About The Stranger Things Big Bang

The Stranger Things Big Bang is an annual writing challenge for the Stranger Things fandom. Authors will complete stories of 10,000 words or more over the course of five months, and these stories are claimed by artists who create works to go along with the story. Final stories will be posted over the course of one to two weeks (depending on the number of works). At the end of the bang, all story links will be compiled into a masterpost. At that point, authors and artists will be free to share their works elsewhere.

Guidelines

All participants must be at least 18 years old.

Stories must be finished, beta read, edited, and incorporate their art by July 5th, 2024 in order to be included in the ST Big Bang posting schedule. If you believe you cannot meet the deadline, please contact the mods as early as possible. Failure to post your entire, completed story by your assigned posting date could lead to your exclusion from the next year’s big bang.

All ST Big Bang authors must have a an AO3 account for ease of posting and a frequently-checked email account. If you do not currently have an AO3 account, the Mods can provide you with a code. Artists are not required to have an AO3 account.

The submitted version of your story should be complete (all chapters posted at once), beta read, polished, and include the artwork from your artist. Graphics and traditional/digital artwork should be embedded in the story; fanmixes, podfics, and fanvids can be linked in the tumblr header and/or in the notes (on AO3).

This bang is open to canon, alternate universe, alternate timeline, and crossover stories, as long as these stories also contain a major element recognizable from Stranger Things. Sequels to previous stories are welcome as long as the sequel can be read as a standalone story and otherwise adheres to the ST Big Bang guidelines.

Stories may contain any romantic pairings/relationships, but stories that do not focus on romantic relationships (gen) are also welcome.

RPF (fic involving the actors portraying the characters) is not allowed in this bang.

All stories must be beta read. If you do not have a beta, you can request help from one on the STBB discord server.

Authors and artists are responsible for all contact between them during the course of the ST Big Bang. Artists are responsible for providing embedding links for their completed art to their author. Authors are responsible for providing story drafts to their artist and integrating any final artworks into their story before posting. If you have difficulty reaching your artist or author, please contact a mod.

Submitting your summary to the artist claim is a commitment to finish your story. We understand that circumstances arise that can interfere with your ability to finish your story; if this happens, please contact us right away. Dropping from the ST Big Bang after artist claims may result in ineligibility to participate in future ST Big Bangs.

While changes can sometimes happen to a story during the editing process, remember that your artist is creating artwork based on the version of the draft they received. Out of courtesy to your artist, please try to communicate any major changes to the title or storyline as quickly as possible.

Stories and art should not be posted elsewhere until the bang is over. You can link to the strangerthingsbigbang tumblr post regarding your story before that time, but please do not crosspost your story to other communities or sites before the end of the bang.

For more information about the format, requirements, and schedule of this bang, please refer to the FAQ or contact a mod with any additional questions.

Participant Conduct

All participants are required to treat other participants with kindness and respect. This means no harassment, name calling, bullying, or piling on; and no ship or character bashing. Stories about all Stranger Things ships and characters are welcome in this big bang. Violation of any of these rules will result in a warning or exclusion from the big bang, at the discretion of the moderator team.

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Navigation

Pinch hitter artists – send us an ask to sign up!

Guidelines | FAQ | Warnings Policy

We need beta readers! Visit our discord server to offer your services.

Posting Instructions

Schedule

December 1st, 2020 — December 31st, 2020 — Author Sign Ups

December 1st, 2020 — March 5th, 2021 (or when all stories are claimed) — Artist Sign Ups

January 1st, 2021 — Writing Officially Starts

February 1st — 5th, 2021 —  First Check-In (Summaries Due)

March 1st — 5th, 2021 — Second Check-In (5000+ words required)

March 6th, 2021 — Artist Claim Post (for stories at 5000+ words only)

April 1st — 5th, 2021 — Third Check-In for Authors, Artist Check-In

May 1st — 5th, 2021 — Final Check-In; Stories complete, beta read, and edited; Art complete

May 7th, 2021 — Posting Starts

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Check-in #2 is now open!

This check-in precedes art claims, so we are asking for the following information: Story Title (stories with titles are more likely to be chosen by artists, so we suggest against using "untitled" at this time) Story Summary (Summaries should be short 100-200 words, and a SINGLE PARAGRAPH - seriously, if you put carriage returns into the summary, it's much more difficult to format.) Pairings Rating (G, PG, etc) Genre Warnings (Please consult our policy on warnings and include any that may apply to the finished story) Word Count (Only stories with at least 5000 words will be included in art claims. You may check in before reaching 5000 words, then let us know when you do hit that minimum word count) Completeness of Story (on a scale of 1-10) Art preferences Art rating preferences

Just like Check-in #1, this check-in is being done by google form (link). Check-ins will close on March 5th (11:59 PM PDT), but early check-ins are very much appreciated. The preview post for art claims will go up on the morning of March 6th, and art claims will begin at noon (PDT) on March 6th. 

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FAQ

FAQ

General

What is the Stranger Things Big Bang?

A big bang is a writing and art challenge pairing authors and artists to complete a long work of fiction. The ST Big Bang is centered around stories which take place in the Strange Things universe with a minimum word count requirement of 10,000. 

How do I sign up?

To participate as a writer, sign up at the Author Sign Up Page. Sign ups begin February 15th, 2024 and run through March 15th, 2024.

To participate as an artist, sign up at the Artist Sign Up Page. Artist sign ups begin February 15th, 2024 and run through May 11th, 2024.

Is there an age limit?

Yes. Given the types of content allowed, this big bang is only open to writers and artists who are at least 18 years old.

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

You may sign up in both categories, but please be aware of your ability to balance your workload. Signing up as an artist is a commitment to the writer you claim that you will produce artwork for their story. Signing up as a writer is a commitment to the artist that claims you that you will produce a finished story to accompany that artwork.

Where is the schedule?

The schedule for this festival can be found here. If there are any questions or issues surrounding the schedule, please direct them to the mod contact post.

More FAQs below

When and how do artists claim stories?

Art Claim summaries will be posted on May 7th, 2024. At that time, artists will be emailed a google form to fill out with their ranked choices (up to 10 stories). Artists will be paired with Authors using a lottery system as follows:

For each story that has a single first choice claim, we will match that artist with that story, no lottery needed

For each story that has multiple first choice claims, we will randomize the order we process the stories, then randomly pick which of the artists who made a first-choice claim will get matched with that story. For the artists who didn’t win that random pick, their second choice claims become their first choice (and so on) and we’ll process the next story on the list.

If any artist isn’t matched at the end of this process, we’ll ask them if they’d like to make a new set of ranked claims among the remaining unclaimed stories.

If any story isn’t matched at the end of this process, we’ll run another round of claims for artists able and willing to do a second piece of art.

Where will the stories and artwork be posted?

All stories and their accompanying art should be posted in their entirety to Archive of Our Own, with a header linking to your story submitted to this tumblr. During the final check-in, when you have finished your works, you will claim a date and time to post your works to AO3 and the linked header to tumblr. You will be responsible for posting your own story/header at least 2, but no more than 24, hours before your assigned time. Please do not cross-promote your works until the bang is completed.

Can I submit works I generated using AI?

No. This big bang is a celebration of human creativity and our shared love of the Stranger Things universe. Please do not submit AI generated works to our big bang. We run on the honor system and will not be using AI-detection software (which is notoriously inaccurate), but if you brag publicly about getting away with submitting AI-generated work, the mods may use their discretion to exclude you from future big bangs.

Authors

What is the minimum word count? Is there a maximum word count?

The minimum word count required for this festival is 10,000 words. There is no maximum word count.

Can I use a story I’m already writing?

The goal of a big bang is to create a new work of long fiction within a specific time frame. As such, stories you have begun prior to the start of the bang cannot be used. Planning, preparing, and outlining prior to the bang is allowed; beginning your story before the bang starts defeats the purpose of the challenge.

Can I write more than one story?

Signing up for more than one story is allowed, but discouraged due to the high word count requirement. You are the best judge of your writing pace, so please only sign up for what you feel is realistically achievable. Remember that submitting a summary to the Artist Claim Post is a commitment to your artist to complete your story or stories.

Where can I sign up as an author?

Please sign up using the Author Sign Up Page, beginning on February 15th, 2024. Sign ups end on March 15th, 2024.

Is cowriting permissible?

You may sign up with one coauthor for any given story. You may also sign up for one additional story with a different cowriter, if you desire.

Which pairings are permissible?

For this big bang, any pairings are permissible, including polyam ships (OT3+), as well as general (Gen) fics focusing on any platonic relationships, or on characters outside of relationships. Crossovers with other fandoms are allowed for this bang. Real person fic (RPF) is not allowed.

Are adult/minor ships allowed?

Yes, adult/minor ships are allowed in this big bang. If explicit content includes underage characters, you must warn for this content. Also, keep in mind that focusing on ships with large age gaps may reduce the number of artists willing to do art for your story.

Will my story definitely have art?

Due to the higher ratio of authors to artists in most big bangs, we cannot guarantee that all stories will have accompanying art. This is why we require that stories be halfway completed for submission to the Artist Claim Post. Completing half the minimum word count by May 5th, 2024 and writing an interesting summary will increase your chances of being claimed by an artist. 

Can an author and artist sign up as a team?

We don't have a mechanism for signing up as a team, since we think part of the fun of a big bang is working with someone you might not have interacted with before. However, we do let authors opt out of the art claims lottery. If you'd like to work with a specific artist, choose that option (it's in Author Check-in #2) and let us know after Art Claims are done who your artist is and how we can contact them.

When are the check-ins, and how many words are required for each one?

The full ST Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates, can be found here. Check-ins are an opportunity to touch base with your artist, the other authors, and the mods, but no specific word count is required. In order to submit your story for an artist claim, however, you must have a word count of at least 5,000 words by the end of second check in on May 5th, 2024.

What if I don’t finish my story?

You may drop from the ST Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty. Dropping after art claims is unfair to your artist. If you drop after receiving your artist claim without prior contact with the mods, you may not be allowed to participate in next year’s ST Big Bang.

Is a beta required for my story?

Your story must be beta-read at least once before submission. If you do not already have a beta reader, you can visit our beta page to request one.

Can I submit my story early?

You may not submit your completed story until at least 2, but no more than 24, hours before your assigned posting date and time. However, if you finish before July 1, 2024, you will be poised to claim your posting time slot as soon as the final check-in opens. Please do not post your story to AO3 more than 24 hours before your assigned posting date/time.

Do I have a Tumblr/AO3 account to participate as an author?

All authors must have a frequently-checked email account and an AO3 account (or access to one) in order to post your finished works. Tumblr accounts are nice to have, but not necessary. Tumblr and AO3 accounts are free to set up and easy to use. We apologize if this is inconvenient, but previous bangs have had difficulty with posting format and consistency and this seems like the best solution to allow authors to maintain control over their own work and keep the bang running smoothly. Please provide us with an email account you check at least daily. Only the mods and your artist/author collaborator will have access to the email address you provide.

May I post my story as a series of installments over time?

No. Your entire story must be posted on AO3 before you submit to our tumblr. You may start posting to AO3 up to 24 hours before your time slot, in order to get all chapters posted and any formatting issues resolved. Please choose your posting slot accordingly. If you need more than 24 hours to format your story, please use AO3’s draft and preview system.

Artists

What are the art requirements for the ST Big Bang?

The ST Big Bang allows a wide array of art, with requirements based on the media. Artists providing a graphics package should include at least one piece of cover art, and a banner/header (which can be a modified version of the cover art). Artists submitting a fanmix should include a linkable (hosted on spotify, youtube, or the like) mix of at least five songs with front and back cover art. Artists submitting traditional or digital artwork should include 2+ pieces of artwork, though one piece can be a banner/header or a piece of cover art cropped from the first piece of art. Artists submitting a fanvid should include at least one video of at least one minute in length. Artists submitting a Photoset or Gifset must have at least six (6) frames. Artists submitting a podfic should include a recording which covers the entire text of the story.

The summaries posted to the Artist Claim Post will include a note on any types of artwork an author prefers to receive/not to receive. Some authors may be uncomfortable with certain content (eg. nudity) or formats. Please do your best to make an artist claim that will best suit both you and your writer.

Artists are required to host their artwork on a site of their choosing, and then provide embedding links to their authors. Simply emailing your finished art files to the author is not acceptable. See below for more information.

How do I claim a story?

The Artist Claim Summaries post will go up on May 7th, 2024. Only stories with drafts of at least 5,000 words will be posted in the claim post. The Artist Claim listings will be anonymous (no author(s) names) and will include any pairings or warnings which appear in the story.

At that time, artists will be emailed a google form to fill out with their ranked choices (up to 10 stories). You will have 48 hours to fill in the form. We are no longer doing first come, first served art claims.

Artists will be paired with Authors using a lottery system as follows:

For each story that has a single first choice claim, we will match that artist with that story, no lottery needed

For each story that has multiple first choice claims, we will randomize the order we process the stories, then randomly pick which of the artists who made a first-choice claim will get matched with that story. For the artists who didn’t win that random pick, their second choice claims become their first choice (and so on) and we’ll process the next story on the list.

If any artist isn’t matched at the end of this process, we’ll ask them if they’d like to make a new set of ranked claims among the remaining unclaimed stories.

If any story isn’t matched at the end of this process, we’ll run another round of claims for artists able and willing to do a second piece of art.

Can I claim more than one story?

Please claim only one story in the first Artist Claim Post. If we still have unclaimed stories, we will post a second round claim post later that same week.

What do I do when I’m finished?

When you have completed your art, please contact your author to determine the best method for sharing your artwork. Any graphics or traditional/digital art should be embedded within the story, which requires the artwork be uploaded somewhere other than AO3. There is no requirement for exactly where the artwork be uploaded (squidge.org is a popular service), though it must be uploaded by the artist. Artists may also make an art masterpost on AO3; please do not post your art to AO3 until 24 hours prior to your author’s posting date/time. Artists creating a fanmix for their stories should post the link to the youtube/spotify/etc. fanmix, along with the accompanying cover art, to tumblr or AO3; your writer will include a link to the fanmix in the header of their work.  Artists creating a fanvid should post their video to YouTube (or another public service like vimeo), preferably with a link to the author’s story in the notes.

Do I have to have a tumblr/AO3 account to participate as an artist?

No, a tumblr or AO3 account is not required to participate as an artist. Your works can be hosted in any location mutually desirable to you and your author, and embedded/linked within the written work in the most appropriate fashion. We do need a way of contacting you, so you must provide a frequently-checked email address. We cannot allow sign-ups with only tumblr urls.

Will my contact information be kept private?

Email addresses will be kept private to the mods and your author partner(s), only. Please give us an email address you check daily.

Betas

How can I offer my services to authors for this festival?

Beta sign-up link TBA.

Any other questions?

Please direct all questions to the mod contact page, and we will respond as quickly as possible.

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Check-in #1 is OPEN

It’s time for our first Author check in! Check your email for instructions. This check-in runs from today, September 15th, through September 20th (11:59 PM PDT). Please don’t forget!