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dcubang · 5 years ago

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2020 DCU Bang Guidelines and FAQs

Welcome to the DCU Bang!!

The DCU Bang is an opportunity for authors and fanworkers to create stories and fanworks, for any DCU characters or pairings!

General Information

What is the DCU Bang?

The DCU Big Bang/Mini-Bang is a writing challenge that prompts authors and fanworkers to work together to create a story and fanwork that go together. In this case, our fandom is the DC Universe, and our goal is 10,000/5,000 words!

We have two word goal options: 10,000 for the Big Bang and 5,000 words for the Mini Bang! Both Big Bang and Mini Bang stories are qualified to receive a fanwork through the claiming process.

Stories and fanworks must be posted, in their entirety, during the due date period. (Check the Schedule for when this is!) There will be no exceptions made to post on a schedule before the reveal date. If, for example, your story is 100k with 19 chapters, all 19 chapters and 100k words must be posted during the due date period and ready to be revealed by your chosen revealing date.

So, what's allowed for DCU Bang?

The easy answer to that is: pretty much anything DC Comics! We're open to slash, het, and gen, no matter your pairing preference. If you want to write Clark/Lex or Jason/Tim, that's awesome, and if you've got a great idea for an epic Batman/Catwoman or M'gann/Conner, that's perfectly acceptable as well. You can base your story off of any DCU medium or canon - so whether you’re a diehard Young Justice cartoon fan, into Smallville, or someone who loves the comics, you can participate! If you have a question about your pairing or specific idea, send an email to [email protected], and we'll discuss it with you on a case-by-case basis.

What about crossovers, fusions, and AUs?

The only requirement for DCU Bang is that the primary focus of your story be on at least one character from the DC Universe. If you want to write Batman in Ancient Rome or Superman as a new member of the Hawaii Five-0 task force, you are more than welcome to. However, if you want to write a crossover that focuses on Harry Potter being a new member of the Justice League, this is not the place for it. The focus must be on a DC character. Crossovers with other comics fandoms are allowed, but the focus has to be on the DC character.

Can I write original characters?

If they are a minor character, yes! Even more important characters, such as Batman protecting an original female character, are acceptable, so long as it is from Batman’s POV and the story isn’t explicitly about this original female character. A work that features, for example, an original character journalist doing an in-depth piece on Superman is also allowed, as the work would focus on Superman, not the journalist.

A work wherein your original character joins the Justice League, or exists within Gotham, or is the child of a DCU character would not be acceptable for this Bang. We want to keep the focus on DCU characters as much as possible!

If you’re not sure if your idea for including original characters is within these rules, please contact us at [email protected], so we can discuss it on a case-by-case basis!

Mod Contact Info:

If you have any questions or concerns, here is the Page-A-Mod Post. You can also contact the mods at [email protected] or by messaging LuciferxDamien on the DCU Bang Discord Server .

--Be kind to each other! We all like different things and rudeness for liking/disliking a pairing, characters, any canon, genre, or kink, etc. will not be tolerated! We want everyone to feel welcome here!!!

--Please provide an email address that you frequently check. The mods need a good email address in the case that contact is needed, such as during story/fanworker claims, or for clarification purposes. All important announcements are sent out via email, as well. In the event that you change your email during the duration of the DCU Bang, it is your responsibility to update your email address with the mods! Your email address will ONLY ever be used for official DCU Bang business.

--Please keep in contact with the mods and your author/fanworker partner, if you're working with one! Dropping contact causes a lot of frustration for everyone. If something comes up and you need to drop out at any stage, that's okay! Just let the mods know! Needing to dropout before the final default date is not a bannable offense, and even if the default date has passed, please let the mods know, so we can work something out. You can contact the mods at any time via email at [email protected].

--Authors and fanworkers MUST respond to all mod inquiries and all mandatory check-ins. Participants that disappear without contacting the mods are subject to being banned for one round from the Bang. Missing two mandatory check-ins in a row will cause a participant to be considered dropped from the Bang, which could result in a ban, if no contact with a mod is made.

--Dropping out after the grace period, which is a 2 week timeframe (July 18th-August 1st) after story claiming has concluded, can result in being banned from the next round of DCU Bang, especially without discussing things with the mods prior to this. Please do not just disappear on us! We really are willing to work with you, but we can’t help if we don’t know there is a problem!

--The 2020 due date for all works is October 25th through October 31st, when the DCU Bang 2020 Ao3 collection will open. Works posted during this timeframe will be hidden and revealed on the date that is selected on October 1st. If you do not post by the 31st of October, the mods will send out a reminder. If you cannot post by the 31st, but still wish to finish the Bang, the amnesty posting period is from November 22nd to November 30th. Any participant that has not posted by November 30th will be considered as dropped out or incomplete.

Traditional, Tandem, and Solo Path Information

These are the paths used at the time of sign-ups. They are not binding until after story claiming takes place, in July. IE, if you sign-up as a Traditional Author and find a fanworker to pair up with as a Tandem Team, just let the mods know and we will switch that for you! Or, if you sign-up as Solo Author and want to switch to Traditional, no problem, just let us know! Any path can be switched at any point before story claiming, so please reach out to us via [email protected] if you want to switch paths!

Traditional Path:

The traditional sign-up is the one that most Bang-type challenges follow. You sign up as an author, write your story and submit your rough draft/summary according to the schedule. Your story will go up for blind fanworker claims. After that, the mods will match up the authors and fanworkers via email. (It’s very important to sign up with an email that you check frequently!!!) Authors will send their story to their fanworkers(s) and discuss and collaborate on what they would like to do!

--Traditional track authors and fanworkers that drop out after the last default date has passed could be subject to a ban from the Bang for the next round. Three bans in a row could result in a permanent ban from DCU Bang. The last date to drop out for the DCU Bang 2020 round is August 1st. Any drop outs after this point will be subject to banning.*** We don't want to leave authors or fanworkers hanging after working so hard!

***An author or fanworker can unban themselves by completing their story or fanwork before signing up for the next round! Please contact me after completing the fanwork or fic, so that I can update the records and unban you.

--Rough drafts are due July 1st-8th***. Your work must be about 60% finished before turning in a rough draft. The minimum word counts that will be accepted are 6,000 words for the 10k Big Bang and 3,000 words for the 5k Mini Bang.

***Only authors wishing to submit their story for claiming need to submit a rough draft. Solo and tandem authors do not submit rough drafts.

Tandem Path:

A tandem sign-up is when an author and fanworker choose to sign-up together. This way, the fanworker will be able to work with the author throughout the entire process and have more time to complete their fanwork(s). If an author or fanworker want to work with each other, after one or both have already signed up, no problem! Just send me a message and I will get that updated!

This is a great option for fanworkers and authors that want to have more time working together. The Discord server will have channels set up so that fanworkers and authors wanting to work longer together can find a partner!

--Tandem author/fanworker teams can drop out together*** at any time, so long as they contact the mods to let them know. Disappearing without contacting the mods is subject to a one round ban!

***If an author or fanworker wishes to continue in the Bang after the grace period has passed, their fanworker or author partner could be subject to a ban, unless the remaining participant wishes to switch over to the solo track.

Solo Path:

A solo author/fanworker is someone who wants the structure of a Bang challenge without having to work with someone else to create an accompanying fanwork. By working alone, you don't have to worry about whether you complete your project or not because you won't have a partner depending on you. You can also decide to do your own fanwork or find your own partner to work with. Basically, I won't be matching you with a fanworker or an author, but you can still have a fic with fanwork if you arrange it yourself.

It will also be possible for solo-author/solo-fanworkers to change their mind, should they feel capable of completing their works in time for posting! Please do not choose to switch from solo if you are not confident you can complete your story/fanwork. If, after switching from solo and you are not able to complete your story/fanwork and you have been paired with an fanworker/author, you will be banned from participating next year. We don’t want to leave anyone hanging!

--Solo authors/fanworkers can drop out at any time, so long as they contact the mod to let them know. Disappearing without contacting the mod is subject to a one round ban!

Undecided:

If, at the time of sign-ups, you're unsure of which path to select, no worries! No paths are binding until after the story claiming process takes place. Mods will be reaching out to participants before story claims to confirm with participants that chose undecided at the time of sign-ups which path they would like to continue with.

Author Info/Story Requirements and Guidelines

--Authors can work with a co-author or a group, just make sure to sign-up all authors on the sign-up sheet and have everyone join the comm if they wish. The limit of two stories per author still stands even if all the stories are co-written.

--Authors can sign up to do two stories. Both times for the Big Bang, or both times for the Mini Bang, or one Mini Bang and one Big Bang! To sign up twice, fill out the sign up form(s) twice!

What requirements are there for stories?

--All stories must focus on or revolve around a DCU character or pairing of your choosing!

--All stories must be complete by the due date period. Please check the schedule for when this will be.

--The minimum word count for the Traditional Bang is 10k. There is no maximum word limit, but please be aware of time constraints and obligations, if you’ve chosen to be paired up with a fanworker. IE don’t try to write a 100k story and choose to be paired with a fanworker if you’re not certain can finish it on time!

--The minimum word count for the Mini-Bang is 5k. There is no maximum word limit, but please be aware of time constraints and obligations, if you’ve chosen to be paired up with a fanworker. IE don’t try to write a 100k story and choose to be paired with a fanworker if you’re not certain can finish it on time!

***Only authors wishing to submit their story for claiming need to submit a rough draft. Solo and tandem authors do not submit rough drafts.

--All stories must be posted to Ao3! Once the collection reveals, stories can be posted anywhere else the author chooses.

--Stories must not be posted before the due date! Posting guidelines will go live in October, before the due date period.

--Starting for 2019, beta readers are no longer mandatory! However, you must edit your work for at least spelling and grammar and submitted stories found to have excessive spelling and grammar issues will be asked to edit, or be removed from the collection. Consequences for this will be handled on a case-by-case basis and can include being banned from participation in the next round. Beta readers are still strongly recommended to use.

We suggest finding a beta sooner rather than later, and here is the 2018's DCU Bang Beta Reader Resources Post. If you want to have more than one person beta read your story, that's fine, too!

Works in Progress:

--All submissions for the DCU Bang must be new works***. Any unposted fic that conforms to the rest of the rules qualifies for this Bang, even if it's an old, unposted idea that's been collecting dust for 10 years!

***The only exception for submitting previously posted works that you wish to continue is if BOTH of the following criteria are met:

A) less than 2,000 words have been posted for stories submitted for the 10k Traditional Bang. Less than 1,000 words have been posted for stories submitted for the 5k Mini-Bang. This means that at least 80% of the material is new for the Bang. The 2k/1k rule holds even if the finished work ends up 100k.

B) no further updates are made until the posting date and the entire work must be posted in its completed form on the chosen posting date.

Can I submit a story I have already started?

That depends! Stories and fanworks have to be new for the DCU Bang. If you've written something that's 10k/5k already and posted it, awesome! However, this is a chance to create something new (or finish an unposted WIP), so if your story has been posted elsewhere in its entirety, it doesn't qualify for this challenge.

If you have never posted the story anywhere, it qualifies for this Bang, even if you started writing it 10 years ago!

What if I've already posted part of a fic? Can I finish it for this challenge?

The purpose of this Bang is to unveil a brand-new, completed piece on your posting date, however we are okay with you finishing your piece as long as you have not posted more than 2,000 words for the 10k Traditional Big Bang or 1,000 words for the 5k Mini-Bang and do not post any more until your posting date. Since this Bang has a minimum word count of 10,000/5,000 words we are asking that no more than 2,000/1,000 words be posted prior to signing up, so that at least 80% of the fic is new.

Please note that the 2,000/1,000 word limit still holds no matter how long your finished fic is - even if you complete a 100k epic, you can only submit it for this Bang if you've published less than 2,000/1,000 words of it before signing up for this challenge!

What about a sequel or a prequel to an already posted fic?

Prequels/sequels to stories you've written and posted are acceptable! If you write a prequel/sequel, be sure to link back to the original story, so people can read that as well. =D

Fanworker and Fanwork Requirements

--Fanworkers that sign-up are not required to claim a story. Claims are a few months off from author sign-ups, and we understand that life can happen and you may not be able to claim a story as planned, this is totally fine! Just let us know that you’re dropping out and you’re good to go!

--The minimum amount of accompanying fanworks per eligible story is 1 piece. If you are a fanworker and choose to claim 3 stories, that means you will need to create 1 fanwork for each story, 3 total. Please do not take on more stories than you can handle!

--Fanworkers can claim as many stories as they are reasonably certain they can handle. Please do not take on 5 stories to create a fanwork for unless you are reasonably certain you can finish all 5 fanworks!

--All fanworks must be complete by the due date period. Please check the schedule for when this will be.

--Fanworks must not be posted before the due date! Posting guidelines will go live in October, before the due date period.

What counts as a fanwork?

Lots of things! Traditional art, digital art, manips, banners, icons, wallpaper, gifs sets, picspam, vids, and fanmixes (with cover art) are all fine. If you want to check that what you have in mind is appropriate, leave a note in the Page-A-Mod post. We'll discuss it on a case-by-case basis.

Here are the suggested guidelines:

Traditional/Digital art: Cleaned lineart, on unlined paper, that is at least 500x500 pixels is the minimum. Additional sketchier/rougher pieces are welcomed so long as one piece of art is at the cleaned lineart stage!

Manips: Clean renders and non-blurry images that do not contain watermarks should be used for photo manipulation. Examples of the quality expected for this Bang can be found right here on Fanlore.

Banners or Icons or Wallpaper: 5 icons, of at least 100x100 pixels. 3 banners. 1 wallpaper. More is of course always welcomed!

Picspam or Gifsets: At least 6 images, but more images, or multiple sets are welcome!

Vids: At least one minute long, or a full song!

Fanmixes: At least 10 songs and include cover art (this can be a manip!).

DCU Bang FAQs

Do I need a DreamWidth/LiveJournal/Tumblr/Twitter/Ao3 account?

The only account that is required at this point is Archive of Our Own. The reason for this is that all stories will be posted to the DCU Bang Ao3 Collection, rather than being posted to the DreamWidth/LiveJournal communities, as in years past. After being posted to Ao3 and being approved for the collection, you’re free to post your story/fanwork anywhere you wish!

What are check-ins?

Check-ins are a way to see how you’re doing on your work! Some of them are mandatory and some of them are not, so it’s important to keep track of which ones are mandatory! They’re also a great way to keep yourself on track and a time to talk about your work and let others know how you’re doing. If an author does not respond to 2 mandatory check-ins, they will be considered dropped from the current Bang!

What is the grace period?

The grace period is one last chance to allow authors or fanworkers to drop out of the Bang without consequences, after claims have been made. It is a very short period, from July 18th to August 1st so it is very important to communicate to the mods if you are needing to drop out during this time, for any reason! It is also possible to drop down to the solo track during the grace period as well, but this must be discussed with the mods.

Can I drop out?

Yes! Sometimes life gets in the way or a story just doesn’t happen, and we understand that! However, there is a cutoff point, and if you do not let the mods know before this date, you can be banned from the next round. Even if it is after this cutoff date that you need to drop out please let us know so that we can discuss options. We can’t help if we don’t know there is a problem! Dropping all contact with mods after the cutoff date is grounds for an automatic ban, as we can’t help at that point. Please get in contact with us, so that we can arrange for a fanwork if needed!

Solo participants are free to drop out at any point, without consequence. Tandem fanworker/author groups can also drop out at any point together without consequences.

What can I do if I have problems with my author/fanworker?

Contact the mods! Let us handle things as we understand that sometimes people just don’t get along. Abuse or rude behaviour toward any participant in the DCU Bang will not be tolerated, especially for story/fanwork content. (It’s important for fanwork to read all the warnings in a story summary, and for authors to list all warnings in their story summary!) Please just get in contact with us mods to resolve issues between participants, rather than disappearing.

If an author or fanworker needs to drop out from the DCU Bang, after story claims have happened, there is a limited grace period to do so, please keep track of the schedule. If a fanworker needs to drop out, the author’s story(s) will go out for pinch hits, so that they still receive a fanwork.

When do I post my story?

For 2020, October 25th-31st is the “due date”***. Rather than choosing a single day that all works are due, we will be giving everyone 5 days to get their works into the Ao3 collection before reveals happen. This allows more flexibility for authors and fanworkers to check over their works on Ao3 before going live and being revealed. This also allows the mods to check over works to make sure they are complete. Do not submit works that are incomplete. If your work is not complete, it could be revealed before you are ready for it to be revealed and no one wants that! Authors are welcome to submit their works and do minor editing and polishing while they wait for their reveal date to come. Please contact the mods if you will not be able to post your story between October 25th-31st, so that we can help you decide if you can post during the amnesty period or not!

***Why the change from a long posting period? Frankly, it got to be a lot to handle and keep track of and after doing research and looking at many other Bang setups, this is fairly close to how they are run as well. It’s also more fair to participants to have a solid due date, rather than some participants getting nearly 2 extra months to work on their projects.

What is the reveal date?

The reveal date will be whatever you choose on October 1st, this is not to be confused with the due date, which is October 25th-31st. The official reveal period will run between November 1st and November 14th. If you will not have your work completed and polished in this time, please do not post to the Ao3 collection, contact the mods instead to discuss things and set up for amnesty posting instead! We’re here to help and work with you, but we cannot help if you do not contact us!

Can I post my chapters before my chosen reveal date?

Your complete work must be posted in its entirety on your chosen reveal date.

E.g.: You have chosen November 10th for your reveal date, and your story is 100k with 19 chapters. All 19 chapters and 100k words must be ready to be revealed on November 10th. There will be no exceptions made to post on a schedule. All participants must post their completed works on their chosen reveal date, or during the amnesty period.

What is the amnesty period?

The amnesty period is a chance for participants that couldn't quite finish on time to have one last chance to post for the current Bang! If for any reason you cannot post on your chosen reveal date, please get in contact with the mods ASAP!

Where can I post my story?

Anywhere you wish, so long as it is also in the DCU Bang Ao3 Collection. Posting it there is how we will count your work as completed***.

***Fanworkers will not be required to post to Ao3, though it is highly encouraged. (Ao3 isn’t great for hosting some types of fanworks, like picspam or gif sets, we understand that!) If you are not posting your fanwork to Ao3, you must make sure the link to where your fanwork is posted is provided to the author and linked within the author notes or story.

Can I sign up to write more than one story?

Sure! You can sign-up to write up to two different stories for this challenge. If you do want to write two stories make sure to sign-up separately for both. If you have to drop one or both make sure to contact the mods before rough drafts are due so that you don't leave an fanworkers hanging!!! If you have to drop either story after the final dropping date, you could be banned for the next round!

Can I sign up as an author AND a fanworker?

If you want to, more power to you! That's awesome! If you wish to create a fanwork for your story only, you can sign up as a solo-author, and it will be entirely up to you to create a fanwork for your story! By signing up as a fanworker, you are offering to create a fanwork for someone else’s story during the claiming period, so if your intent is to create for your own story only, sign up as a solo-author!

And again! Please do not take on more than you can handle!!! If, for at any reason, you do not believe you can continue, as a fanworker or an author, contact me ASAP!

I'm interested, but I'm not sure what to write.

There is a channel in the DCU Bang Discord server, just for prompts! Anyone can leave a prompt, and anyone can take a prompt. If six authors choose to write from the same prompt, that's totally fine. If someone wants to mash three prompts together, that's also fine. If someone wants to use half of a prompt, that's fine. Sensing a trend yet? =D

This also means, should you choose to leave a prompt, it is for anyone to use, in whichever way they want. If there is an idea that you want done in a very specific manner, it may not be the best for you to leave it for this Bang, as all authors are free to use prompts however they see fit.

I’ve been banned or think I have been banned, what can I do?

Contact the mods! The quickest way is via email, [email protected], or by messaging LuciferxDamien on the DCU Bang Discord server. If you have been banned for not completing your story/fanwork, we might be able to work something out, but be prepared to have something completed in return! To unban yourself, complete the story/fanwork you had promised in the previous round and let the mod know via email or Discord.

If you were banned for a reason other than not completing your story/fanwork, please still contact us and we can discuss things further. We’re very willing to work with people!

Thank you for reading the DCU Bang Guidelines and FAQs! Make sure to familiarize yourself with the DCU Bang 2020 Schedule. If you have any further questions, concerns, or need clarification on any rules, please do not hesitate to contact the mods, either through the Page-A-Mod Post, emailing [email protected], sending a PM on DreamWidth/LiveJournal to , or sending a DM on Discord to LuciferxDamien. Questions left on the DCU Bang Tumblr or DCU Bang Twitter may not be answered in a timely manner, as the mods are not logged into those accounts at all times so please use a different method of contact, especially if your matter is urgent!

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