Schedule/Rules/FAQ
Schedule
December 1st, 2012 - Sign-ups open
May 1st, 2013 - Fic rough drafts due + Sign-ups close
May 29th - Rough drafts due + Artists sign-ups close
June 1st - Claims open
July 24th - Artist rough drafts due
August 1st - Posting begins
August 31st - Posting ends
General
What is a big bang challenge?
A big bang challenge is a type of fic challenge where writers long fic (in this case, at least 10k words) that is then claimed by artists who create art, fanmixes, fanvids, and meta based on that fic.
What types of stories are allowed in this challenge?
Stories that feature prominently characters with canonical (or arguably canonical) disabilities and the experience of being disabled. That second part can mean any number of things. For example, falling in love while disabled, fighting crime while disabled, leading a carnival during the Great Depression while disabled... What's it like to do that kinda stuff when society isn't built for people with disabilities?
What types of art are allowed for this challenge?
Artists can create visual art (drawings, paintings, graphic art, etc.), fanmixes, fanvids, and meta.
What counts as a disability for this challenge?
This is a really deep question that we could all spend days discussing, but for the purposes of this challenge, I'll go with a list: sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, chronic illnesses, mental illness, invisible disabilities, mobility impairments, chronic pain, acquired brain injury, amputations or missing limbs, congenital disabilities, speech impediments, orthopedic impairments, communication disabilities, emotional disabilities, chemical sensitivities, severe allergies, repetitive stress injuries, epilepsy, diabetes, HIV/AIDS...
We're using a really inclusive definition of disability here. If you have doubts whether your character qualifies for this challenge, contact me and chances are they will qualify.
Note: Although some autistic folks and the Deaf don't identify as disabled, you're absolutely free to write about D/deaf people, people with hearing impairments, autistic people, and people on the autism spectrum as long as you respect that character's identity as either disabled or non-disabled.
What about fantastic disabilities, like lycanthropy?
Those'll work! As long as the supernatural condition is treated (at times) like a disability in the canon.
What counts as a "canonical" disability?
Disability (particularly mental illness) remains a taboo topic, so we have very few canons where characters are shouting from the rooftops, “I'm disabled! Hear me roar!” Characters who have disabling conditions very rarely identify as disabled, because of the ableism in society and commercial artistic production. We also have characters and canons that feature or hint at characters having disabilities, but never actually say the word “disability” or the name of the disability aloud. (See: basically every character with Asperger's on television.) For this reason, “canonical” means “having sufficient proof from canon to infer that this character has a disability.”
Requirements
What are the requirements for a fic?
Stories must be at least 10,000 words and beta read before posting. It must be complete and stand alone.
What are the requirements for visual art?
Artists should create at least one piece, but are free to make more than that.
What are the requirements for fanmixes?
Fanmixes should have a minimum of eight songs. The option of creating cover art is up to the fanmixer.
What are the requirements for fanvids?
Fanvids (or trailers) should be be at least three minutes long, roughly the length of one song.
What are the requirements for meta?
Written meta should be at least 1000 words long. Meta videos should be at least four minutes long.
Fic Authors
What fandoms are allowed?
Any and all!
Is original fic allowed?
Yep!
Is RPF allowed?
Nope. I'm a firm believer in letting real people with disabilities tell their own stories. You're free to write about fictionalized versions of real people with disabilities (for example, the Vincent van Gogh who met and traveled with the Doctor), or use real people with disabilities as the “faces” for your characters, if you're writing original fic.
What about disability AUs? Cure AUs?
Not allowed. Stories should be about characters with disabilities. If they canonically acquire their disability later in life and/or lose their disability, you can write about those times, but the character should be disabled for most of the fic.
What ratings are allowed?
All of them.
So, I can write smut?
Yep! As long as the characters participating in the graphic sexual content are over the age of 18.
Can I write with a co-author?
Yep!
How many fics can I write for this challenge?
One, if you're the sole author. You can write two fics if you are co-authoring both.
Can I write a prequel/sequel to something I've already written?
Yes, as long as the fic for this challenge can be read and understood without reading the other fics.
Can I sign-up as a fic author and an artist?
Yes, as long as you feel you can fulfill both commitments.
Rough Drafts
How "rough" can my rough draft be?
Fanfiction rough drafts should be 10k words with a beginning, middle, and an end. They don't have to be beta'd, and you can certainly add and revise things before your posting date. This is so we can check if you'll reasonably be able to finish by posting.
Art rough draft should be finished enough to be presentable in case something happens between the rough draft due date and your author's posting date.
What will I need to submit?
Fic authors and meta writers will need to send their rough draft as an email attachment. Suggested file formats: .rft, .txt, .doc(x).
Visual artists and fanvidders ill need to send an email with either an attachment of their rough draft or a link to their rough draft.
Fanmixers ill need to send an email with their planned file hosting site, a track listing, and rough drafts of cover art, if they choose to make any.
How will I know if you've received my rough draft?
The mods will send you a confirmation email within a few days.
Claims
How will artists claim fics?
After rough drafts are sent in by the fic authors, the mods will make a post containing summaries of those stories. Artists will be given time to look over those summaries (which will be posted anonymously), before the claims posts is made. Later, artists comment on the claims post with their first three story choices. Stories will be given out one-by-one on a first come, first served basis.
What if there are more fics than artists? Or more artists than fics?
We will do as many rounds of claims as necessary for every fic to have at least one artist and for every artist to have at least one fic.
Deadlines
What if I am unable to meet a deadline?
If something happens and you believe you can't meet a deadline, contact me as soon as possible and we'll work something out with your artist or author. We understand that life happens and the amount a disability affects one's fandom life can fluctuate unexpectedly. Please do your best to meet the deadlines, while also being kind to yourself. In the same token, if your author or artist has extenuating circumstances that require an adaptation to the rules, please do you best to be understanding.
What if I know I won't be able to meet the deadlines, but still want to participate in some fashion?
Fic authors are welcome to write alongside participants and post to the community when finished. Sign-ups will remain open until the rough draft deadline, so if you decide to write along and end up finishing your fic in time for the rough draft deadline, you can sign-up and get art for your fic. But, like other participants, you will have to wait until your assigned posting date to publish your story.
Artist are welcome to create works for fics posted as part of this challenge--with the author's permission, of course.
Posting/Hosting
Where should I post my fic?
Wherever you like, but you must make a master post to this community on LiveJournal. You can also crosspost to our DW mirror. Due to accessibility concerns, we would like it if you could post/mirror your fic on Archive of Our Own. If you need an invite code for AO3, there will be opportunities to receive one over the course of the challenge.
Where should I post my art?
Wherever you like, so long as it accessible to the general public (i.e., people without accounts at the hosting site).
When do I post my fic/art?
You will be assigned a date during our month-long posting period according to your availability.
Support/Fun
Where can participants talk and support each other?
We'll have weekly posts on this comm and the Dreamwidth mirror where participants can comment, boast about word counts, kvetch, commiserate, and so on. Participation in those posts is completely optional, but you'd be missing a lot of fun.
The cripbigbang Tumblr will also have weekly check-ins that you can reblog with your Tumblr account. If you feel like discussing the challenge or hanging out with other participants on Tumblr outside the weekly check-in post, you can tag posts with "crip big bang" and track the tag.
Question/Comments/Concerns?
If you have any questions, leave a comment here or send the mod an email at cripbigbang (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also reach me at "cripmebaby" on AIM.
December 1st, 2012 - Sign-ups open
May 1st, 2013 - Fic rough drafts due + Sign-ups close
May 29th - Rough drafts due + Artists sign-ups close
June 1st - Claims open
July 24th - Artist rough drafts due
August 1st - Posting begins
August 31st - Posting ends
General
What is a big bang challenge?
A big bang challenge is a type of fic challenge where writers long fic (in this case, at least 10k words) that is then claimed by artists who create art, fanmixes, fanvids, and meta based on that fic.
What types of stories are allowed in this challenge?
Stories that feature prominently characters with canonical (or arguably canonical) disabilities and the experience of being disabled. That second part can mean any number of things. For example, falling in love while disabled, fighting crime while disabled, leading a carnival during the Great Depression while disabled... What's it like to do that kinda stuff when society isn't built for people with disabilities?
What types of art are allowed for this challenge?
Artists can create visual art (drawings, paintings, graphic art, etc.), fanmixes, fanvids, and meta.
What counts as a disability for this challenge?
This is a really deep question that we could all spend days discussing, but for the purposes of this challenge, I'll go with a list: sensory impairments, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, chronic illnesses, mental illness, invisible disabilities, mobility impairments, chronic pain, acquired brain injury, amputations or missing limbs, congenital disabilities, speech impediments, orthopedic impairments, communication disabilities, emotional disabilities, chemical sensitivities, severe allergies, repetitive stress injuries, epilepsy, diabetes, HIV/AIDS...
We're using a really inclusive definition of disability here. If you have doubts whether your character qualifies for this challenge, contact me and chances are they will qualify.
Note: Although some autistic folks and the Deaf don't identify as disabled, you're absolutely free to write about D/deaf people, people with hearing impairments, autistic people, and people on the autism spectrum as long as you respect that character's identity as either disabled or non-disabled.
What about fantastic disabilities, like lycanthropy?
Those'll work! As long as the supernatural condition is treated (at times) like a disability in the canon.
What counts as a "canonical" disability?
Disability (particularly mental illness) remains a taboo topic, so we have very few canons where characters are shouting from the rooftops, “I'm disabled! Hear me roar!” Characters who have disabling conditions very rarely identify as disabled, because of the ableism in society and commercial artistic production. We also have characters and canons that feature or hint at characters having disabilities, but never actually say the word “disability” or the name of the disability aloud. (See: basically every character with Asperger's on television.) For this reason, “canonical” means “having sufficient proof from canon to infer that this character has a disability.”
Requirements
What are the requirements for a fic?
Stories must be at least 10,000 words and beta read before posting. It must be complete and stand alone.
What are the requirements for visual art?
Artists should create at least one piece, but are free to make more than that.
What are the requirements for fanmixes?
Fanmixes should have a minimum of eight songs. The option of creating cover art is up to the fanmixer.
What are the requirements for fanvids?
Fanvids (or trailers) should be be at least three minutes long, roughly the length of one song.
What are the requirements for meta?
Written meta should be at least 1000 words long. Meta videos should be at least four minutes long.
Fic Authors
What fandoms are allowed?
Any and all!
Is original fic allowed?
Yep!
Is RPF allowed?
Nope. I'm a firm believer in letting real people with disabilities tell their own stories. You're free to write about fictionalized versions of real people with disabilities (for example, the Vincent van Gogh who met and traveled with the Doctor), or use real people with disabilities as the “faces” for your characters, if you're writing original fic.
What about disability AUs? Cure AUs?
Not allowed. Stories should be about characters with disabilities. If they canonically acquire their disability later in life and/or lose their disability, you can write about those times, but the character should be disabled for most of the fic.
What ratings are allowed?
All of them.
So, I can write smut?
Yep! As long as the characters participating in the graphic sexual content are over the age of 18.
Can I write with a co-author?
Yep!
How many fics can I write for this challenge?
One, if you're the sole author. You can write two fics if you are co-authoring both.
Can I write a prequel/sequel to something I've already written?
Yes, as long as the fic for this challenge can be read and understood without reading the other fics.
Can I sign-up as a fic author and an artist?
Yes, as long as you feel you can fulfill both commitments.
Rough Drafts
How "rough" can my rough draft be?
Fanfiction rough drafts should be 10k words with a beginning, middle, and an end. They don't have to be beta'd, and you can certainly add and revise things before your posting date. This is so we can check if you'll reasonably be able to finish by posting.
Art rough draft should be finished enough to be presentable in case something happens between the rough draft due date and your author's posting date.
What will I need to submit?
Fic authors and meta writers will need to send their rough draft as an email attachment. Suggested file formats: .rft, .txt, .doc(x).
Visual artists and fanvidders ill need to send an email with either an attachment of their rough draft or a link to their rough draft.
Fanmixers ill need to send an email with their planned file hosting site, a track listing, and rough drafts of cover art, if they choose to make any.
How will I know if you've received my rough draft?
The mods will send you a confirmation email within a few days.
Claims
How will artists claim fics?
After rough drafts are sent in by the fic authors, the mods will make a post containing summaries of those stories. Artists will be given time to look over those summaries (which will be posted anonymously), before the claims posts is made. Later, artists comment on the claims post with their first three story choices. Stories will be given out one-by-one on a first come, first served basis.
What if there are more fics than artists? Or more artists than fics?
We will do as many rounds of claims as necessary for every fic to have at least one artist and for every artist to have at least one fic.
Deadlines
What if I am unable to meet a deadline?
If something happens and you believe you can't meet a deadline, contact me as soon as possible and we'll work something out with your artist or author. We understand that life happens and the amount a disability affects one's fandom life can fluctuate unexpectedly. Please do your best to meet the deadlines, while also being kind to yourself. In the same token, if your author or artist has extenuating circumstances that require an adaptation to the rules, please do you best to be understanding.
What if I know I won't be able to meet the deadlines, but still want to participate in some fashion?
Fic authors are welcome to write alongside participants and post to the community when finished. Sign-ups will remain open until the rough draft deadline, so if you decide to write along and end up finishing your fic in time for the rough draft deadline, you can sign-up and get art for your fic. But, like other participants, you will have to wait until your assigned posting date to publish your story.
Artist are welcome to create works for fics posted as part of this challenge--with the author's permission, of course.
Posting/Hosting
Where should I post my fic?
Wherever you like, but you must make a master post to this community on LiveJournal. You can also crosspost to our DW mirror. Due to accessibility concerns, we would like it if you could post/mirror your fic on Archive of Our Own. If you need an invite code for AO3, there will be opportunities to receive one over the course of the challenge.
Where should I post my art?
Wherever you like, so long as it accessible to the general public (i.e., people without accounts at the hosting site).
When do I post my fic/art?
You will be assigned a date during our month-long posting period according to your availability.
Support/Fun
Where can participants talk and support each other?
We'll have weekly posts on this comm and the Dreamwidth mirror where participants can comment, boast about word counts, kvetch, commiserate, and so on. Participation in those posts is completely optional, but you'd be missing a lot of fun.
The cripbigbang Tumblr will also have weekly check-ins that you can reblog with your Tumblr account. If you feel like discussing the challenge or hanging out with other participants on Tumblr outside the weekly check-in post, you can tag posts with "crip big bang" and track the tag.
Question/Comments/Concerns?
If you have any questions, leave a comment here or send the mod an email at cripbigbang (at) gmail (dot) com. You can also reach me at "cripmebaby" on AIM.