Archive of Our Own ^beta

Welcome to Dragon Age Big Bang, in which fanfic authors are challenged to write stories of at least 10,000/20,000 words, which will be illustrated/fanmixed/otherwise creatively accompanied by fabulous fandom artists!

General:

  What’s a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a fannish challenge in which fanfic authors write long stories, and fan artists of all sorts make art based on those stories.

Do I need to have a LiveJournal account to participate?

We do strongly encourage you to have an LJ account - it will allow you to more easily participate in check-ins and other fun posts we might make! However, if you have an extreme objection to signing up for an LJ account, you may sign-up and participate via Open ID. (You can find out more about Open ID and how to use it with LiveJournal here.) You must join the dragonagebb community to participate, with either an LJ account or an Open ID account.

Why are you running two separate waves for Dragon Age Big Bang?

Because there are a lot of things happening in the late summer/fall - Mass Effect Big Bang, NaNoWriMo, students go back to school, the holidays … everyone’s schedule is different! So we wanted to give everyone who wants to participate the chance to choose the schedule that works better for them. More choices will hopefully equal more awesome stories and art!

For authors:

How long does my story have to be?

For wave one, at least 10,000 words. For wave two, at least 20,000 words. There is no maximum word count, but keep in mind, an artist will need to have time to read your story closely enough to create art in a relatively short amount of time!

Can I sign up to both write and make art?

Absolutely! You cannot claim your own story to make art for, however.

Does my story have to be finished?

Yes. We will not accept unfinished stories or stories with a “to be continued” ending.

  Can I write a sequel to a previous story?

 Yes. Keep in mind, though, that attracting an artist/new readers might be difficult if they need to read a previous story to understand your big bang!

  Can I finish a WIP that I’ve already posted somewhere on the internet?

We strongly encourage you to write a brand-new story for Dragon Age Big Bang. However, you may use a WIP that has already been posted, as long as you haven’t publicly posted more than 20% (2,000/4,000 words) of it.

Can I finish a WIP that I’ve never posted publicly?

 Again, we do encourage you to write something new for this challenge! But you are allowed to use a current WIP that is less than 20% complete at the time you sign up. (This is an impossible guideline to enforce, obviously, but we’re counting on the honor system!)

  Can I write a crossover story/an AU/something not set in the main Dragon Age universe?

Crossovers and AUs are allowed and encouraged! Just make sure that Dragon Age characters are the main focus of your story - ie, if you are writing a crossover with Mass Effect, your main character/pairing must be from the DA universe.

What about original characters?

We encourage you to write about your custom Wardens and Hawkes! But any other original character must be secondary/background. Your main focus must be on characters that exist in canon, including Wardens and Hawkes.

  Can I write about characters from the Dragon Age novels/comics?

 Sure! If you want to write about Maric or Fiona or Rhys, or any of the other characters that appear in the tie-in novels and comics, go for it! Just keep in mind that these characters may not be entirely familiar to all DA fans, so the more obscure of a character you choose, the harder it may be to entice an artist for your story!

  Can I write with a co-author?

 Absolutely! However, the word count minimum for co-written stories is increased by 5,000 - so, the minimum would be 15,000 for Wave One, and 25,000 for Wave Two.

 
Can I sign up to write more than one story?

 You may sign up to write up to two stories, either alone or in collaboration with a co-author. You can sign up to write one story for each wave, or two stories in one wave. You cannot, however, write two stories for each wave. Two stories total per customer!

For artists:

How do I know which story I will be making art for?

 After the authors submit their rough drafts/summaries, the story summaries and headers will be posted on the LJ community. Artists will have the chance to claim a story that sounds interesting to them!

  Can I make art for my friend’s story?

 Claims will be blind - which means that author names will not be attached to the summaries. You cannot request to make art for a specific author’s story. The claims will be handled first come, first serve.

  But I’m in [$TIME ZONE], what if I’m not awake when claims happen?

In the artist sign-up form, we will ask you to let us know what time zone you live in. Once sign-ups are closed, we will work to find a time to open the claims that works best for the most participating artists. We will also make the claims available for a period of time prior to opening claims, so that everyone has a chance to read the summaries and pick out the ones they like best!
 
How do I claim a story?

 You’ll leave a comment on the LJ entry. A mod will confirm your claim, and then email you a copy of the story draft to read.

What kind of art can I do?

Practically anything! Art/comics, fanmixes, manipulated graphics are all popular choices. You could also choose to make something physical and send it to the author. Be creative! If you have an idea you’re not sure qualifies, feel free to ask about it!

Can I claim more than one story?

Possibly. The main goal is to make sure each story has at least one piece of art. If there are more stories than artists, once each artist has claimed one story, we will open it up for second claims. Once all stories are claimed, we will open the list back up for double-claiming. However, an artist must submit one finished piece to the mods before they can claim another story.

  Can I claim a story someone else has already chosen?

No, not unless double claims have been opened as above.

Can you make sure I only have to choose from X type of story?

Only in certain circumstances. All story summaries will be posted with appropriate ratings and warnings for violence, character death, and other potentially problematic content; you will definitely not be required to choose a story that has triggering content! If you get your claim in late and the only stories left are triggering to you, contact the mods and we’ll work something out.

However, artists/mixers should be prepared to possibly work with characters/pairings/genres they don't usually partake in. Het, slash, femslash, or gen; canon-based or AU; characters from Origins, Awakening, or DA2; drama or comedy or angst or domestic curtain!fic. You are not guaranteed to get any specific genre or style of story.

Will I be able to collaborate with the author of the story?

If you want to contact the author to ask questions or get input/references, let the mods know and we’ll facilitate it!

Submission/Posting:

  Why do I have to submit my rough draft to the mods?

So that your artist/mixer has something to read in order to create their work based on your fic! Also, so that the mods know you’re far enough along to make the posting deadline.

  Does my rough draft have to be complete?

For certain values of ‘complete.’ Your story must be at least 10,000 (or 20,000) words when you submit the rough draft. It must have a beginning and an end written. You can have sketchy descriptions of scenes in the middle of the story (ie, [insert sex scene here] or [this is where a genlock will shoot Alistair in the leg]), but there must be enough there for an artist to understand what’s happening.

  When will I post my story?

After the final draft deadline, the mods will email you with your posting date. You may post your story at any time that day - as long as it’s that day somewhere in the world, go ahead!

Where should I post my story?

You can post your story on any site you choose - Livejournal, Dreamwidth, FF.net, AO3, et cetera. (We would discourage you from posting your story solely on Tumblr, however, as the format there is not very friendly to long text posts.) You must, however, make a master post to the main LJ community, linking to your story and your art.

Where should I post my art/mix?

As above, any site you choose - as long as you can provide a static link to the page your art/mix is posted on. (We would prefer a link to the actual site, rather than a direct link to a piece of art, if only to encourage people to give you feedback for your creation!) When uploading a fanmix, we recommend a site such as Mediafire, which (theoretically) keeps your files uploaded indefinitely.

Who posts the art that accompanies a story?

The artist. We encourage authors and artists to coordinate their posting times, so that everything goes up at once, but it’s not required. As long as both story and art are posted on the correct day, it will work!

Who posts the master post to the DA Big Bang LJ community?

The author. The artist should send the author a link to their art once it’s posted, and the author makes a post to the LJ community in a format that will be provided with their posting date.

Can I cross-post my work to other communities/sites?

Feel free! We just ask that you link back to a master post that includes links to both story and art when you do.

Can I post art that someone made for my story outside of the challenge?

No, we ask that you refrain from posting any other inspired works with your story until after the challenge is complete. We want the focus to remain on the authors and artists who sign up to participate in this challenge for the duration!

If you have any questions that weren't covered here, please let us know in the comments of this entry! Otherwise, you can email the mods at [email protected] with any questions or comments.

We have a Tumblr account, where all information and reminders will be posted as well - come follow us there, as well!

Got it? Good! Come join the fun!

1) Your work must be original content based on the Dragon Age series. It must not be a replication of previous works- the point of the Big Bang is to get excited about new stories, new adventures.
2) Plagiarism will not be tolerated in any way shape or form.
3) Entries must be written predominantly in English. Other languages - including languages of Thedas - may be included in small doses, as long as the bulk of the text is English.
4) All genres welcome! AUs are just as welcome as traditional fic. Crossovers are fine as well. The main focus of your story, however, must be canon characters from the Dragon Age universe. (This includes custom Hawkes and Wardens.)
5) All ratings welcome.
6) Please be mindful of any potentially triggering content. We strongly encourage participants to avoid graphic descriptions of gratuitous sexual violence, physical abuse, and the like. If such things are integral to your story, you are required to submit all appropriate warnings in your header. If we discover a story has not been submitted with adequate warnings, we reserve the right to refuse it for the challenge.
7) Bigotry is unacceptable. The mods reserve the right to refuse any story we feel shames or unfairly defames any characters based on gender, race, or sexual orientation. If you have any questions about this policy, please feel free to email us and ask!