Archive of Our Own

Welcome to fivetimesbb, yet another big bang challenge to tantalize, tease, and torture.
This challenge is for writers to create a fic (word counts detailed below) for het, gen, or slash in whatever fandom or crossover they desire. The catch here is that your story will take some form of the "Five Times..." format. Whether that means five chapters, five apocalypses, five hook-ups, five items or any variation on the theme is up to you.

Each story will also be assigned an artist who will create an art, vid, mix, or something else special to go with the story.
To make this challenge more accessible to all writers/artists, there are three levels of participation:
1. Bitty Bang: 2000-5000 words
2. Baby Bang: 5000-10000 words
3. Big Bang: 10000 plus words

Important Dates:

Bitty Bang:
-- sign up: Dec 1-30
-- rough draft: Feb 1
-- art claims: Feb 5
-- final draft (story and art): March 11
-- posting: March 15

Baby Bang:
-- sign up: Dec 1-30
-- rough draft: March 1
-- art claims: March 5
-- final draft (story and art): April 30
-- posting: May 5

Big Bang:
-- sign up: Dec 1-30 (are you sensing a pattern?)
-- rough draft: May 1
-- art claims: May 5
-- final draft (story and art): July 5
-- posting: July 10

The month of December will host sign ups for all levels of art and writing. You choose which level you sign up for and commit to that minimum, however until 5 days before the rough draft of your desired level is due, you may lower your commitment level. Just know that the lower word counts are due sooner. You may ALWAYS write/create past the minimum requirements. You may also sign up for more than one writing or art bang. You are encouraged to write and art, but that is not required.

Art Requirements:
Bitty Art = 5 icons OR 1 header-sized graphic (computerized or hand drawn) OR a 5-song fanmix OR 40 seconds of edited video OR 1k of audio fic
Baby Art = Double Bitty art in any combination (note that 2 header-sized can = 1 wallpaper-sized graphic)
Big Art = Triple Bitty art in any combination

Scenarios and FAQ:
I signed up to write a big bang and can't finish that much. What are my options?
Five days before Bitty rough drafts are due, you can switch to Bitty level. You will receive a Bitty art. Five days before Baby rough drafts are due, you can switch to Baby level. You will receive a Baby art. You can also stick with it, be paired with a Big art, and commit to finishing (with a mod's permission) within one month of the final posting date.

I signed up to write a baby bang but my story is now over 10,000 words. What are my options?
You may write any length story and receive a Baby art. You may, before the Baby rough drafts are due, switch designation to a Big Bang and then receive a big art.

Do I need to have an LJ to participate?
No! However, you will need to post the finished story/art SOMEWHERE PUBLIC on the internet. You will also need to designate a proxy poster to post links to your fic/art on this community or to the DW community. You may also cross-post at will once the posting date hits.

I'm busy on the day my story/art/rough draft/whatever is due. What are my options?
You may use a posting proxy (a friend, the mod) to post on the day. You may turn in early. You may get special permission to post early or late.

Is it possible to sign up for more than one thing?
Yes! You may sign up for as many stories and as many arts as you want, for example, if you would like to write a Bitty and a Baby, that is fine. Or two Bigs. You can sign up to write and to do art, in any combination you want. Challenge yourself, but don't overextend.

What do you mean by a "five times" story?
Here are a few examples, linked without permission or much discretion, because the internet is like that.

Can I write a six times story?
Sure. Why not. You can do, for example, five times something happened and one time it didn't. Or even four times/one time.

I want to write original fic. Can I do that?
Absolutely. Just know that it may be harder/impossible to match you for an artist. Keep that in mind, but otherwise, have at thee!

Is there a limit on ratings or content?
Nope! Just use warnings and list ratings clearly.

I signed up to make Big art. I see that I'm supposed to make triple Bitty art. What exactly does that mean?
That means you choose from any combination of art and add them up to three. So if you ONLY want to make icons, you would make 15 (5 icons x 3). If you ONLY want to make vids, you would make a 3-minute vid, 3 one-minute vids, or some combination adding up to at least three minutes. If you ONLY wanted to make graphics, you could make 3 header-sized graphics or 1 header-sized and 2 wallpaper-sized or 1 header-sized and 10 icons. If you have a question about a specific scenario and what might add up correctly, ask a mod.

I only want to sign up for art. What dates should I know?
Sign up date. Art claims date. Final draft date. Posting date. As an artist, you are responsible for working with your assigned writer to read a draft and negotiate a posting date based on those available.

Do I have to make art for EACH of the five times/items/moment/etc?
Nope! Something that focuses on one of the five or something encompasses them all -- anything goes.

I received a writer/story that I cannot work with for some reason. Can I be reassigned?
The mods will do their best to assign based on fandom and story-type preferences and top choices. However, sometimes things just don't work out, or a story is something unlike the summary chosen. Unless the reason is a major trigger that the author failed to warn for, tough cookies, basically. If you have a specific reason why you cannot work with a specific story/writer, let a mod know, and we'll see what we can do. Otherwise, put together some art. We'll help.