Welcome to the second round of Les Mis Big Bang and Baby Bang! Big Bangs are challenges that are all about the collaboration between authors and artists, resulting in a long piece of fanfiction with accompanying artwork.
This year, your BB is being run entirely on tumblr and AO3. All updates will be posted here only or sent out via email if you have signed up. Also, this year your mod is @defractum, so please don’t direct queries to previous mods!
How It Works
Writers sign up for a Big Bang (15k+ words) or a Baby Bang (5k+). You get a few months to work on the story; about halfway through, you need to submit a rough draft and summary.
These summaries get posted up anonymously and artists will be able to claim a story to create art for. Once authors and artists are matched up, they’ll receive each other’s contact details so that the author can send their artist a copy of their WIP and they can collaborate from there.
Artist and writer pairs will pick a date to post their work in the posting period. When posting time comes, works will be hosted on AO3 in the LMBB2016 collection; art can be posted separately, or embedded into the fic. There will be more information on posting nearer the time.
Fics and artwork must not be posted anywhere until your posting date.
Important Dates
28th Dec 2015: Sign ups open; writing period starts
24th Jan 2016: Writers sign ups close
24-31st Feb 2016: Writers check-in
27thMar 2016: Rough drafts and summaries due (at least 50% complete)
29th Mar 2016: Summaries go live for artists to browse
1st Apr 2016: Artist claims open
7th Apr 2016: Artist claims round 2 open
21-28th Apr 2016: Writers and artist check-in
14th May 2016: Claims for posting dates open
28th May 2016: Posting starts!
FAQ
Am I allowed to sign up as both an author and an artist?
Absolutely!When do I start writing?
As soon as you’ve signed up!What are the fic requirements?
Big Bangs have a 15,000 word minimum requirement; Baby Bangs have a 5,000 word minimum requirement. All fics are expected to have proper formatting with line breaks and spacing. Betas are not compulsory, but are widely encouraged. If you need help finding one, we can assist.I have a WIP already. Can I finish that for the big bang?
Unfortunately, no. We encourage you to write new fics in the spirit of the challenge. However, if you already have a WIP that is less than 25% of your finished work, was recently started and not shared anywhere yet, we’ll let you use it. We will also accept sequels to already-existing fics, provided that it can also be read as a standalone fic.What kind of art is accepted?
We will accept any kind of art, including but not limited to traditional drawings, digital drawings, fanmixes, fanvideos, podfics, photo sets and gif sets. If you want to do something that isn’t listed and you’re unsure whether it’s allowed, please don’t hesitate to ask!What are the art requirements?
All that we ask is for you to put as much effort into your artwork as your author has into their fic. For Big Bangs, for example, this can mean a completed drawing, or a full podfic. For Baby Bangs, this can mean line art, or a fanmix of at least 8 songs and cover art.What pairings/themes are allowed?
We will accept anything and everything. If you are creating a work that features graphic depictions of violence, major character death, rape/non-con or underage sexual context, we ask that you use appropriate warnings when posting. If you work contains a theme that isn’t listed and you are unsure whether it needs a warning, please ask.Is RPF allowed?
No, as this challenge will only focus on the characters themselves.Are crossovers or fusions allowed?
Absolutely! We only ask that the work focuses mainly on the Les Mis characters.What is a check in?
It’s just an informal way of seeing how you’re doing! You don’t need to submit anything, but it’ll be a period of sharing struggles and triumphs with other writers, sharing snippets or asking for help.What if I’m busy or don’t have internet access during a check-in?
If you know that you’re unable to make a check-in, then you can send us an email at lesmismods@gmail.com before the scheduled check-in period to let us know how you’re doing.
If you have any questions, send me an ask!