One of the more popular suggestions from the feedback poll we posted at the end of last year was that we host a Big Bang in place of one of our annual Snarry fests. Since our Autumn fest has a revolving theme, this year the Autumn fest will be the Severus/Harry Big Bang. You can find detailed information here.
Like all the other Autumn fests, this is a one time only fest and will not be repeated here at snape_potter. While we will not be adhering to the strict definition of a Big Bang which requires fic to be a minimum of 50k, we will be requiring a minimum length of 12k for O.W.L. level participants and 25k for participants who will be trying for their N.E.W.T.s.
Since the goal of the Severus/Harry Big Bang is the creation of longer fics that focus on the relationship between our favourite Potions Master and the Chosen One, we will be holding sign-ups for our Autumn fest far earlier than usual to allow both authors and artists enough time to create something truly special.
Rules for AUTHORS:
- There are two levels of author participation: O.W.L. and N.E.W.T.
To receive an O in your N.E.W.T.s (and art of your fic!), your fan fic must be at least 25,000 words long*. This is a Big Bang! It's supposed to be a challenge.
Folks who still want a challenge, but don't think they can manage 25k can try for their O.W.L.s with a minimum word count of 12,000 words. Participants who finish will still receive an O, but no art.
- This is a Severus/Harry Big Bang. You can have whatever background pairing you want but the primary pairing in the Severus/Harry Big Bang must be Severus and Harry. That means for this one fest only mentor!fic and threesome pairings that include Severus and Harry are not permitted.
- As with all fests at snape_potter, something is considered to be chan (underage) if you have a character under the age of 18 in a sexual/romantic situation. All entries that include chan will be locked per community rules.
- Creations may be of any rating from G - NC-17.
- All creations must be original and complete. With one exception* previously posted works or works in progress will not be accepted.
- All fics must be edited and properly coded. It is your responsibility to have your story beta'd (looked over by a reader to spot everything from story/craft issues to proofing and grammar) or at the very least SPaG (Spelling Punctuation and Grammar) proofed and coded properly at the time of submission. This includes the proper HTML and LJ-specific coding such as basic HTML tags for bold, italics, etc. If you are unfamiliar with HTML coding, phoenixacid has posted a Beginner's Guide to HTML Coding.
- All participants in the BB will be eligible to join a BB community open only to them where they can brainstorm ideas, receive support, and ask questions of the mods.
- Completed beta-read, N.E.W.T. entries (25k) must be turned in on August 15th. No exceptions, save one*. We need time to match fic with artists and allow them the time to create their artwork.
- N.E.W.T. entries not received by the final AUTHOR deadline of August 15 but by the O.W.L. deadline of September 15 will be included in the fest BUT without art. Artists already have a very tight schedule. It's not fair to require them to have even less time for their creations.
- All creations will be posted by the mod and they will not be anonymous.
- You may not post your creations elsewhere until after the period of exclusivity which ends November 19, 2012.
- Email your creations and any questions you may have to spfestmod @ gmail.com
- The mods will always send confirmation of receipt of your entry within 24 hours, so if you do not get a confirmation, then we did not receive it. Please double check to make certain you have sent the entry to the correct email address which is spfestmod @ gmail.com
Rules for ARTISTS:
- There is only one level of participation for artists: N.E.W.T. Which means that any art created for the Big Bang is designed to be as much of a challenge for the artist as it is for the N.E.W.T. level writers (25k).
- Artistic creations must be original and illustrate a scene from the fic.
- While two illustrations are preferred, one is acceptable. But, if there is only one, the art must include both Severus and Harry. There is no rating requirement, however if there is another pairing in the fic [Severus/Lily or Harry/Ginny for example] those images can not be of a higher rating that of the Severus/Harry art.
- Artwork should be created using traditional or digital media and should include color* and/or detailed backgrounds*. For this fest only, we will not accept banners, photo-manipulations, wallpapers, fanmixes, crafts, videos, art created with programs such as Poser, unfinished/quick sketches and the like. We realize art quality is very subjective and often many of the preceding types of artwork require tremendous skill, talent, and time. But for the sake of consistency, we are limiting the use of mediums.
- The complete and final artwork must be turned in no later than October 3, 2012.
- Creations are not anonymous and will be inserted in the appropriate location within the fic they were created for.
- You may not post your creations elsewhere until after the period of exclusivity which ends November 19, 2012.
- Email your creations and any questions you may have to spfestmod @ gmail.com
- The mods will always send confirmation of receipt of your entry within 24 hours, so if you do not get a confirmation, then we did not receive it. Please double check to make certain you have sent the entry to the correct email address which is spfestmod @ gmail.com
TIMELINE:
March 1: AUTHOR sign-ups open for the Severus/Harry Big Bang!
March 15: Sign-ups close. You may begin work as soon as you sign-up.
June 1-8: Check-in point. Your draft, partial draft, or outline is due. This is the time to drop out gracefully or let us know if your fic will be longer (or shorter) than you envisioned.
August 1: ARTIST sign-ups open!
August 15: All complete and beta-read N.E.W.T.-level fic is due as well as a synopsis for matching you with your artist. If your fic is not complete, you may have until September 15 to finish. However your piece will not be illustrated.
August 16-21: Artists peruse authors's synopses and choose three fics they would like to illustrate. The mods will match artists according to their preferences as much as possible.
August 22: Artists receive their assignments.
September 15: All remaining fic (O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. level without art) must be received by this date or it will not be included in the fest.
September 17-21: Artist check-in point. Your draft or concept sketches are due. This is the time to drop out gracefully so a pinch hitter can be arranged.
October 3: All finished art is due.
October 15: Severus/Harry Big Bang posts! A masterlist of fic authors and artists will be posted after the final entry.
November 19: Period of exclusivity is over. You may post your creations elsewhere after this time.
FAQs
For Authors:
Q - What is a Big Bang? How is is different from other fests at Snape_Potter?
A - A big bang is a fic challenge based around long fics. The first Big Bang was created in the H/D community with a minimum word count of 50k and has since spread to many other characters, pairings, and fandoms with differing lengths of fic. The Severus/Harry Big Bang is a special one-time only challenge designed to generate long fics focusing on the relationship between Severus Snape and Harry Potter.
While we will not be adhering to the strict definition of a Big Bang, we will be requiring a minimum length of 12k for O.W.L. level participants and 25k for participants who will be trying for their N.E.W.T.s.
Q - OMG! I can't write 25k!
A - And you don't have to. The great thing about this fest is that we have two levels of participation: the 25K N.E.W.T. level and the 12K O.W.L. level. While 12K is still challenging, it is less intimidating and many people should be able to participate at this level.
Q - Why doesn't the shorter length fic get art?
A - We would love to be able to have enough artists so that all of the entries could have art. However, historically, there are more writers willing to participate in a Big Bang than artists. So the entries which meet or exceed the 25K N.E.W.T. goal will be matched first. If we discover we have too many artists for the number of longer works submitted we *may* revisit this rule.
Q - Wait! Am I reading this right? Why do N.E.W.T. authors writing longer fic have an earlier deadline than the O.W.L. ones?
A - The simple reason is that artists need time to create. We could have all fic due at the earlier date but decided to give everyone a little bit longer in lieu of having their fic illustrated. N.E.W.T. authors who would prefer more time to write and not have their fic illustrated can elect to use the later deadline.
Q - What happens if I don't turn in a synopsis of my fic? Will I still be assigned an artist?
A - Yes. But artists are selecting fic to illustrate based off your synopsis and without one, yours will have to stand on the information contained in your header alone.
Q - So posting begins Oct 15?
A - As with most Big Bangs, posting will occur on one day. A masterlist of participants will post as soon as all of the entries are posted.
Q - When you say 'with one exception, the fic must be original and complete', what do you mean?
A - In general, this means that you haven't already posted the fic in full or part elsewhere. The exception to this rule is if you have written a drabble or short ficlet (1K or less) and would like to expand it into a full length fic. If you have a specific example or question regarding this, you can ask in the comments or by sending us an email describing your issue and we'll be able to give you an answer.
Additionally, your fic must be able to be read as a stand alone fic, even if you plan a sequel in future.
Q - The minimum word count is 25K for a N.E.W.T. Is there a maximum?
A - Absolutely not. Any fic over 50K (the maximum length for a post at DW) will need to be broken into parts. If your fic falls into this category, please keep in mind where you'll want the breaks in your fic.
Q - I usually co-write with another author. Is this permitted?
A - Absolutely.
Q - What if I thought I could write 25K, but my fic ended up being 14K?
A - Not a problem. The only difference will be that your fic will not be illustrated.
Q - What if I thought I could write 12k, but my fic ended up being 35K?
A - Not a problem. As long as you turn it in by the N.E.W.T. author due date of August 15, we will be able to get an artist to illustrate it for you. Otherwise, it will be still be posted as a non-illustrated N.E.W.T. level entry*.
Q - What if I thought I could write 12k, but my fic ended up being 10k?
A - Alas, our minimum word count is 12K. If it is not 12K by the O.W.L. deadline of September 15, we will be unable to accept it for the Severus/Harry Big Bang. However Severus/Harry fic of any length is always welcome at any of our other snape_potter fests or just at the comm in general.
Q - My fic idea is mostly action/adventure gen. Is this permitted?
A - If the fic is truly gen, then the answer is no. While G-rated slash is permitted, the purpose of the Severus/Harry Big Bang is to focus on the pairing within a romantic/sexual context. It can be pre-slash, or non-explicit G-rated slash, but a sexual or romantic component is a must.
Q - Is romance the only genre permitted in the Big Bang?
A - Absolutely not. In fact, we would love to see all types of Severus/Harry fic represented in the Big Bang: action/adventure, AU (both magical and non-magical), angst, drama, horror, humor, mystery, suspense and, of course, romance. All genres are permitted as long as Severus and Harry are involved in a sexual/romantic relationship with each other whether or not that is the focus of the fic.
Q - Are we allowed to include pairings in addition to Severus/Harry?
A - Yes. You may have whatever background pairing you want but the primary pairing in the Severus/Harry Big Bang must be Severus and Harry. Additionally, if there is another pairing in the fic [Harry/Ginny or Albus/Gellert for example] those scenes cannot be of a higher rating within the fic than those of Severus/Harry.
Q - Does my fic need a happily ever after?
A - Absolutely not. We know that not all stories have a happy ending. The only caveat on this rule is if you want either of them to end up having their 'happily ever after' with someone else then perhaps this isn't the fest for you.
For Artists:
Q - You said artists would receive assignments. How does that work?
A - All N.E.W.T. authors will provide the mods with a synopsis of their fic including a detailed summary, word count, rating, pairings and warnings. Artists will have access to this information but the authors themselves will not be identified until after assignments are made.
Between August 16-21, artists will peruse authors's synopses and choose three fics they would be willing to illustrate. The mods will then match artists according to their preferences as much as possible.
Q - What if I don't want to illustrate a fic from the Big Bang? Can I illustrate another work as long as its Snape/Harry?
A - For the purposes of this fest only, the intention is to have illustrations for the fics written here. If you have a fic you'd like to illustrate, your artwork is always welcome at the general snape_potter community.
Q - The scene I want to illustrate includes both Severus and Harry, but other characters as well. Is this permitted?
A - As long as Severus and Harry are there, all is well.
Q - Can I create more than one piece of art for a single entry?
A - Yes. If you'd like to create more than one, that's great. The only requirement is one of the images must include both Severus and Harry. Also, if there is another pairing in the fic [Severus/Lily or Albus/Gellert for example] those images cannot be of a higher rating than that of the Severus/Harry art.
Q - What if I want to choose the author I create art for?
A - We have always allowed author/artist collaborations for any of the fests at snape_potter. However, for this fest only, we are asking artists to read the list of fic synopses provided by the authors and choose which fics they would be willing to illustrate based on that information alone. This will be done anonymously (a double blind matching process where artists do not know who the author of the fic is until after they have received their assignment and vice versa).
Q - Can one artist illustrate more than one fic?
A - Yes. There will be a place in the artist sign-up to indicate whether you are available for more than one art entry or for pinch hitting.
Q - I am both an author and an artist. Will I be permitted to illustrate my own fic?
A - Absolutely.
Q - It looks like artists will have access to completed fic rather than drafts like in most Big Bangs. Did I read that correctly?
A - You did indeed. Life happens and it's not uncommon for authors to be either unable to complete their BB entries (leading to orphaned art) or even edit out or radically change the very scenes an author decided to illustrate. This way, artists will be illustrating from final versions of the fic so their work is guaranteed to be posted with a finished fic.
If you have further questions or need clarification, please contact the mods. We are happy to discuss this or any of the FAQs with you.
*This statement is qualified. Please look through the FAQs for more information or contact the mods for clarification.