pilesofnonsense

[pilesofnonsense]

Writer sign-up Confirmation

Writer sign-up confirmations have been sent out! If you had a question in your sign-up the answer will be in a separate mail.

We ask that you check your email (including the spam folder!) and reply by Sunday, June 1st so we can confirm that your registered email address is correct and you still intend to participate.

If you have not received a mail please contact us at pilesofnonsense@gmail.com

[pilesofnonsense]

Writer Sign-ups Closed

Writer sign-ups are now closed! We'll be sending confirmation mails out in the coming days, as well as answering the questions we've received.

[pilesofnonsense]

RQ Big Bang - Writer Sign-up Last Day!

Writer Sign-ups for the Rusty Quill Big Bang are still open for the day!

Find more information and the sign-up link here or check out our Challenge Guidelines first!

Schedule for 2025

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Eligible Fandoms: Rusty Quill Gaming, The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell

[pilesofnonsense]

RQ Big Bang - Writer Sign-ups still open!

Writer Sign-ups for the Rusty Quill Big Bang are still open!

Find more information and the sign-up link here or check out our Challenge Guidelines first!

Schedule for 2025 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Eligible Fandoms: Rusty Quill Gaming, The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB 2025 - Writer Sign-Ups!

Welcome to the Rusty Quill Big Bang - a large-scale event bringing writers and artists together to create an explosion of fan content for Rusty Quill podcasts!

Schedule for 2025 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Eligible Fandoms: Rusty Quill Gaming, The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell

Find more information and the sign-up link here!

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB 2025 Writer Sign-Ups Open!

Writer Sign-Ups are now open for the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025!

Please read through the information carefully to understand what will be expected of you as a participant.

The sign-up link is at the end of the post under the spoiler cut!

You do not need to have decided what you will be writing at this stage, but please consider whether the fic requirements are compatible with what you have in mind, and be sure that you can commit to contacting us on the below deadlines to share your progress (or withdraw your participation if necessary).

Schedule for 2025 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

Confirmation e-mails for sign-ups will be sent out after sign-ups close; if you have not received a confirmation by May 30, please contact us at pilesofnonsense@gmail.com. We ask that you check your email (including the spam folder!) and reply so we can confirm that your registered email address is correct and you still intend to participate.

Participation Requirements:

You must choose whether to join the Big Bang as an artist or writer. You may not do both.

Writers will require an AO3 account; if you do not have an AO3 account, please request one via AO3’s login page.

If you wish to write M or E rated fics you must be aged over 18.

All participants must read and adhere to the Expected Conduct guidelines (see below).

Fic Draft Requirements: At the draft deadline (August 18th), we will require a complete draft of at least 13,000 words. “Complete” means that the fic is written from start to finish with no indispensable scenes missing or left as outlines—think, “If I posted this right now, would I be happy with the story it tells?”

Ideally, you will refine and polish your draft in the remaining time, but it can also be your final draft if you prefer.

Drafts will be handed in via a form that will be sent out to you before the deadline. Drafts should be available in Google docs, or if need be in PDF format.

Summary Requirements: A form for the summary will be sent out to you before the deadline. Summaries should briefly outline the general premise, and include rating, ships, triggers and other warnings, and any other relevant details.

Eligible Fics:

Fics of any rating and with any warnings are permitted, as long as they meet the minimum word count (15,000), are centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell), and are tagged appropriately.

We encourage authors to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to take on a project that they might not otherwise—though please consider what is realistic in terms of the deadlines as well!

Fics must be stand-alone (requires no knowledge of previous fics to enjoy), complete (resolves all main plotlines within the story, as opposed to being part I of a trilogy, etc.), and previously unposted.

Crossovers are allowed, but the focus should be on the RQ podcast involved. For example: a fusion crossover with the Leverage Team replacing the LOLOMG in the RQG!verse would not be permitted, though the RQG characters in the Leverage!verse would be.

Please be aware that fics with obscure crossovers, common squicks, higher ratings, etc., may be more difficult to match, and thus take a little longer to get snapped up. We will do our best to find you a suitable match, though!

If you have any questions about the suitability of your fic, please contact the mods.

Matching Process:

The artist sign-up will include a list of the anonymised fic summaries. Each artist will select 3 fics which they would be interested in creating for, with additional preferences (favourite show/shows they do not follow, OTPs and NoTPs, Do Not Wants, etc.) indicated in the comment field. Mods will then match writers to artists, taking preferences into account as much as possible.

If fics are oversubscribed or if it is otherwise necessary for matching, they may be removed from the list of eligible fics before the end of artist sign-ups.

If you have an issue with your match, please let the mods know as soon as possible.

Do Not Wants:

In this event, you will have an opportunity to Do Not Want (DNW) the types of content that you do not wish to work on. Similarly, if you’ve had conflicts with certain people in the past and do not want to risk matching to them, you can include this in your sign-up or draft submission, and we will avoid matching you with them (details of these will not be shared beyond the mod team).

The mods will always account for DNWs within reason; however, attempts to manipulate matches via DNWs or otherwise acting in bad faith will result in the rejection of your sign-up or draft. We are also not private detectives, and will thus not be fielding any requests such as “do not match me with anyone who has ever drawn/written XYZ.” Please keep that in mind when considering whether this event is right for you.

Expected Conduct:

By signing up for this event, you agree to do your best to meet the deadlines. If you might need a little more time, please email the mods to explain your situation before the deadline passes. Those who miss deadlines without contacting the mods beforehand may be dropped from the event without further contact.

In order to participate in this event, you must be willing to contact the mods directly in the event that you have a question, concern, or issue with your participation (as in the deadline example above). We are happy to help participants with anything that arises, but cannot accept “telephone”-style communiques on behalf of others.

Be in regular contact with your match—if you’re going to be offline for a significant length of time, let them know. Radio silence from your match in events of this kind can be very concerning. (If you are having trouble getting in touch with your match, please contact us!)

Please take care to credit your artist/writer in your own final post.

Our Discord server has its own list of rules, which are listed within the server. If you decide to join the server, we require you to read and abide by those rules.

Be kind and courteous towards your match and fellow participants. This naturally means that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are prohibited, but even where those are not at play, you are expected to treat others with respect.

We, like Rusty Quill, have an “all headcanons are valid” policy. Harassment or mockery of those with different interpretations will not be tolerated. This does not mean you cannot discuss how you see the characters with others or that your artist/writer should not take it into account at their discretion, but insistence that any one interpretation must be adhered to is not allowed.

If you have concerns that a work or participant may be in violation of the rules, please bring it to the mods directly. Harassment of other participants (including but not limited to callout posts, name-calling, baiting, etc.), either publicly or in the Piles of Nonsense discord server, over their identities, fanworks, or headcanons will result in an instant default.

A full overview of the Guidelines can be found on our Challenge Guidelines page. We also have an FAQ. (Please note that blog pages do not work on the app - you may need to use a browser.)

The writer sign-up form can be found here.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to working with you!  

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB 2025 Writer Sign-Ups Open!

Writer Sign-Ups are now open for the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025!

Please read through the information carefully to understand what will be expected of you as a participant.

The sign-up link is at the end of the post under the spoiler cut!

You do not need to have decided what you will be writing at this stage, but please consider whether the fic requirements are compatible with what you have in mind, and be sure that you can commit to contacting us on the below deadlines to share your progress (or withdraw your participation if necessary).

Schedule for 2025 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT):

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

Confirmation e-mails for sign-ups will be sent out after sign-ups close; if you have not received a confirmation by May 30, please contact us at pilesofnonsense@gmail.com. We ask that you check your email (including the spam folder!) and reply so we can confirm that your registered email address is correct and you still intend to participate.

Participation Requirements:

You must choose whether to join the Big Bang as an artist or writer. You may not do both.

Writers will require an AO3 account; if you do not have an AO3 account, please request one via AO3’s login page.

If you wish to write M or E rated fics you must be aged over 18.

All participants must read and adhere to the Expected Conduct guidelines (see below).

Fic Draft Requirements: At the draft deadline (August 18th), we will require a complete draft of at least 13,000 words. “Complete” means that the fic is written from start to finish with no indispensable scenes missing or left as outlines—think, “If I posted this right now, would I be happy with the story it tells?”

Ideally, you will refine and polish your draft in the remaining time, but it can also be your final draft if you prefer.

Drafts will be handed in via a form that will be sent out to you before the deadline. Drafts should be available in Google docs, or if need be in PDF format.

Summary Requirements: A form for the summary will be sent out to you before the deadline. Summaries should briefly outline the general premise, and include rating, ships, triggers and other warnings, and any other relevant details.

Eligible Fics:

Fics of any rating and with any warnings are permitted, as long as they meet the minimum word count (15,000), are centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell), and are tagged appropriately.

We encourage authors to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to take on a project that they might not otherwise—though please consider what is realistic in terms of the deadlines as well!

Fics must be stand-alone (requires no knowledge of previous fics to enjoy), complete (resolves all main plotlines within the story, as opposed to being part I of a trilogy, etc.), and previously unposted.

Crossovers are allowed, but the focus should be on the RQ podcast involved. For example: a fusion crossover with the Leverage Team replacing the LOLOMG in the RQG!verse would not be permitted, though the RQG characters in the Leverage!verse would be.

Please be aware that fics with obscure crossovers, common squicks, higher ratings, etc., may be more difficult to match, and thus take a little longer to get snapped up. We will do our best to find you a suitable match, though!

If you have any questions about the suitability of your fic, please contact the mods.

Matching Process:

The artist sign-up will include a list of the anonymised fic summaries. Each artist will select 3 fics which they would be interested in creating for, with additional preferences (favourite show/shows they do not follow, OTPs and NoTPs, Do Not Wants, etc.) indicated in the comment field. Mods will then match writers to artists, taking preferences into account as much as possible.

If fics are oversubscribed or if it is otherwise necessary for matching, they may be removed from the list of eligible fics before the end of artist sign-ups.

If you have an issue with your match, please let the mods know as soon as possible.

Do Not Wants:

In this event, you will have an opportunity to Do Not Want (DNW) the types of content that you do not wish to work on. Similarly, if you’ve had conflicts with certain people in the past and do not want to risk matching to them, you can include this in your sign-up or draft submission, and we will avoid matching you with them (details of these will not be shared beyond the mod team).

The mods will always account for DNWs within reason; however, attempts to manipulate matches via DNWs or otherwise acting in bad faith will result in the rejection of your sign-up or draft. We are also not private detectives, and will thus not be fielding any requests such as “do not match me with anyone who has ever drawn/written XYZ.” Please keep that in mind when considering whether this event is right for you.

Expected Conduct:

By signing up for this event, you agree to do your best to meet the deadlines. If you might need a little more time, please email the mods to explain your situation before the deadline passes. Those who miss deadlines without contacting the mods beforehand may be dropped from the event without further contact.

In order to participate in this event, you must be willing to contact the mods directly in the event that you have a question, concern, or issue with your participation (as in the deadline example above). We are happy to help participants with anything that arises, but cannot accept “telephone”-style communiques on behalf of others.

Be in regular contact with your match—if you’re going to be offline for a significant length of time, let them know. Radio silence from your match in events of this kind can be very concerning. (If you are having trouble getting in touch with your match, please contact us!)

Please take care to credit your artist/writer in your own final post.

Our Discord server has its own list of rules, which are listed within the server. If you decide to join the server, we require you to read and abide by those rules.

Be kind and courteous towards your match and fellow participants. This naturally means that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are prohibited, but even where those are not at play, you are expected to treat others with respect.

We, like Rusty Quill, have an “all headcanons are valid” policy. Harassment or mockery of those with different interpretations will not be tolerated. This does not mean you cannot discuss how you see the characters with others or that your artist/writer should not take it into account at their discretion, but insistence that any one interpretation must be adhered to is not allowed.

If you have concerns that a work or participant may be in violation of the rules, please bring it to the mods directly. Harassment of other participants (including but not limited to callout posts, name-calling, baiting, etc.), either publicly or in the Piles of Nonsense discord server, over their identities, fanworks, or headcanons will result in an instant default.

A full overview of the Guidelines can be found on our Challenge Guidelines page. We also have an FAQ. (Please note that blog pages do not work on the app - you may need to use a browser.)

The writer sign-up form can be found here.

Thanks for reading, and we look forward to working with you!  

[pilesofnonsense]

Last anon here! Thank you for the clarification ^^ if it all comes to how detailed things are, am I okay to just check it with a mod or my partner before publishing? So that I can "tone it down" should there be the need

Don't think I'll be writing heavy/detailed gore or anything, I deal more with metaphors and implications anyway, but just in case! I wouldn't mind taming whatever my content turns out to be so that I keep within guidelines <3

I'll most likely be applying as both writer and pitch-hitter as well, very excited for monday!

Hello, you should be fine with implications and metaphors but you can check in with us at any time and you can definitely also run it by your partner. We're looking forward to having you on board and are excited for Monday as well!

[pilesofnonsense]

RQ Big Bang 2025 - Writer Sign-ups Soon!

Writer sign-ups open on Monday, May 12th!

Join us in an adventure to create more longform fanworks for Rusty Quill fandom!

Full Schedule for 2025:

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

All fics centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell) are welcome!

We will post a link to the sign-up form along with the rules and requirements on the appropriate day, but if you’re interested in participating, you can have a look at the full Challenge Guidelines and other information on our blog right now.

[pilesofnonsense]

Hello! I have two questions!

1) can one apply as both a fanfic writer and a pitch hitter? I fear it violates the rule where you cannot apply for both writer and artist

2) According to the rules minors cannot enter with mature to explicit works. Is this in place with non-sexual fanfics? Would fanfics that deal only with the Magnus-typical content such as manipulation and gore still count as teen/general public fanfics? I fear my work may befall the territory of "darkfics" (non-sexual ones) and I'm not sure if it would be correct to tag it for teen audiences rather than mature ones

Thank you in advance!

Hello!

For question one - you can sign up as a writer and pinch-hitter, we'd just like to avoid people taking on too much at the outset.

Regarding question two, I'm afraid we can't facilitate minors creating works that would require an M or E rating, no matter the cause of the rating.

AO3's TOS FAQ states that a work rated General or Teen may not contain graphic or detailed sex, violence, gore or other adult content - this would include some but not all episodes of TMA (e.g. Anglerfish would be fine as T rated, the lovingly detailed crafting of the flesh garden would require an M rating). In the end it mostly comes down to how detailed the descriptions get.

[pilesofnonsense]

Hello there!

I've just come across your post about the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2025- I was wondering what kinds of stories you are looking for? I have had an idea for a long time that I have begun writing- it is a long fic that is set in an AU after TMA200 focusing on the horror with a bit of mystery rather than solely on pairings in TMA (not to put that genre down, I'm just not that good at writing relationships as others!!)

I was wondering if this would be suitable with the theme you were going for? I am really interested in participating!

Hello!

Genfic and AUs are absolutely welcome in the event! Our full requirements for fic eligibility are:

the fic should be centred around a Rusty Quill Original podcast

the fic should have a completed length of 15k words and should be appropriately tagged at posting

the fic should be standalone (requires no knowledge of previous fics to enjoy) and complete (resolves all main plotlines within the story)

the fic should be previously unposted

We hope to see you in the event!

[pilesofnonsense]

RUSTY QUILL BIG BANG 2025

The Rusty Quill Big Bang is back to challenge you (yes, you!) to put your creative talents to the test. If you’ve been waiting for the chance to take on an ambitious project or collaborate with other folks in the fandom, now’s the time!

Writer sign-ups open on Monday, May 12th, with artist sign-ups to come in August!

Schedule for 2025:

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

All fics centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell) are welcome!

We will post a link to the sign-up form along with the rules and requirements on the appropriate day, but if you’re interested in participating, you can have a look at the full Challenge Guidelines and other information on our blog right now.

[pilesofnonsense]

RUSTY QUILL BIG BANG 2025

The Rusty Quill Big Bang is back to challenge you (yes, you!) to put your creative talents to the test. If you’ve been waiting for the chance to take on an ambitious project or collaborate with other folks in the fandom, now’s the time!

Writer sign-ups open on Monday, May 12th, with artist sign-ups to come in August!

Schedule for 2025:

Writer Sign-ups: May 12th - 18th

Full First Draft & Summary Due: August 10th

Artist Sign-ups: August 18th - August 24th

Art Draft Deadline: September 28th

Final Fic & Art Due: October 19th

Posting: October 26th

Info for Writers:

Minimum Final Word Count: 15,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer/s: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

All fics centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, The Magnus Protocol, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten, Cry Havoc!, Neon Inkwell) are welcome!

We will post a link to the sign-up form along with the rules and requirements on the appropriate day, but if you’re interested in participating, you can have a look at the full Challenge Guidelines and other information on our blog right now.

[pilesofnonsense]

RQBB2024 Wrap-Up

You can find all fics for the Rusty Quill Big Bang 2024 under this years AO3 Collection.

All art and posts can be found under the RQBB2024 tag on our tumblr.

Thanks to everyone who participated this year at the big bang! See you next year again!

[pilesofnonsense]

Art for in reverse you are all my symmetry (a parallel I would lay my life on) by @yamswrites for Rusty Quill Big Bang 2024 @pilesofnonsense

[pilesofnonsense]

Chapters: 10/10 Fandom: The Magnus Protocol (Podcast), The Magnus Archives (Podcast) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Mr Bonzo/Nigel Dickerson, Simon Fairchild/The Vast Characters: Nigel Dickerson, Mr Bonzo (The Magnus Protocol), Simon Fairchild, The Vast (The Magnus Archives), Lena Kelley Additional Tags: Tragedy, Explicit Sexual Content, Human/Monster Romance, Forbidden Love, Desire, Obsession, Obsessive Behavior, Renaissance Era, Modern Era, Pre-Canon, Clowns, Betaed, NSFW Art, Ravishment Fantasy, In-story Prison Rape Joke Summary:

Guided by The Diary of Simon Fairchild, Nigel Dickerson brings the Mr. Bonzo costume to life. But there are perils to getting what you want. A tale of obsession, desire, and the love of monsters.

[pilesofnonsense]

My Rusty Quill Big Bang 2024 submission.

This is my teaser piece for @griseldagimpel about her fic Every Day We stray Further From Heaven's Light. The written work of her's is found here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59714908/chapters/152308927

@pilesofnonsense Thanks for the lovely event!

The uncensored nsfw art is located at the ao3 link below the read more.

NSFW Art ⬇️👁👁⬇️