#the required check-in for the event is here! please send your wips over to me asap.

[shintorikhazumi]

I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 1: Three Sisters and The Bastard Father (An LWAxRWBYxStarira Crossover)

A/N: What’s crazier than me writing a crossover I can’t get out of my head at 2am while still having multiple wips?

Writing a three-way crossover until 3am!!! (Ended at nearly 5am tho)

GAHHHHH.

Btw, this is a non-magic au. So Diana has no magic, and Weiss has no… semblance. Yes. Because the world of RWBY always goes “???!! OHMG, magic?!” Quite ironically. They become impressed at people turning into birds, but never flinch at Ruby who can separate herself on a molecular level. Sure.

I’ll be updating this sporadically, tbh. The updates will be as random as the coming of this idea. I do like it a lot, so I look forward to working on it. Just have to prioritize the wips.

[DO CHECK OUT THE END NOTES FOR SOME OF THE AU DETAILS AND BACKGROUND]

Still, I couldn’t let the concept pass me by so…

Enjoy?

~Shintori Khazumi

  I Have Two Sisters?! Chapter 1: Three Sisters and The Bastard Father

  The wind blew strong outside, rain water cold against her bleeding cheek. The numbness was her only relief from pain nowadays. She’d lost count of how many bruises she’d gotten this week. If only her mother hadn’t passed… If only she hadn’t had a bastard of a father.

Then maybe Diana’s life would have been much better than the shell that it now was.

He left her and her mother just as she turned three, the only support she got in the form of random gifts and her financial needs. Her father was nothing of a father. The man that… helped make her was never there. He never showed he cared. Everything he gave her felt obligatory. She hated it. Heck, she didn’t even know his last name, much less remember what he looked like. She did try looking it up at some point, but it seemed as if he was some kind of bigshot she couldn’t name.

Neither her mom nor her aunt had divulged his identity, so she had long since drew a blank to the man’s identity. All she knew was that his name was ‘Jack’ or something of the sort. She had long since adopted her mother’s as it didn’t feel right to take the name of a man she never knew.

All she knew was that he was the cause of all her sorrows. That wretched man had left her and her mother to fend for themselves. Even though her mom was of a strong, well-known medical lineage here in Britain, the fact that she had gotten pregnant out of wedlock labelled her as a shame to the Cavendish name, and she had been cast out to a vacation home in the outskirts of the foreign country, Japan.

After her death, however, the women who Diana now saw as practically witches with how cruel and evil they were decided that because their blood ran through her, took over their small land that she and her mother had cried blood and tears to call their own, and exploited the underage girl, believing she might be of some use as a pawn at the very least, for the sake of the Cavendish name.

And she was. For some time, until she had injured her arm, and was no longer capable of becoming the kind of doctor they wanted her to be, her hand slowly losing its immaculate dexterity, becoming constantly shaky, rendering her as only half the worth she originally was, and thus completely useless besides being their punching bag. Quite literally.

Diana Cavendish found herself spending the better part of her life being abused, and hiding in tool sheds, and escaping her dreaded household at every waking moment, just as she was doing right now.

She hardly believed in any religion, but she found herself always praying to get away from this hellish nightmare. She’d hope that even if she only had a jerk of a father, he’d soon realize that she was his flesh and blood that needed saving.

A hard knock came on the wood of her shed’s door. She flinched, no sound escaping. Had they found her?!

“Miss Cavendish? Miss Diana Cavendish? Are you in here?” An unfamiliar voice called for her, bold and confident sounding, but with kindness and worry interlaced. She felt like it was someone she should respond to. The situation felt like it was some kind of divine calling she should answer.

With legs shaking, she stood up, unlatching the bar that held the door closed and stepping out into the now late night that reeked of hot pavement, rain having stopped while she was lost in thought.

A police officer, clad in uniform and raincoat smiled at her in pity. She was both grateful for- and hated- that gaze. She wished it had come sooner, but at the same time, she disliked being thought of as sad and pathetic.

“Your aunt and her family have been arrested, Miss.” Her ears perked up at the voice and the message they conveyed. Looking up from the ground, she stared into the truthful eyes of the cop. “You’re safe now.”

And she truly hoped she was.

  //-//-//-//-//

  “Weiss.”

At the mention of her name from that familiar voice, she rolled her eyes internally, holding in the urge to snap at the man she called ‘father’.

“What.”

Maybe her control wasn’t as good as she thought.

“Don’t give me that tone. I know you hate me, but I am still the one that raised you!”

“You mean, you’re the one that paid for me.” The ex-heiress pointed out. Her father gritted his teeth, frown deepening as he stepped forward in an attempt to exert his dominance.

Weiss only raised a brow in challenge.

“Anyway.” Jacques continued. Weiss would have smirked as he neither acknowledged nor denied her statement, but she felt it wasn’t the best time. “You are yet to turn twenty, and as you aren’t considered an adult yet-“

“But I’m nineteen, father.” Weiss stated, confused, her raised brow now raised in question. “I’m of legal age, to drink even.”

“Not in Japan you aren’t.” He replied with a smirk so evil, Weiss would have loved to slap it right off if her mind wasn’t thrown in a state of emergency, dreading whatever plans her father had. Even if she wanted to do as she pleased, she couldn’t completely go against him as she was at the moment. Their family name was too widespread and known in the business world, and she feared the consequences of running away from her father who currently had her safety- and practically her life- in the palm of his hand.

“What are you planning.” She narrowed her eyes at him, fearing for the worst, but expertly masking that fear.

“I’ll be sending you away, just as you’ve always wanted. I’ve prepared you an apartment close to a school of my choice to pursue the arts as you so strongly desired,” He spoke in a mocking tone. “And I’ll let you have your way there.” He ended with a smile that sent chills down Weiss’ spine. It sounded too good to be true, her dream being accepted like this. It was like a carrot on a stick being waved in front of her, only to always be out of reach.

“What’s the catch?”

“Catch? My, Weiss, my child, are you questioning your father’s benevolent heart?”

“What’s there to question?” Weiss shot back. “You don’t have one, now do you?”

She grinned at her little victory as she watched him gnashing his teeth, clearly seething in anger. Her smile dropped however as he gave her his own.

“I mentioned Japan’s legal age before.”

And Weiss already knew what he meant.

  //-//-//-//-//

  Life in Seishou had been the dream. Her first two years of high school were the peak of her life, she’d proudly say. She had wonderful friends and comrades who battled side-by-side, pushing one another to greater heights, and… she had someone she adored just a little more than friendship allowed. She had never admitted it, though. Then, a school back in Paris, the place where her mother had blossomed as an actress in the past, offered her a scholarship as an exchange student there.

And like she always did, Claudine excelled. So much so that multiple colleges offered her full rides to attend their institutions. Even highly prestigious universities. Her opportunities were broad, her future looking bright-

-And then news came. Her mother had fallen terminally ill.

She had to go back. She had to see her. She had to be by her side as long as possible.

She had to repay her for the love, for the dream she had given Claudine. She had to be the family her mother had been for her in the absence of a biological father she never knew, and the loss of her adoptive Japanese father at an early age. The lack of a male figure in their family was no cripple to Claudine, but she also missed the presence of the man she knew as her papa. She knew her maman missed him too.

So she had to do this for her mother.

She had to… in the event that… she’d lose her soon as well.

God forbid, Claudine prayed.

She had to return to Japan, study and… get a job, find some way to help her mother pay the increasingly expensive hospital bills, their little family’s saved money steadily disappearing.

She wondered if she should just drop school all together and apply for a troupe. Earn both money and experience.

She had enough rapport both in Japan and France. She could probably get enough opportunities, and she would succeed like she always had…

But…

There was something she wanted to see through, going into university.

When she left for Paris, she had gradually lost contact with all her friends, the culture slowly choking her time, eventually disconnecting them from her.

She’d receive and return the occasional message, but… things were different. She knew she’d drifted apart from everyone.

So, when she found out that they would all be attending the same Arts Institute, and when she had decided to return to Japan for her mother’s sake, she believed it wouldn’t all be that bad if she could apply for a scholarship to the same place, and possibly rebuild everything that was slowly crumbling away.

She wanted to be with everyone again.

And though she believed herself capable of attaining what she wanted on her own, she might require a little assistance from a miracle.

…

And a miracle- could she call this monstrosity of a situation that?- came in the form of a letter that had documents that signified she was the daughter of some ‘Jacques Schnee’ currently undergoing some sort of trial, and because of this, some of the accusations led to the revelation that he was neglecting a daughter, not sending support, and now as some form of bribery and compensation or whatever, he had paid the court to shut up about it if he took responsibility for her now.

Claudine scoffed in disbelief and utter disgust.

So this was her damned biological father? Some apparently bigtime tycoon who slept around and left a woman to fight for herself while carrying his- Claudine would suppose she was now an- illegitimate child.

This… was certainly news she’d never have expected in a million years.

She laughed mirthlessly at it all.

Well, at least her financial crisis had been averted. For better or for worse… she hoped it wasn’t the latter.

One upside was that she now had a clear ticket to that university she wanted to get into, it seemed. Her ‘father’ had taken the liberty of enrolling her there coincidentally. At least he could do something right, Claudine guessed.

“Well… I suppose it’s time to pack.” She sighed falling back onto her current apartment bed, staring at the ceiling.

It wasn’t so bad, maybe. Her newfound reality.

“Japan, I’m coming home to you.”

  //-//-//-//-//

  Diana glared at the letter in her hand angrily. There, in neat script, she saw the name of the man who had caused all her misfortune.

‘Jacques Schnee.’

“I want to hate you for as long as I live…” She gripped the paper so hard, creases were forming and the agent currently assigned to her worried she’d rip it into shreds. “What is this garbage? And why am I… Why can’t I… refuse… this ugly form salvation…” She choked on her sobs, a hand sympathetically rubbing her back.

“Let’s get you ready, Miss.”

Diana nodded in agreement.

-----

All her bags now in her hand after being dropped off by the cab driver, she stared in awe at the slightly modest, but clearly high-end house.

What the hell, did her dad just get her a house?!

Regardless of its size, couldn’t he have… like… gotten her an apartment or condo, at least?

How rich was this asshole father of hers? Was money the only good thing about him? Not that even that was necessarily a good thing.

With a groaning sigh, she unlatched the gate, walking up the little pathway. There were small flowerbeds already present around the yard, and decorations were tastefully placed.

It at least looked the part of cozy.

Once she got to the door, however, angry sounds coming from inside made her question that.

-Wait. This was her house, right?

Why would sounds be…

In a panic, she unlocked the front door with the key that came with the letter, bursting through it like a mad man, blue eyes flickering about the room, shocked to see two pairs of eyes, wide and intense, staring back at her with equal surprise.

“Who…”

“Oh, this is just great!!!” One with hair as white as snow exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air in clear exasperation. “Now we have another one!” She began marching around the room, palms rubbing her face aggressively and scratching through her hair. “That little fuck-“

“-Language.”

“Shut up! I don’t even know who you are, and why you were in my house when I arrived. And you say you aren’t a burglar or whatever, but what is up with your sword play? Even if you were using the curtain pole. Are you some kind of spy or assassin the corporation has sent to finally get rid of me?”

“First of all, this is my house, not yours. And you came at me with a rapier!” A silver-gold blonde replied in equal stress. “You could have killed me!”

“I would never!” The first girl gasped with faux emotion. “At most, you’d lose an ear.”

“Umm…” Diana remained awkwardly fidgeting at the door, her usual bravery and confidence lost in the moment of shock.

“What.”

“I- I am simply here because… apparently my father purchased this place for me.”

Two pairs of eyes blinked once. Twice.

Then realization overtook them.

“Did you just say… father?” The golden-haired one stepped closer to her, a lot less hostile, but still aggressive looking.

“I- Um… yes?”

“Father… you say.” The lady with a rapier in her hand now approached Diana too.

These women were frightening, dear Lord. Diana slowly backed up, but stopped as her foot hit the bags she’d dropped in her frantic moments earlier.

“Can you tell me the name of this… ‘father’ of yours?” Rapier lady asked Diana who was beginning to wonder if she should look for a weapon to defend herself with.

“S-sure. His n-name is…”

“…”

“…”

“Is?”

“Fuck.”

Diana was not one to curse, but it surprised her that she did.

But she couldn’t help it, now could she? After all, her mind had been wiped clean as a white slate. A mental block was not what she needed right now, but just about anything involving that man seemed to bring about her misfortune.

At least the hands by which she’d die her early death were from very beautiful women it seemed.

She liked women, at least?

“Excuse me, um… are you alright?” Miss Golden hair was now very safe-looking and welcoming, Diana subconsciously stepped closer towards her.

“What is up with you? I just asked a question.”

“Perhaps, if you placed the sword down, and looked less like you were trying to murder her and look like you were willing to hear her out…”

Diana expected another heated retaliation, so it was a pleasant surprise to see the other woman sheath her weapon, and place it gently on a plastic-covered couch, clearly brand new.

“There. Happy?” She asked, glaring at the woman now gently holding Diana’s hand- and when had that happened?!

With a nod, the girl turned to Diana and asked again. “What is your father’s name. If you could tell us.”

Huh. She was a lot kinder than Diana had initially taken her for.

“I apologize. I can’t… remember at the moment. I- He hasn’t been around… for me until this point. I just… learned his name a few days ago but…” She hung her head in defeat, apologizing all the while. “Sorry I’m of no assistance to you…”

“No, it’s alright. Isn’t it?” The question was clearly not directed at her as she could only hear a grunt from the other side of the room.

“Yeah, fine.”

“Would your father’s name happen to be Jacques?”

At this, Diana lifted her head, another shocker delivered to her, hearing the familiar name, the cogs in her head clicking into place.

“Yes! Yes, that’s it! Jack, or Jacques or whatever. Snee? Shuni? Schee? I don’t quite remember, but something along those lines.” Diana found herself enthusiastic towards the prospect that some of her questions might be answered.

It seemed the other two shared the same sentiment.

“It’s Schnee.” The white-haired lady corrected, eyes furrowing, anger building up once more. “And… THAT BASTARD OLD MAN!” Grabbing her rapier she swung it around, probably to vent her anger. “He set me up! And what’s more…” She whipped her head about to carefully look the other two people over.

“What is it?” Diana said in a voice quite small.

“Seems he had big secrets to hide.” She sighed. Turning to the initial enemy she had, now turned… stranger? She wasn’t sure they were allies at this point, she stated rather than asked. “I guess it’s the same for you?”

The woman beside Diana nodded, expression looking a lot stiffer than her gentle demeanor as she dealt with Diana earlier.

“I see. I can’t believe this situation.”

“What do you me-“

A voice beside Diana delivered her fourth? Fifth? Sixth?- she’d lost count- Shocker of the day.

“Sisters. It seems we’re… sisters.” Turning to Diana, she held out a hand for a shake. “I’m Claudine.”

“I’m Weiss.” Was the grumble from the couch the woman had flopped on top of.

“…O-oh!” Breaking her stare from the hand, she looked into rose-red eyes. “And I’m-“

And the world suddenly turned black.

‘Hello, My Name is…

[Diana Cavendish]

[Weiss Schnee]

[Saijou Claudine]

-And it seems as though…

I have two sisters?!

  A/N: If you’re asking, yes. Yes, Diana fainted.

Here are some details for this AU btw:

I’ve decided to make Jacques a half-Jap, half german.

So all of them have a quarter of that blood.

Diana is half brit, quarter jap, quarter german

Weiss is ¾ german because of her mom, and ¼ jap.

Claudine is half French, ¼ german, ¼ jap.

Also, if you want to know their ages, and their order, I decided it this way, and let me just quote how I typed it out in the raw idea draft.

“Diana April 30 16yro in anime 2017+3yrs (2020) she's 19 too omg jahahahaha (wrote this coz I’m currently 19 and was amused)

Clau august 1, 2001 19 at present

Weiss Currently 19 (in volumes 5-6) may 15th lmao hahsha. Perfect!!

Wtf Diana was the oldest? Hooo boi. I did expect and want Kuro to be youngest tho, tbh.”

Why their ages are pretty much the same will be mentioned next chap.

And that’s how it went. Decided with Weiss being the legitimate child coz Jacques was the only canonically mentioned dad between the three girls as far as I know. Or I just didn’t search enough.

But come on. I wouldn’t pass at the chance to beat up the dude in a fic so… hihi.

Feedback is super appreciated!

Thank you for reading!

~Shintori Khazumi

[spideypoolbigbang]

SPBB 2020 F.A.Q.

For those over 18, feel free to join the Spideypool server through this link. Please make sure to introduce yourself and state that you are a participant in the SPBB, as well as what type (writer, artist, beta) so that we may assign you the correct roles. This will grant you access to the SPBB rooms, where you can discuss your creations freely. 

What is a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a type of challenge wherein writers have a set amount of time to write a story that fulfills a minimum word length requirement. This story is then claimed by an artist, who will create art for the story. 

Writers and artists work together as a team. They share a posting date and create a masterpost of both the story and art that is promoted by the challenge blog. This is a collaborative effort, NOT a commission. Though writers can suggest scenes they wish to have drawn, ultimately it is the artists who choose an aspect of the story they would like to draw. The artist should also respect what the writer suggests and take their notes into consideration. Communication is key to a fun and friendly experience.

Artists can claim up to two stories and can work with multiple writers. However, writers will be matched with only one artist. If an artist drops out after claims, we will arrange for a pinch-hitter (someone who will create art for the story at the last minute). 

This is a fun event and a collaborative effort that will hopefully create more Spideypool content for the fandom and foster closer fandom friendships. 

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We do not assign prompts. You can write what you want, as long as the main pairing is Spideypool. You may work from a prompt, but you cannot reveal what prompt you’re writing from until after claims and it cannot be a prompt you have discussed writing publicly in the past. This is to keep the anonymity of your fic during the claims process. 

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Claim Day is the official day when Artists will be sent a form to submit their top choices for stories to draw for. The email will be sent out at a specific time and date detailed in the Previews email. Because claims are assigned on a first come, first serve basis, it is important for artists to fill out the form as soon as possible to best assure that they receive one of their top choices. We have done our best to pick a time that will work for a wide variety of time zones, but as the Mods are based in the UK and the USA, we had to choose a release time that best fits our own schedules as well. Be aware that this might mean that you have to set an alarm for the middle of the night depending on where you live to make sure you have the best chance at getting your top pick.

I haven’t heard from my partner in a while; what do I do?

When you sign up for this challenge, you are agreeing to communicate with your partner through emails or other methods determined by you and your partner(s). Some teams might communicate only a few times, and some might communicate regularly. It is up to the team members to check in with each other. It is critical that you respond promptly to your partners and check your messages, even if it’s just to say you’re busy and will respond later. 

Team members are required to make contact with each other within 48hrs of the Team Intro emails being sent out so that drafts can be exchanged and you can begin working together as soon as possible. 

At all other times, if you send a message to your partner(s) and do not receive a response within 2-3 days, please contact a mod so that we can attempt to reach out separately. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO LET US KNOW YOU HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOUR TEAMMATE. If a participant does not respond to their partner(s) and/or a mod within 7 days, they will be added to a probation list. If this happens repeatedly, that participant will be disqualified from next year’s event. Ghosting your teammate will also lead to disqualification. We take communication between teammates seriously, and we hope our participants do as well.

What if I need to drop out?

There is no penalty for dropping out before claims. However, we ask that you let us know as soon as possible so we can remove you from the mailing list. 

If you have gone through claims and need to drop, contact us immediately at spideypoolbb@gmail.com, so we can arrange for a pinch-hitter for your teammate. You must also let your partner know you will be dropping out. Please note that dropping out after claims (for anything less than an emergency) will disqualify you for the next round of SPBB.

In the event that an artist drops out of the challenge before posting, we will arrange for a pinch-hitter for the writer. If a writer drops, artists can still post their art on their assigned posting date. Do not announce that you are dropping out through social media before telling your partner. We do not want your partner finding out that way. Instead, let the necessary people know through private chats or emails. 

If there is an emergency, get in touch with us as soon as possible, and we will work with you the best we can. 

What’s a pinch-hitter and how can I become one?

In the case of an artist dropping out of the event, leaving a writer without an artist, a pinch-hitter is asked to sweep in, often with only a few weeks notice, to create art for that writer’s story. Artists will also be asked during sign-ups if they’d like to register as a pinch hitter. If a pinch-hitter should be necessary, we will contact the artists who agreed to be pinch-hitters first. Should none of them be available to assist with the story in need, we will then post an open request for an artist.

Am I allowed to write timestamps, epilogues, or sequels for this fic? What about additional art?

You may write as many timestamps, epilogues, or sequels to your fic as you like, however these can only be posted after the event is complete and the final Masterlist has been posted by the mods. 

Additional art can be posted after the Masterlist of Writers and Artists has been posted by the mods and the current round is over. If someone creates fanart for your story as a gift, you may include it in the notes of your story, but the original fanart created by your partner must remain in your masterpost and linked or embedded in the AO3 story as well. 

Commissioning art for a story or asking a friend to create additional art for you because you dislike the art you received is not allowed. This is a collaborative event and to do so is disrespectful to your artist’s efforts. If you wish to commission art or have someone else create art for your story, you may not include that art within the story itself until one year after the posting date. The original art created by your partner must remain linked directly in the story.

What if I’m co-writing? Do we sign up together or separately? Do we get two Artists?

If you plan to co-write, both of you must register separately. There will be a place in the sign-up form for you to name a co-writer, but each co-writer must submit their own form with contact information, etc. during the sign-up period. You cannot add a co-writer after writer registration closes. Co-writing is essentially working together to create one story. As per the rules, each story, even if you’re co-writing, will only receive one Artist. This also does not mean you can demand more art from your artist. They only need to fulfill the minimum requirement and can choose to create more art if they have the time to do so. 

Can I have multiple writing partners? 

Yes. While we prefer that teams stick to one or two Writers and an Artist for schedule coordination and easier communication, we have no problem with a team of three or more Writers submitting a story together. As with co-writers, you will still only be paired with one Artist, and all writers in your group must sign up for the event separately. 

To make communication and scheduling easier for everyone, we would also ask that your team choose a point person to respond to communication, coordinate schedules, and submit check-ins and posts when applicable. While we have no problem with large writing groups working together, trying to chase down three or more individuals for one story is a bit more challenging than we, as mods, are equipped to deal with. All participants will still receive relevant emails and reminders, but if we only have to look for one email instead of three or more, that will make our jobs significantly less challenging. 

What is the Promo Period? Do I need anything special for it?

The Promo Period will be a month where (depending on how many teams we have), each team will be creating what is essentially a teaser for your team’s story and art. These posts may be used by the teams to promote their upcoming work on whichever social media platforms they wish, but as the original post will be submitted to the SPBB blog, you may reblog it from the SPBB blog, but do not repost on your own tumblr. We will post a promo for a new team every day during the Promo Period, in posting schedule order. This is why we ask that each Artist create a banner for the story they are creating art for. More details on what is needed from both artists and writers will be sent out a week or two before the actual promotional period. 

How do I post, and when do I post? What if I’ve never posted on AO3/Tumblr/etc before? 

We will be sending out emails to the teams with details walking you through the process of posting and will be on hand to offer support and answer any questions. Make sure to contact the Mod Team at least a few days prior to posting for a walkthrough. If you do not have an AO3 account currently and are in need of an invite code, please contact the mod team immediately (AO3 invites can take anywhere from a few hours to a few months to go through AO3’s approval system, so please make sure to let us know you will be needing one ASAP), and we will try to accommodate you.

One team will post per day during the posting period until we run out of teams. Both Writer and Artist must post your works within your given day. We will send out emails asking which days your team can and cannot post, and will be creating a posting schedule from that information. Make sure to discuss availability with your partner. 

If I don’t want to be associated with my story after the first year, can I delete it from AO3? 

Yes, but we encourage you to orphan the work, rather than deleting it if you choose to remove your affiliation with the story past the one-year date.

Why are we posting during February? Why not sooner or later?

Because, my beautiful chimichangas, that was when Deadpool the movie was released. And we all know a Spideypool Bang is what Deadpool would have wanted. To honor his glorious movie debut, we are going to release a bunch of Deadpool romancing Spidey (and vice versa) creations into the world. 

[Credit to the kind mods of DCBB (DeanCas Big Bang) who gave us permission to use their FAQ as reference.]

[Banner edits courtesy of jdragon122, who kindly took the time to make these awesome high-quality banners.]

[pens-swords-stuff]

WIP Blind Date Assignments [Writeblr Event]

WIP Blind Date is an event where we can discover new WIPs and find new people to read our writing!

Before we get started, please take a moment to read through everything in this post! It’s all important information, and I’ve done my best to make it easy to read.

(Assignments and the required feedback form are located at the end of this post)

A Disclaimer

It is possible that you will be assigned a WIP that you are already familiar with. This was all assigned randomly and I don’t know what WIPs you’ve read. I apologize if it’s not new to you— even if it’s something you’ve read before, please reblog and review anyways!

Reblogging and Reviewing

In order to fulfill your requirement for this event, please REBLOG and REVIEW the WIP Blind Date Entry post that you have been linked to.

When you are looking to see if your blind date has reblogged and reviewed, please check your original WIP Blind Date entry post to see if they’ve done it.

Of course, you are allowed to reblog and/or review any individual posts you like in addition! But you must reblog and review the entry post.

You are REQUIRED to use the feedback form in your response!!

Look to see whether they’ve said yes or no to constructive criticism. If they said no, please refrain from giving criticism. 

If they said yes to constructive criticism, you are of course welcome to give it but it’s not a requirement. If you would rather not, that’s okay!

Trigger Warnings

Every single WIP Blind Date Info post has details on any relevant trigger warnings. Please take a close look at them before diving in. If for any reason you cannot read your assigned WIP please DM me immediately! I have a system in place for situations like these, so don’t worry about anything!

A Soft Deadline of One Week

Please try to get your review reblogged within one week. Today is April 1st, so please get it done by APRIL 8TH.

If you can’t do it within the week, let your partner know. Please keep them updated about when you think that you can get to it. If you’re uncomfortable with letting your partner know, feel free to let me know instead, and I can communicate it for you.

If your WIP Blind Date Entry post has not been reviewed/reblogged AND you have not heard from the person assigned to read your wip by APRIL 9TH, please DM @wip-blind-date​.

Please communicate, I can’t help you if I don’t know that you need help!

Your Blind Date Assignments

Click here to see a google spreadsheet for your assignment!

Please locate your tumblr URL on the left column.

The links to your assigned date’s WIP Blind Date entry post is located in the next column over, right by your URL.

Feedback Form

General impression of WIP:

Favorite part of WIP:

A compliment about writing style:

Favorite character:

A post that I liked a lot:

What I’m looking forward to seeing next:

Anything else?:

Be as thorough as you can instead of just a few words per part. Elaborate, elaborate, elaborate! Tell us the why, not just the what!

If you have any questions, please contact @wip-blind-date​. DMs and asks are both welcome! 

Please read through the post in its entirety before sending me questions.

Thanks for reading, I hope you have fun!

[dwmasters]

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Hello folks and welcome to our masterpost of FAQ!! If the question you’re about to send in an ask is here, do not send the ask! please!

(Our point person for FAQ and questions is @cedtmspcjw​)

everyone:

Can I still sign up if i’m after the due date?

That makes things very difficult for us! signups will be closed July 14th (if that date changes it’ll change here too, and we’ll update all of you). If you message us sometime in July, we might be able to fit you in. After that, please wait until next year or sign up as a beta reader. (We will be reblogging related art and fic, so you can tag us in something and we’ll put it on this blog!) Please follow us for updates!

Who’s organizing this?

You can find mod intros here!

Do I have to have a Tumblr to participate?

Yes. You must be fairly active on your tumblr/check it regularly; if you made an account and you don’t check it regularly, please also put another form of social media where you have been active in the past. (Not set on private). Again, you may not participate with only an instagram or ao3 account.

Do I have to have a Discord account to participate?

Yes. You must have a discord account, join the big bang discord, and your nickname in the discord should be set to “name | tumblr url” for easy access. We need to have the server so we can easily contact you or other groups, and track everyone’s fics and art.

is there an age limit?

You must be old enough to join discord (13).

Do your google forms collect email addresses?

No, you have our word that we have collection off! We respect your privacy.

Can i change my Tumblr URL while i’m participating in the big bang?

No, you may not change the URL you sign up with while you’re participating, or we will send Missy to come remove your bones.

However, if changing it is necessary, then contact us and we’ll update your name on the spreadsheet.

Can I be rejected from the big bang?

We reserve the right to reject any participants, although we will likely accept you if you are a human person who respects other human people. we will inform you of results regardless of what they are. (If you continuously discriminate against other members after warnings, if you are transphobic/ homophobic/ racist or biased in any other way, then you don’t belong in this big bang community.)

Can I help organize?

At the moment, we’re quite fond of our team of organizers. If we do end up needing more people, we’ll inform you all, but at the moment there are no open positions. that being said, if this event garners enough interest, we may be interested in finding more organizers. (That means please don’t ask).

Can I drop out?

if you are busy or know you cannot participate, don’t sign up. if there is an emergency, or you realize you’ve taken on too much, please let us know, and we will find somebody to fill your spot. This is not meant to be a high-stress event, of course, although we would like you to take it seriously!

Can I post sneak peeks/wips on my blog?

Absolutely! of course, we hope that the final project will be kept a surprise, so we can share art and writing at the same time. (And it probably goes without saying, but don’t share your teammates’ wips without permission!) We’re using the tag #fiftiethmasterversary for this big bang, so post your stuff under that!

writers:

is there a word limit?

6k. There is no word maximum, but your fic must be complete by the fic deadline (September 20, as of now). If you can’t write that much, or you have any problems with the limit, then contact @koscheiofoakdown and we’ll see what we can do.

Can I write under the word limit?

If you write under the word limit by, say, a thousand words without informing us, we will also send Missy for your bones.

Can I write for an already established AU?

As long as it’s your AU (if it’s somebody else’s, check the next question), and it can be picked up on its own: yes. if it doesn’t make sense as a stand-alone or isn’t about the master (because… look at the event name?): No.

Can I use somebody else’s headcanon?

Yes! … as long as they’ve established it’s fair use or you message them and send us proof they approved your use of it. If they would rather other people don’t use their headcanons, or if they tell you no… then no.

Does the master have to be my POV character?

Although you must include at least one incarnation of the master in your fic, they do not have to be the POV character. (It should probably be a given, but they should be fairly important in the fic if they aren’t POV).

Can I write a multichapter fic?

You may!

Does my piece have to be a certain ship?

Absolutely not! You may write any ship, or lack of ship, that you please.

Can I write with archive warnings/nsfw content?

You may write virtually whatever you please, although we ask that you do not write non con, dub con, or ships with minors and adults. Any potentially triggering content must be tagged with explicit content warnings! (Winter’s comment: I am very tired of smut being not tagged and then presented to me. Please don’t do this.)

So I have to have an AO3 account?

Yes, we ask that you sign up for AO3 if you’re writing for this event, because that’s also where we will be posting the fic masterpost!

Can I continue a fic that I’ve already started for this event?

if it’s a WIP you’ve been ignoring for six months because you have next to no motivation? Absolutely. If it’s a halfway published fic? no, sorry. any content must be unpublished to be in this big bang.

Can I write about any master?

Yup, any master, including audio-only masters and academy era! if you want to write about the doctor as well, feel free to mix and match doctors and companions.

What if I want a beta/proofreader?

we will have a beta match channel in our discord for you to post your fic ideas and find somebody to read over your fic!

I have a beta reader already.

You’re welcome to use your own beta reader or not have a beta as you see fit (although it’s strongly encouraged).

artists:

Do I have to do digital work?

You’re not required to only do digital art, but your upload must be high quality.

I can’t draw, can I still participate?

Of course! we’re allowing digital & traditional art, but also edits and video art! If it’s visual, it’s probably a yes. (If you’re unsure if your work will be allowed, just reach out to one of us).

I don’t like my fic/fic writer. Can i switch?

you’ll be given fic proposals to choose from, so mostly, you’ll have to suck it up.

But what if I find an artist to trade with?

As long as there’s communication between writers and artists, and you reach out to us, that’s all cool. No bribing or similar activity — we want to leave that for the masters only!

Do I have to have an AO3?

Although we’ll probably post all work and art on tumblr as well, it’s encouraged that you have an AO3 account so we can credit you as co-creator on fics!

Does my fic writer/partner get to choose exactly what I draw?

In the end, the choice is up to you, but we suggest giving them a few ideas and keeping their wants in mind. this is supposed to be a team effort!

How many pieces should I make?

Depending on how quickly you work, we suggest one or two for artists and two or three for edits. but we encourage more art if possible!

What if my writer is behind on their work?

Mostly just leave them alone. But if you’re concerned about them/the deadline, please let us know!

How complete does my work have to be?

You should be taking this fairly seriously, so treat it like any other piece of work you want to be proud of. if you finish your work before deadline and both you and your writer are happy with it, you can also work on something new!

Can I switch big bang projects if I finish early?

We would prefer if you didn’t, but as always, contact us.

Betas/proofreaders:

I’m interested in signing up to beta or proofread, but not write or draw.

We will have beta/proofreader sign ups to come!

I only want to beta classic/new who fics, [x] master, [x] pairing, et cetera.

Coolio! once you’re let into the discord, you’ll see the beta match channel. it’s completely on you to interact with fics you’d be interested in reading.

i don’t have experience beta-ing. do you have any tips?

Although we would rather experienced betas sign up, you’re welcome to join us! we want to encourage a safe environment for sharing our work, so keep conversation civil. (this means being nice about the edits you’re suggesting!) keep in mind that authors aren’t required (although they are encouraged, because why else have a beta/proofreader?) to take your suggestions. ultimately, do your best, and reach out to us with questions if you need help.

Can I proofread and write/draw?

Absolutely! as long as you aren’t putting too much on your plate.

Anything else:

our tag is #fiftiethmasterversary!

our point person is cedtmspcjw! (al)

if your question isn’t on here, send us an ask!

Post credit: Lily. 

[comment-exchange]

Comment Exchange Bingo

The Bingo is finally here! This is a celebration for reaching 100 submissions but I hope it will also serve as a promotion event and to get more comments for all of the amazing fan works we have collected over the last two months. 

I just noticed editing mistakes in the bingo cards but I would have to redo the entire thing to fix it, so I’m sorry. I have also never made a Bingo event before or even participated in one so yeah. Who knows if I’m doing it right. You can find all the squares listed below the cut with explanations if nessecary. 

I am still working on prices, and am open to suggestions in that department.  I will post a list of prizes on the weekend the latest, I promise. 

If you have any questions about this bingo please reach out to me and ask. 

General notes and rules: - You can fill multiple squares at once. For example if you comment on a work form the 0c tag with more than 5k words that is a WIP that comment can count for all three squares.  - Proof that you commented on something should always be screen shots. For squares that don’t require comments things will be specified in the squares description.  - CE is short for Comment Exchange  - All comments have to be on works you found on the Comment Exchange unless otherwise specified.  - All square fills have to date past the start of the Bingo. Old comments or submissions won’t be counted.  - The rules for Comment Exchange apply to this as well.

Bingo Squares: (Left to right)

Comment on a work from the 0c tag - Comment on a work you found in this tag. 

Submit one of your works - Submit a work you created and add a note on the bottom of the submission form that you’re submitting it for the bingo, you don’t have to add a screenshot of a comment. 

Write a comment that is at least 50 words long 

Comment on a fic with a 5k+ word count - There is a list of word counts on the masterlist that can help with this square 

Submit your opinion for the Commenting Etiquette - You can find information on this here. If you have already send in your opinion before this Bingo started, it still counts. Just link which opinion was yours. You can find all the post about this here. 

Post a screen shot of a comment you revived - A screen shot of a comment you got on a work since you submitted it to the CE. 

Comment on something that is not a fanfic - The masterlist also links to other fan creations that have been submitted, chose one that isn’t a fanfic.

Leave a comment with constructive criticism (Only if the creator is ok with it) - Please make sure they actually are ok with con crit. Either because they specified it in a note on their work or by reaching out to them on tumblr or elsewhere. You could also check if they posted their opinion on commenting etiquette and what their stance on it it. 

Comment on something from an unfamiliar fandom - check the fandom masterlist for this one 

Make a rec post for your favorite work you found through the CE - please tag the CE and the creator if possible and tell us and your followers something about the work and why you enjoyed it. 

Comment on something that’s not on the CE and mention CE in the comment - Comment on a work that has not been submitted to the Comment Exchange and mention us in it. For example: “I came here from the Comment Exchange” or something. It doesn’t matter how many comments the work has. 

Comment on a work that hasn’t received any comments through the CE yet - This means they still have the same amount of comments as listed in the post about the work. Remember only comment threads are counted, replies don’t count towards the count. You can find some of them here.

Free Space

Submit someone else’s work (With permission) - Add a note on the bottom of the submission form that you’re submitting it for the bingo, you don’t have to add a screenshot of a comment. 

Comment on a work you found through the CE - Any work is fine. 

Comment on two chapters of the same fic - you can find multi chaptered fics here.

Write a comment with emojis - both 🙂  and :) is fine 

Comment on a work from the Gen tag - this means a work that has no romantic pairing, you can find them here.

Make a social media post about the CE - Any social media that isn’t tumblr works. Please provide a link to our tumblr in the post and give us a link your post. 

Comment on a WIP - That means Work In Progress, you can find the WIPs here. 

Comment on 10 works total - If you filled all the squares that require comments, you have already easily filled this one. 

Comment on a submission with an even number - The submissions are numbered now, just pick one with an even number. 

Comment on a work with less than 3k words - There is a list of word counts on the masterlist that can help with this square 

Tell us about how you found the Comment Exchange and what made you participate 

Comment on a work that’s neither M/M nor F/M - You can find pairings listed by category here. 

[shyanwritingevents]

Welcome to shyanwritingevents' Shyan Mini-Bang 2019! The second event of the year is dedicated to Supernatural Ryan works. Everyone is welcome to take part and have fun with other creators in the fandom!

~ What is the Shyan Mini-Bang 2019?

Born from the desire to have more Supernatural!Ryan fanworks in the fandom, the Shyan Mini-Bang 2019 is an event for fans to create fanfiction or fanart about any form of Superntural!Ryan. That means you write a fic or create fanart, post it to AO3 with the specific tags for the event, and your work is included in an AO3 collection along with all the other works produced during the mini-bang.

More info under the cut.

~ Rules

By signing up, you are committing to write an original, fully completed story that is no less than 1k words and no more than 10k, or to draw an original and finished fanart that is fully colored (grayscale counts).

Current event is for works that focus not only on shyan with but SUPERNATURAL RYAN AU, therefore all fics and art are expected to include this. If your work doesn't have this element, it won't be accepted to the event and the collection.

Works should be focused on and only in the Ry*n Berg*ra/Shan* M*dej (shyan) romantic pairing. You can include other side pairings or even other relationships involving them, but the end result of your work should be driven by shyan.

This event is for works written in English. Anyone from any part of the world can enter, but English is necessary. It needs to have the necessary beta work done before posting. Fanfictions must be reasonably edited and readable, I will NOT betaing works for authors.

You are free to write whatever idea you have as long as it includes Supernatural Ryan and romantic shyan. All kind of AUs are allowed as long as they don't break any of the other rules you are reading. Yet, in your sign up, you must include a initial summary or plot idea of the work you are planning on sharing.

Your work must be complete. Works in progress are not acceptable for the event. Multichapter is allowed only if it’s finished and an original work made for the Mini-Bang that is no more than 10k words, and no less than 1k words.

If you sign-up and have to drop out, you need to contact the mod no later than two weeks before the deadline.

In your sign-up message, you must include: prefered name, prefered pronouns, unsolved blog/sideblog (or the blog you are using for the event), AO3 profile (if you don't have one, you can let me know and I'll get you an invite) and a summary or plot idea you will be developping for this event.

Works including rape/non-con/torture-porn/underage are not allowed as part of this event. This is not a ban on dark material. You may address related themes in your works, but graphic scenes should be avoided. But material of the kind between the couple will not be allowed.

There is no minimum age requirement to participate in this Mini-Bang. However, if you are under the age of 18, please do not work explicit content.

 ~ Restrictions

No participants under the age of 18 are allowed to do explicit stuff.

No WIPs (works in progress) allowed, only finished stories and art.

No underage sex and/or noncon/rape allowed.

No racism and/or racist language. No hate speech of any kind.

No bashing different dynamics/preferences when it comes to the ship. (Meaning, no bashing/mocking Bottom!Ryan, Bottom!Shane, switching, and so on, dom/sub dynamics, on Supernatural!Shane, none of that shade.)

No bashing of any kind to the family, friends and significant others of the boys. Be respectful. If you need a villain to your story, we suggest you to create an original character.

Works that are not tagged under Ry*n B*rgar*/Shan* M*dej and Shyan Mini Bang 2019 on AO3 will not be added to the collection nor allowed in the event. If you have doubts about AO3′s tagging system, please message me.

Got any questions? Ask away!

~ F.A.Q

Can I change my plot at some point during the event?

Sure, just please let me know to also change it in the official members page.

Is it okay if I also include Supernarueal!Shane?

Also sure. Just make sure to have your Supernatural!Ryan (and try to focus a bit more on him).

If this is a shyan event, why concentrate on Ryan?

We want more shyan fics that include Supernatural!Ryan. We got plenty of excellent works with Shane, amazing shyan stories that include him as a supernatural being, so now it’s turn for Ryan to be the one!

Before this event, I was already working a Supernatural!Ryan fic. Can it count for this Mini-Bang?

If you haven’t posted it, if you finish it, and if it’s 100% original/yours, YES.

Is it necessary for me to post on AO3?

YES. YES. YES. It is. PLEASE, post to AO3. If you don’t have an account, let me know and I’ll send you an invite.

What’s the check-in?

It’s a moment during the writing/drawing process where I need you to come in here and inform me of your process. Why I do it? Because this way I remind you guys that we are doing this, that you took this compromise, and I need you to be fair and realistic.

These are the times where you can see if you’ll be able to keep going or would rather drop out.

~ Schedule

Sign-ups: February 04th - February 18th

Writing: February 18th - April 13th

Check-ins: February 28th, March 18th and April 1st

Posting: April 13th - 14th

Closing announcement: April 15th

Next event announcement: April 20th

~ Sing-up

Send an ask or submit the next information:

Prefered Name:

Prefered Pronouns:

Unsolved blog/prefered blog:

AO3 username:

Summary/Plot idea:

All you need to sign-up is an idea, to follow the rules and schedule and respond to the check-ins announced in it. If you don’t communicate with me during this time, you’ll be out.

~ Suggested Supernatural AUs

Demon

Angel

Seer

Ghost

Mythology 

Superpowered Person

Superhero

Classic Monster

Cryptid

As usual, this event has its own Collection on AO3 you can look at and add your works once it’s time for posting over HERE. 

If you have any more questions, ask away!

[crmediagal]

To those who may be interested: I’ve resumed posting my WIP fic, Seeds of Redemption, at my personal website: www.crmediagal.com. I had deleted the story on fanfiction.net and Archive of Our Own last year due to unnecessary negativity, so I’m happy to share that the story is back, being  revised, and updates are continuing!

* * * If you would like to receive updates and access to the story, please fill out the form on the Contact page and you’ll be granted access! * * *

Story: Seeds of Redemption Chapter 6 -  https://crmediagalhome.wordpress.com/sor-chap6/

Synopsis: The First Order may have fallen, but the Proclamation has   risen in its stead. As the galaxy is threatened by the coming of a   Second Darkness, Ben Solo must painstakingly navigate both sides, the   Dark Side and the Light. Only he is no longer alone in this fight, with far more at stake to lose than he ever would have dreamed. Rated M, AU, Post-TFA.

Excerpt from Chapter 6:

"My family—" Rey tried again, keeping her voice steady, but the speed with which General Hux so easily lost his cool brought her severely up short.

"SHUT UP!" He huffed heavily through flared nostrils and bore his teeth; his face turned a shade that was nearly as red as his hair. "You're finished, do you hear? Finished! We've searched the farthest corners of the galaxy looking for you, you idiot girl, and we'll tolerate no more! You'll be brought to the Supreme Leader as commanded, and I'll hear nothing more about your wretched pleas! Captain!"

The head Stormtrooper startled but quickly recovered. "Sir?"

"See that the girl and her offspring are locked in Sector 12 and that they stay there!" Before the Stormtrooper could make a move, however, he added with ominous promise, "Your life will be forfeited if anything should go wrong this time, I can assure you. Understood?"

"Yes, sir," the Stormtrooper replied, though the trepidation in his voice wasn't lost on any of the Solos. He latched onto Rey's arm and started to drag her away, ordering the others under his command to do the same with the children, when another voice, far deeper and more commanding than the general's, suddenly rang out, stopping everyone in their tracks.

"Just a moment." That sent Rey and the children's heads spiraling in the male voice's direction. As they fought to turn around, they spotted Kylo Ren emerging from the same lift they had used. He paused after stepping off the elevator, surveying them—his family—in silence, with that same unwelcoming air that General Hux carried, only his mask camouflaged any hint of expression. He stalked forward to stand side-by-side with the general, who appeared entirely unravelled by Kylo's unexpected presence. "I require a report."

"Oh, for fuck's sake, Ren—"

"Why was I not informed that the girl and the offspring had been recaptured?"

"Because there wasn't time, damn it!" General Hux countered in the form of a hiss. He puffed out his chest, making him—to Rey—more ridiculous-looking as he tried to stand his ground before the far more towering (and threatening) Knights of Ren commander.

"It would seem the Supreme Leader had enough time to inform me of this chain of events, whereas you've failed. He sent me back here straight away to confirm the information for myself." General Hux's fury deflated like a struck down tie fighter, his red beet complexion diminishing to an almost sickening grey. "You wouldn't be trying to take matters into your own hands now, would you, General?"

"Of course not!" he argued, glaring and affronted. "I told you, there wasn't time to send word! Not all of us can use the blasted Force to communicate around here!"

"Most unfortunate...for you." Kylo stretched the tense pause that followed, seeming to take substantial delight in the general's growing uneasiness, before stating, his voice low, yet baleful, "For your sake, General, I suggest you start falling in line. We can afford no further hiccups. The Supreme Leader is most displeased as it is." General Hux went decidedly mute, though his eyes were swarming with unmitigated animosity for his colleague. Unaffected, Kylo turned away to assess Rey and the children. "Where are you taking them?" he inquired, to which the head Stormtrooper awkwardly spoke up when General Hux proved unforthcoming.

"Sector 12, sir."

"No. Sector 12 is all too familiar to them now. We wouldn't want another escape on our hands, would we? Take them to Sector 15."

Rey and the children caught the indignation that flashed across General Hux's disgruntled face, but he didn't contend with Kylo in changing their prison cell location. Instead, he bound his lips tighter together.

"Yes, sir. Come along, you scum!"

Rey and the children found themselves being forcefully taken from Kylo Ren's presence. Astrid started to cry out to him, much to the others' immediate panic and concern, but a wild startle in the Force left the youth stunned and shutting down, as if an invisible door had been slammed in her face. Rey detested seeing the mixture of hurt and confusion that broke out on poor Astrid's face, but she sensed that Ben despised it—and himself—even more for having to do so to keep his cover in check. Astrid's lower lip quivered but she went quiet, lowering her watery gaze to the floor.

'It's all right, sweetheart,' Rey urged the girl soothingly in her mind. 'It's going to be all right. But not here, Astrid. Not. Here.'

Rey and Ben locked eyes on one another for a short, heart-pounding moment, though, to them, it felt closer to an angst-ridden eternity. Then the head Stormtrooper clasping Rey's arms whirled her around and shoved her, along with the children, back onto the lift, breaking the secret couple's connection. Rey eyed her husband over her shoulder and caught a parting glance of his off-putting, stoic form just as the elevator doors shut. Though she couldn't read the expression he wore behind that terrible mask, his subtle, rigid body language that no one else detected but her spoke another feeling for itself: he was petrified.

Available to read in its entirety at www.crmediagal.com

[gosatsuvns]

Weekly Update #176 - A Look Back At 2017 & A Look Ahead At 2018

Tomorrow's the last day of 2017. With that in mind I have decided that, rather than postpone it until the 1st or even wait until next Saturday, I will use today's blog post to take a look back at 2017 and give you an idea as to what you can expect from us in 2018.

So, without further ado, let's see what we have managed to accomplish throughout this past year!

Unfortunately, this year, we don't have anything as big as the release of SHINRAI - Broken Beyond Despair to look back on. Nevertheless, there are a number of things I'm rather proud of.

At the beginning of the year, I was mostly working on SHINRAI's sequel, Withering Without Hope, updating the sprites for recurring characters like Raiko, Nobara and Henjin, for example. I generally worked on a lot of basic things in order to lay the foundation for our next game. Like the story and setting, planning the layout of the new location and starting to work on its design. If you have read one of our more recent blog posts, you might already know that the events of WWH will take place at the Ginmaku Movie Theater. I'm planning to finish the first background of the game as soon as possible so that you can have an actual first look at it.

Over the past 1 1/2 months, I've gotten back into WWH again and I'm planning to continue working on it over the next few months as well... as opposed to pushing it aside almost completely like I did around April.

Why did I do that, you might wonder... Well, that's because I wanted to focus solely on GENBA no Kizuna, the other project we are currently working on and which we officially revealed in June along with its main cast.

Up until that point, I had referred to it as our "dinosaur project" and by now, you should know why that is (at least if you've kept up with our blog posts over the last six months).

GENBA takes place at the Kaseki Residence, home of a world-renowned paleontologist. As such, it features a dinosaur-themed interior, but this "dinosaur theme" is also seeping into character designs and other things, similar to how "Halloween" was the theme for BBD.

GENBA is going to be shorter, a bit more fast-paced and more gameplay-oriented than SHINRAI, featuring a lot more interactivity. With the police actively involved in the investigation, the story being told mostly through dialogue, as well as the ability to experience it through the eyes of multiple characters, it will certainly feel rather different from our previous VN.

Nevertheless, it is still a murder mystery and it does actually connect to SHINRAI in very important ways. A topic I've talked about not too long ago.

With our focus mainly lying on GENBA for most of the year, we naturally made quite some progress with it. By creating a whole bunch of assets ranging from backgrounds to sprites and even menus, the game's foundation is laid now as well, to the point that we're getting really close to the release of a first demo!

That's really what most of our energy went into this year. We did pull off a few other things too, though.

For instance, after all this time, we now have our own website, which we launched back in June along with the GENBA announcement. It still requires more work and I really want to finally expand the sections for GENBA and WWH as well as add some other things to it, but that will be one of my goals for early 2018.

Outside of that (after an eternal back and forth), we have also decided to launch a Patreon page, which we did back in September. Through this, we hope to get enough funds together to eventually hire more people for our tiny team. At the moment, however, it's main purpose is to help us with covering the costs of GENBA's soundtrack.

Now, you might wonder, what exactly you'll get in return for supporting us on Patreon. Well, here's a quick list of everything you currently get access to:

- 3 character design sketches for the suspects appearing in GENBA - design sketches for Kenji and Misaki, 2 of the new characters in WWH - 3 full-length BGM tracks for GENBA - a look at the full script of GENBA's prologue - the first part of WWH's prologue - a post featuring unused BBD art + talk about visual clues - higher resolution & alternate versions of seasonal artworks + a whole bunch of WIP-looks

Things patrons can look forward to in the coming weeks: the final suspect character for GENBA, WWH's first BGM track, the second part of its script and more character designs. You'll also be able to decide through a poll who will be featured in February's Valentine's artwork. And, last but not least, early access to our GENBA demo!

Patreon is really about getting to see things way ahead of everyone else and being able to influence the stuff we do by offering suggestions. Patrons will be able to help us prepare the demo for its public release, for example.

Another thing I want to use Patreon for, however, is to post more WIP-stuff and other things I've always been way too shy and embarrassed about to share publicly. One big other thing patrons can look forward to, for example, is a post about our very first VN project which never got released. I will talk a bit more about how we got started and share with you some very old assets to give you an actual look at our early work from way back in 2011.

So yeah, if you're curious about those kinds of things, please consider checking out our Patreon page. Your support would be greatly appreciated!

I'd actually like to take this opportunity to once again thank everyone who has supported us thus far, whether it'd be through Patreon or any other means.

Throughout this year, we had some incredible things happen. From something as simple as getting new reviews on Steam to even receiving fan mail, both digitally as well as physically. It still feels strange and very surreal to think that some people actually enjoyed SHINRAI that much. People have even asked about possible merchandise, which is kind of shocking to me. But I guess that will be something to look into in 2018.

One of the greatest compliments I have received this year, however, is that SHINRAI actually inspired others to go forth and make their own stories. That's quite touching to hear and... I dunno... like I said, it's surreal. Sometimes it's really difficult to believe that this isn't just a dream. Because these are the kinds of things I have dreamed about for the longest time. For a big chunk of my life, actually.

Really, I'm deeply grateful for all the support we have gotten. People going out of their way to leave us a good review or even send us a message simply to show their appreciation... things like that truly make me happy and I couldn't ask for more. And they certainly serve to fuel our passion. I hope that all of you will continue to stick with us until our next projects come out, no matter how long it will take!

Which I guess brings me to the final point: what's in store for 2018?

Well, like I said before, our main focus will lie on finishing that GENBA demo. It was already supposed to be released in late November, which didn't quite work out. And although not much is missing anymore, we didn't make too much progress on it in December. Which is mostly due to the fact that December is always a really busy month. Aside of a lot of RL stuff, we had to take care of the seasonal artworks and... I admittedly decided to rather devote myself to WWH, simply because I was in the right mood for it. And while I plan to continue work on WWH, I will definitely get back to that demo now, too.

When will GENBA be finished in its entirety? That's a good question. To be honest, I was hoping to release it in 2018, but it's always difficult to assess whether or not that will work out. I can't foresee what kind of hurdles we might stumble into or how long exactly certain tasks might take. That said, I still want to make it my goal to finish GENBA in 2018.

Please keep in mind though that whenever I set goals such as this (even the demo release for late November), it's more of a way to motivate myself rather than me making an actual promise. Might sound like a lame excuse, but... I know that, even if I don't manage to make the deadline, I will still do my best to actually meet it, resulting in more progress than I would achieve otherwise.

If I tell myself that releasing GENBA in 2018 is impossible, so I'll just say 2019... I will make a lot less progress on it, because I'll have that "there's still time"-feeling in the back of my mind. That's why I think it's always important to set personal goals and work towards them as hard as you can. Whether or not you actually manage to reach those goals doesn't really matter as much as the amount of progress you have made once their deadline hits.

Of course, those goals should still be somewhat realistic, so that you can actually feel as though they're perfectly possible to reach. There is no point in purposely setting completely unrealistic goals. That might actually be more detrimental to your work ethic than anything else. But finishing GENBA in 2018 seems doable to me, so I do want to work towards that. Just don't be mad at me please if it doesn't work out after all, haha.

Anyway, this is starting to get a tad too long, so I should finally wrap this up. I will talk more specifically about our January goals in next week's blog post. Until then, please take care and have a happy new year!

And once again, from both Natsu and myself: thank you so much for your interest in the things we do!

[backtothestart02]

Flashpoint: Chapter 4 - Worth It

My completed preview chap for day 3 (fav WIP) of @wipweek. (Look at me popping out another one “so fast” lol)

Synopsis: My take on what Flashpoint could’ve been. Essentially. XD

*Many thanks to @valeriemperez for being an epic beta.

Enjoy!

Chapter 4 - Worth It

“Take as long as you need,” his mother had said.

“Grab what’s most important to you. We can get the rest later.”

But Barry stood in the center of the living room in his apartment and wondered what exactly could be considered important.

He assumed clothes weren’t included in the necessities, since they didn’t hold sentimental value. They were likely in large supply at home too. He couldn’t have brought them all to school. And he had to have come home during summer and winter vacation, even if he had been in school for six years straight.

I mean – right?

He couldn’t be so paranoid about running into Iris that he just never went home.

Barry grabbed his toiletries because he figured those were less likely to be fresh and ready for him at home – probably. It all depended on how prepared his parents were for the rare occurrence of their son returning home for a visit after he’d left for college.

If it was rare, of course. Which is seemed to be, he thought. Maybe. He didn’t know.

Miraculously, he found a clean zip lock bag, tossed the toiletries inside, and set it by the door. He continued to peruse the room for anything of value, but at least on a surface level, he came up empty. He opened and closed cupboard and drawers, but everything was plain, ordinary. Nothing stood out. Another trip to the bathroom and then the bedroom didn’t change that. There were a few cool science-y things on a table near the window in his bedroom, but he felt no overwhelming desire to take them with him, so he left them behind as well.

He checked the fridge and freezer on his way, only mildly surprised to find them both completely empty.

Phone in his pocket, key with his mother, and bag of toiletries in his hand, Barry gave the tiny pigsty of a place one more look-over, turned off the lights, locked the door, and headed back down the many stories at normal speed, resigned to his fate.

It had been his idea, after all, to return home for the weekend. According to his mother, he had completed all his required classes the week before. Which was honestly a relief, since he didn’t know if he could draw on knowledge he’d never used before – or hadn’t in a while – unless it consisted of common sense facts, forensic science, or Flash business.

That was another subject he wanted to know more about. Was he still The Flash? Was he such a slob in Brooklyn, New York, because he was running back and forth between Central City and the Big Apple every time there was a crime? Or was he the Flash for this city? That would be a change.

Something inside him suspected not, though. How could the Flash be such a slob when he could literally clean any room in less than two seconds – one, if he was enthusiastic enough.

A thought gnawed at him that he couldn’t get rid of.

Was it possible that in this life he had never gotten hit by lightning, never gotten super speed, never become the Flash? And if that possibility was true, was it inevitable he’d lose his powers entirely?

It wasn’t something he wanted to think about. It wasn’t something he had been thinking about. He’d used his powers exactly one time, so he knew he still had them. He could feel the lightning running through his veins. It was rush unlike anything he’d ever experienced. It made him feel alive. It reminded him he had a purpose. Saving people. Being a hero. It gave him hope in all things.

When he’d first realized the significance of having super speed – and what it looked like… the streak of color tailing the brush of wind that followed him when he ran – It had sparked real hope in him for the first time in years that he could exonerate his father from prison. Because maybe someone who was just like him, who had the powers that he had, was the person really to blame for his mother’s death. After he realized that, anything was possible.

It had been two hours max since he’d woken up to a changed world, a timeline rewritten when he couldn’t take the grief of losing both parents despite winning everything else. Zoom was defeated. Iris was ready to be with him. She had actually told him she loved him. But it hadn’t been enough. Undoing his mother’s murder felt like the only way to fix everything and set him back on track. He could be a hero or he could just be a normal guy. It wouldn’t matter. His family would be a whole again. And some way, somehow, he and Iris would find their way back to each other again.

A year ago, he’d spent time thinking through the consequences of changing the timeline; of undoing an event that caused such a huge ripple effect. He thought about what he’d lose and what he might gain. Inevitably the cons outweighed the pros and he’d decided against wiping away half his life for a different reality. He loved his life, even with all the tragedy in it. For every bad memory, there was a good one to replace it. Even if Iris married Eddie, even if he had no mentor guiding him in his secret life as Central City’s hero, even with any difficulty that would arise in any aspect of his life, he still had a good life. It was worth living.

But this time he hadn’t thought. He had just acted. All he could feel was the weight of his grief and despair. How could he still be a hero? How could he still be the Flash? He was in no condition to and he couldn’t take a break from protecting his city. Nothing was enough to heal him. Nothing but this one thing. And so, he hadn’t thought. He’d only acted. He was so sure that even if the pros did outweigh the cons, the cons were so much more enormous. They could not be blotted out by a multitude of happy memories and experiences.

At least that’s what he had thought.

You’re not giving this a chance, the voice that had convinced him so assuredly that saving his mother was the right course of action urged. You may be a slob and you may still be in school, but your mother is alive! And so is your father! You don’t know the whole story. Go find out!

And if I lose my speed? If I lose my memories? If I lose all of it? The guilt and fear weighed down on him.

Go find out! was all that urgent voice said in response. And so, what could he do but succumb to it?

Barry switched gears and sped down the several remaining stories, just to remind himself that he could. The electricity humming inside him created a dizzying effect. It was one he would cling to as long as he could.

You don’t even know if you’ll lose your powers, the voice in his head scolded.

Barry ignored it and approached the front desk.

“Hi…”

“Becky,” she chirped, bright smile on his face. He wished he knew if they had some history in this timeline.

“Right. Is Mr. …uh, is the manager around? I think I need to pay my—”

“Your rent? Your mother already paid it, Mr. Allen.”

Barry’s brows furrowed. It wasn’t that he had that much cash on him, but his boss (or…ex-boss) at his latest place of employment had given him his paycheck he’d been planning on sending out that day. By some miracle, Barry had found an ID in the deep pockets of his jeans – he detested the lazy-eyed picture – and cashed the check at the bank (which took some asking around to find, but he did inevitably find it).

He wanted to do something responsible before he left, but it seemed he wasn’t allowed to even do that. How low were everyone’s expectations of him if he couldn’t even pay his own rent without his mother intervening.

“Oh,” he heard himself say, then forced a smile. “Thanks, Becky.”

She blinked, clearly surprised by his gratitude, which made him feel even worse.

“O-Of course, Mr. Allen.” She paused, looking at him differently, with curiosity it seemed. Barry was unsure how to take that. “Will you be returning for your graduation next week?”

“I…” His mind blanked for a moment, curious as to how she knew. It didn’t seem like he told anyone anything or had any friends. He certainly had no self-respect. That much was clear. “Yes,” he made himself say. “I assume so,” he added, which he thought was odd. He shook his head and turned towards the exit. “Have a good weekend, Becky.”

“You too, Mr. Allen.”

He hurried out the door, pushing the continued disgust at himself as far away as he could. Becky was surprised by his kindness, his sincerity, and his gratitude – things that he thought had always come naturally to him he.

The voice that always assured him turning back time was the right idea was annoyingly silent. Barry suspected it was because there was no reassurance to be offered and there would be even less in the future.

His mother was alive. His dad was alive. But everything else was so murky he wasn’t sure he wanted to find out.

…

 “Barry, honey?”

Barry blinked at the warm, soothing sound of his mother’s voice gently urging him awake. He turned to face her, a feat since his face had become plastered to the train window, and narrowed his eyes in an attempt to focus on her face. She was smiling and it made everything inside him burst with happiness.

He never thought he’d see her again. Now here she was alive and in front of him. Soon he would see his dad again too. Everything that was wrong could be fixed. He had a whole lifetime to fix it. And in the meantime, the hole filled with anger and hurt and loneliness inside him that had dug deeper and deeper every night since the moment his mother was murdered had started to fill up again.

Undoing the past had been the right thing to do. It had to be.

That’s the spirit! The voice inside of him cheered, but it didn’t feel very reassuring.

“W-what?” he slurred, groggy from the on-and-off nap he’d been attempting during the long train ride from New York to Central City, Missouri.

“We’re—”

The intercom turned on. “Next stop: Central City, Missouri! If this is your destination, please gather your things and prepare to depart in the next ten minutes.”

“We’re almost there,” his mother said softly.

Barry nodded, sat up slowly and stretched. It wasn’t easy. The seats were cheap and there was more of him than there was space between the two of them and probably the next row over. Good thing I didn’t bring too much, he thought as his eyes wandered to the people gathering in the aisle to retrieve their belongings.

“Your father will be so excited to see you,” Nora said, but her voice sounded strained.

“Will he?” Barry asked quietly, not intending to ask her directly but she heard him anyway, as she tended to. He remembered that from his childhood.

“Of course,” she assured him, her hand on his. The gesture made his heart swell again. “It’s been so long since the two of you…” She stopped, apparently rethinking her words. “You just haven’t been home in a while.”

“I haven’t?” slipped out and he cursed himself for not keeping the thought in his head.

Nora looked concerned now – and with good reason, he thought. Her son couldn’t remember anything that was probably common knowledge.

“I haven’t,” he corrected, making it a statement, shaking his head as if his restless nap was the reason for any confusion on his part. He turned to face her more directly and looked very intently into her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

He saw tears well in her eyes and wondered what the hell kind of son he was if this was making her emotional.

“You’ve been busy with school…and your job…”

He thought back on the speculative, disappointed looks on both his apartment manager’s face and his boss at the pizza place. He didn’t know if he knew the woman at the school personally or not, but she wasn’t much impressed with his demeanor either. He doubted he took any of these things seriously in this life.

“At the pizza place?” he asked dubiously.

“A job is a job, Bar—”

He shook his head and held her hands tightly. “No.” He took a breath and then looked into her eyes again. “I’m going to do better, Mom. I swear it.”

He thought he heard a quiet gasp escape her, but he couldn’t be certain. All he knew was he was more determined than ever to keep this promise to her.

“I’m glad you decided to come home this weekend, Barry.” She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “My beautiful boy,” she whispered and then sank back into her seat.

…

 “Where’s Dad?” he asked, feeling the question was safe. He didn’t hear a sound when he walked into the house after his mother.

“At work,” she said, wandering into the kitchen.

“As in…an office building?” He paused, reconsidering his question. “Or, at the clinic?”

His father was a family doctor first and foremost. He didn’t know if that was different in this life, but it had to have been at some point. It was that way when he was a child.

Nora peeked around the corner and smiled. He couldn’t tell if it was forced or not from this distance. How genuine her reactions appeared to him usually keyed him in to what he was expected to know and what he could reasonably not know.

He wished he’d followed her into the kitchen now.

“I just…forget,” he said helplessly, trying a sappy smile to explain himself away.

She came out to the living room and he saw the smile for it was – another fake one. Something he should have remembered, or known. He didn’t remember anything.

“It’s okay, Barry. It’s been a while since…” She stopped, shook her head and appeared to be rethinking what she was going to say again. When she looked up at him, she was calm and collected, but that forced smile was still there. “I don’t think we even told you.”

He swallowed and nodded as she turned away and made her way back into the kitchen.

“Is there something I can make you?” she asked absentmindedly. “I made some lasagna last night and my mother’s sweet apple raspberry tea.” She smiled genuinely now, but Barry was distracted.

His eyes scanned the room and then he looked towards the stairs, a memory of his eleven-year old self racing down the stairs woken from the sound of his mother screaming in the living room.

“Mom!”

“Run, Barry, run!”

“Barry?”

He swallowed and faced her. By the look on her face he knew he’d been silent for too long.

“When can I see Dad?”

She stiffened. “He should be home in an hour or so.” She sighed and turned to retrieve the items she’d listed previously from the fridge. “Though maybe later.” She paused. “He likes to stay later on Fridays.”

Why is that? He wondered, but he suspected his questions were doing more harm than good, so he made a point not to ask it aloud.

“Grandma Rose’s tea, huh?” he said, indulging her as he stepped inside the kitchen.

Nora was all smiles when she turned around, the tray of lasagna in one hand and the pitcher of tea in the other.

“Mhmm. Want some?”

He grinned. “Absolutely. You know it’s my favorite.” He took both items from her and tried not to think about how touched she was that he heated up a plate for both of them and poured a drink for her, too.

“You haven’t forgot your way around the kitchen at all,” she said, clearly impressed when he finally sat down across from her.

The comment caught him by surprise, because truly he hadn’t been in this kitchen in years, not since he was a boy. He refused to believe it had been that long in this life, but the fact remained. And the reason behind her indirect query was as plain as day, as he knew it would always be.

He looked her in the eye and pulled the dazzling truth from deep within him.

“This is home.”

…

 It was late, almost midnight when Barry heard the door unlocking and he knew his father was home. He and his mom had fallen asleep on the couch watching old home movies – his idea. She was still sleeping with her head rested on his shoulder, the blanket he’d laid across her worn body starting to slip. He didn’t want to wake her, so he rose off the couch as slowly as possible and lay her head gently on one pillow. He adjusted the blanket so it covered her completely again and then quietly made his way to the foyer just inside the door. He hesitated a moment before stepping out of the shadows.

“Dad,” he said, his voice half-strangled.

“Your mother and I love-”

“Noooo!”

“Barry,” Henry Allen’s voice brought him out of the nightmare he’d fallen into. “Your mother told me you were coming home, but I… I didn’t believe it.”

Barry swallowed hard, wondering if the whirlwind of emotions arcing through him showed on his face. He tried to focus instead on his father’s voice and face and demeanor. He hadn’t known how to take his mother’s insistence on the excitement his dad would apparently have at him coming home. He’d half-wondered if he and his dad were estranged too.

There didn’t seem to be tension in him, and it did look like there was a smile starting to break onto his face. The opening was enough for him.

Barry crossed the short distance between them and wrapped his arms fiercely around his father. He tried to hold back, but tears trickled out and stained the skin on his cheek. He didn’t know if they traveled farther.

“I love you so much,” he said, his voice muffled and wrought with emotion.

He’d explain this away later somehow, but right now he needed this and he didn’t care how it looked. Not forty-eight hours prior, Zoom had stuck a vibrating hand through his father’s heart in the same place his mother had been murdered, forcing Barry to witness it and sending rage rushing through him in his overwhelming grief.

Henry patted his back gently, clearly taken aback but not making any move to pull away. Then his arms wrapped snug around his son’s nearly shaking body and he held him close. Barry sank into him.

“I love you, too, son,” he said, then smiled against his skin. “Slugger.”

Barry sighed aloud in relief. Did he ever think he’d hear that word tumble past his dad’s lips again?

No. Never. He didn’t expect any of this ever again. Because his dad had been killed. There was no way he could hear any of it, let alone feel the strength of his arms wrapped around him while he sobbed.

“I’m going to do better, Dad,” he said fiercely, remembering the promise he’d made to his mom. He pulled back, tears streaming down his face. “I promise I’m going to do better.”

He didn’t know if it was an empty promise, one he’d made a hundred times before and never followed through on, but he knew he’d be keeping it this time.

Henry placed a firm grip on his son’s face, still not questioning the emotion flooding out of him.

“You being here, son? That’s doing better.”

Barry nodded, about to succumb to the tears again, so Henry pulled him close and let him sob. He didn’t know why he let him, but he was glad he didn’t ask. Right now, he couldn’t explain. He could just feel.

And what he felt wiped away all the doubt he’d had since he woke up in that pig sty of an apartment earlier that morning.

This was worth it. What he had done was worth it. This feeling of home and safety and strength and warmth would heal him. It was everything he’d known he needed to get past what had happened and truly live again.

“You and your mother didn’t finish all of that lasagna, did you?”

Barry laughed, in disbelief this was real. His dad was holding him, reassuring him, and now joking with him. It was so surreal, but he no longer questioned his good fortune.

Instead, he pulled back and grinned.

“We saved one tiny slice for you.”

“Oh,” he said, amused, and wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulder as he guided them another route to the kitchen. “Just a tiny slice?”

“We were hungry,” Barry defended to which Henry shook his head. “Lots of Grandma Rose’s tea left though.”

“Well then, I guess it’s all worth it,” Henry said, sending a warm feeling to the pit of Barry’s belly.

Yeah, he thought to himself, it is.

*Also available on AO3 and FFnet.

[spideypoolbigbang]

What is a Big Bang?

A Big Bang is a type of challenge wherein writers have a set amount of time to write a story that fulfills a minimum word length requirement. This story is then claimed by an artist, who will create art for the story. 

Writers and artists work together as a team. They share a posting date and create a masterpost of both the story and art that is promoted by the challenge blog. This is a collaborative effort, NOT a commission. Though writers can suggest scenes they wish to have drawn, ultimately it is the artists who choose which scene they would like to draw. The artist should also respect what the writer suggests and take their notes into consideration. Communication is key to a fun and friendly experience.

Artists can claim up to two fics and can work with multiple writers. However, writers will be matched with only one artist. If an artist drops out after claims, we will arrange for a pinch-hitter, someone who will create art for the story at the last minute. 

This is a fun fest and a collaborative effort that will hopefully create more Spideypool content for the fandom and foster closer fandom friendships. 

How do I sign up as a writer/artist?

Sign-up forms are linked on the blog during the sign-up period. If you have trouble finding the post or have issues/questions about sign-ups, let the mods know either through an ask or by emailing us at spideypoolbb@gmail.com

Keep Reading for more questions: 

I missed sign-ups. Can I still register?

Unfortunately, only writers and artists signed up within the given timeframe can participate in the event. If you missed it, please follow the blog for updates, as this is a yearly event, and you will have an opportunity to join the next round of the event.

We can sign up as both a Writer and an Artist, but can we sign up as a Beta, Writer, and an Artist?

Firstly, we applaud anyone willing to undertake such a heavy workload! We do not recommend this route because editing can be just as time-consuming as writing and drawing. However, we do allow those registering as only a Writer or only an Artist to register as a Beta as well. You must fill out both the writer form and the beta form. 

Will you email me reminders? What if I need more time? 

We will send out email reminders several days before the published deadline. Reminders will be emailed for all check-ins, claims, and posting dates. Please consider adding the dates posted on the schedule into your calendar to keep track. 

We will grant extensions on a case-by-case basis. This is a low-stress event, and we understand that life gets hectic. If you feel like you need more time, let the mods know as soon as possible.

I’ve never participated in an event before. Can I sign up?

Yes! Everyone is welcome to participate as long as you are above the age of 14. However, we do ask that you are fully aware of the responsibilities that come with signing up. So make sure you read the rules carefully!

Will we be assigned a prompt? 

We do not assign prompts. You can write what you want, as long as the main pairing is Spideypool. You may work from a prompt, but you cannot reveal what prompt you’re writing from until after claims and it cannot be a prompt you have discussed writing publicly in the past. This is to keep the anonymity of your fic during the claims process. 

When can I start writing?

You can start writing as soon as you sign up (or even use a previously unpublished WIP for this event). 

I want to talk about my fic, but I’m afraid of revealing too much. What is considered information I can reveal?

The most important thing is that no identifiable details of your fic are made public before claims have been completed. This is to prevent the possibility of an artist seeing it and connecting that detail to you. We want to make sure the claims are absolutely anonymous so there is no bias while picking the stories. All stories will be chosen by artists based on summaries and visual components only. 

If you need group feedback and are 18 or older, the Spideypool Discord has a designated section for the SPBB event, where there will be rooms for participants of the fest. Fest rules apply within the server, as it is a public forum. However there is a writers-only room named #spbb-writers-cafe where writers may discuss their works freely and receive feedback/brainstorm ideas. This means that writers may not share details of their story in any other chat. 

If you are under 18, or otherwise cannot/are not interested in joining the server, discussing details with your beta or another individual (who is not participating in the event as an artist) in a private one on one chat is allowed. 

Here are a few examples of what information is allowed and what is not: 

“I’m almost done with writing my SPBB fic!” ← This is okay because it reveals no specific details about your story that an artist could recognize. 

“I’m almost done with my Princess Bride AU fic for the SPBB!” ← This is not okaybecause it is a specific detail. 

“I’m writing a story involving an alien invasion, but I kind of want to write this royal au as well. Which one should I pick?” ← This is not okay. Even if you didn’t mention the SPBB, you’re using one of these stories for the SPBB, and it might be recognized based on these descriptions. 

“Is there anyone not drawing for the SPBB who could help me bounce plot details (In private chat) for this idea I have?” ← This is okay because you will be taking discussion to a one-on-one private chat. 

Can I write other pairings, such as Spider-man/Mary Jane or Deadpool/Cable?

You can, but keep in mind that the fic has to be majority Spideypool and endgame Spider-Man/Deadpool. 

When am I assigned an artist/writer?

You will be assigned a partner during Art Claims. It will be an anonymous claiming process, wherein the artist chooses a story they would like to create art for. Instructions will be sent out by email before claims. You cannot pick your own partner. 

Are we assigned beta-readers? What is a beta-reader?

A beta-reader is an editor who will go over your work. They mostly look for grammatical and structural errors. We require all participants to have at least one beta-reader look over their work. It is good etiquette to thank your beta-reader and also credit them for their help in the author’s note of your story once it is posted. 

You will not be assigned a beta-reader. However, we will have a list of volunteer beta-readers prepared, and a list of their contact information and preferences will be sent out through email to all the writers. You don’t have to work with the SPBB betas if you already have a beta to work with, but if you cannot find a beta, you will be able to contact any beta on the list we send out. 

Be aware that they will have refusal rights if your story goes against their stated preferences (i.e. If they state that they aren’t comfortable with Tom!Spidey fics and your fic is set during Infinity War, they can refuse to beta for you, etc.). It is your job to read up on what they offer and to contact them. Make sure to do so as soon as possible to ensure a beta is available to work with you. Keep in mind they’ll need time to beta your work and you’ll need time to edit before posting day. 

Artists are also encouraged to work with an art beta, which can be found in the Discord SPBB artists chat. Basically, the best people who can give you feedback are your fellow artists participating in the SPBB. 

What is a Check-In? How do I check in/submit rough drafts/summary/visual components for claims? What are visual components?

When we say “check in”, it is usually done through a form sent out through email a week before the check-in is due. Check-ins let the mods know that you’re on track and show us any progress you have made. 

Summaries sent in during the initial Writer Check-In will be used to give Artists an idea of what each story will be about prior to Art Claims. They are not an official summary. The Claims summary can be as detailed and spoilery as you want. More information and examples will be sent out with the first Writer Check-In email.

Visual components will be a simple list of what color palette/aesthetics/mood the story might provoke and/or maybe places/scenes that stand out in the story. Example: Fic has lots of cloudy days, grey colors, sometimes in forests. Hectic blood rituals. Moonlit nights. Wade fights a lot of ninjas. Peter likes to cosplay Steampunk. They are used to help artists better narrow down what they would like to draw. 

What is Preview Day?

Preview day is a few days before the actual Claims, and is the day summaries and visual components are sent out to artists  Artists then have a few days to read over all the summaries and pick their top 3. In consideration of the Writers participating, Artists should not share their top choices on public forums.

If I sign up as an Artist, how can I be sure that I don’t claim a story that contains content I’m uncomfortable reading?

When the Writers submit their summaries and visual components for preview day, we ask them to include as spoilery a summary as possible so that there aren’t any surprises for their potential Artist later. We require tagging for all major AO3 warnings (Graphic Depictions of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, and Underage), and encourage including any other potentially triggering or squicky tags as well. If you are concerned about a particular tag or story element that is not covered under those warnings, you are welcome to contact the Mod Team via email or private message, and we will ask the Writers to be sure to include those tags in their summaries at the request of the Artists. Our main goal in hosting this event is to make sure that everyone is having fun and enjoying what they do, and making sure that all participants are comfortable with their partners and the work they are creating together is a top priority.

What is Claim Day, and how do I claim the fic I want to draw for?

Claim Day is the official day when Artists will be sent a form to submit their top choices for stories to draw for. The email will be sent out at a specific time and date detailed in the Previews email. Because claims are assigned on a first come, first serve basis, it is important for artists to fill out the form as soon as possible to best assure that they receive one of their top choices.

I haven’t heard from my partner in a while; what do I do?

When you sign up for this challenge, you are agreeing to communicate with your partner through emails or other methods determined by you and your partner. Some teams might communicate only a few times, and some might communicate regularly. It is up to the team members to check in with each other. It is critical that you respond promptly to your partners and check your messages, even if it’s just to say you’re busy and will respond later. 

If you send a message to your partner at any time after claims and do not receive a response from your partner within 48 hours, let the mod team know through email so that we can assist. PLEASE DO NOT WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE TO LET US KNOW YOU HAVEN’T HEARD FROM YOUR TEAMMATE.Please do not ghost your teammate. We know it’s tempting, but events like this are meant to build relationships, not destroy them.

What if I need to drop out?

There is no penalty for dropping out before claims. However, we ask that you let us know as soon so we can remove you from the mailing list. 

If you have gone through claims and need to drop, contact us immediately at spideypoolbb@gmail.com, so we can arrange for a pinch-hitter for your teammate. You must also let your partner know you will be dropping out. Please note that dropping out after claims (for anything less than an emergency) will disqualify you for the next round of SPBB.

In the event that an artist drops out of the challenge before posting, we will arrange for a pinch-hitter for the writer. If a writer drops, artists can still post their art on their assigned posting date. 

Do not announce that you are dropping out through social media before telling your partner. We do not want your partner finding out that way. Instead, let the necessary people know through private chats or emails. 

If there is an emergency, get in touch with us and we will work with you the best we can.

What’s a pinch-hitter and how can I become one?

In the case of an artist dropping out of the event, leaving a writer without an artist, a pinch-hitter is asked to sweep in, often with only a few weeks notice, to create art for that writer’s story. Artists will also be asked during sign-ups if they’d like to register as a pinch hitter. If a pinch-hitter should be necessary, we will contact the artists who agreed to be pinch-hitters first. Should none of them be available to assist with the story in need, we will then post an open request for artist.

Am I allowed to write timestamps, epilogues, or sequels for this fic? What about additional art?

You may write as many timestamps, epilogues, or sequels to your fic as you like. However, we do have restrictions on when you may post them. 

Timestamps or Epilogues: Can either be posted on your posting day with your fic OR you must wait to post them until after the current round of SPBB is complete and the final Masterlist of Writers and Artists has been posted by the mods. 

Sequels: All sequels should not be posted until after the current round of SPBB is complete and the final Masterlist of Writers and Artists has been posted by the mods.

Additional art can be posted after the masterlist of Writers and Artists has been posted by the mods and the current round is over. If someone creates fanart for your fic as a gift, you may include it in the fic, but the original fanart created by your partner must remain in your masterpost and linked directly in the fic. 

Commissioning art for the fic or asking a friend to create additional art for you because you dislike the art you received is not allowed. This is a collaborative event and to do so is disrespectful to your artist’s efforts. If you wish to commission art or have someone else create art for your fic, you may not include that art in the fic until one year after the posting date, and the original art created by your partner must remain linked directly in the fic.

Can I use any version of Spider-man and Deadpool for my fic/art?

Yes. We understand that there are many versions of these characters, whether it be the actors or the comics. We ask that teams respect each other’s preferences. As long as appropriate warnings are given in the story and the art, teams are free to create what they please, and that includes underage Peter or Tom Holland!Spidey/Ryan Reynolds!Deadpool. 

Please note that we do not tolerate shaming or harassment of any kind. Shaming or harassing a writer or artist for creating a piece that depicts an iteration of Spider-Man or Deadpool that you do not approve of will result in disqualification from this round and a possible ban for the next round as will. Be respectful and mature when communicating. If you have a problem with the iteration of the characters your partner is using, please contact the mods for mediation.

What if I’m co-writing? Do we sign up together or separately? Do we get two Artists?

If you plan to co-write, both of you must register separately. There will be a place in the sign-up form for you to name a co-writer, but each co-writer must submit their own form with contact information, etc.during the sign-up period. You cannot add a co-writer after writer registration closes. 

Co-writing is essentially working together to create one story. As per the rules, each story, even if you’re co-writing, will only receive one Artist. This also does not mean you can demand more art from your artist. They only need to fulfill the minimum requirement and can choose to create more art if they have the time to do so. 

Can I have multiple writing partners? 

Yes. While we prefer that teams stick to one or two Writers and an Artist for schedule coordination and easier communication, we have no problem with a team of three or more Writers submitting a story together. As with co-writers, you will still only be paired with one Artist, and all writers in your group must sign up for the event separately. 

To make communication and scheduling easier for everyone, we would also ask that your team choose a point person to respond to communication, coordinate schedules, and submit check-ins and posts when applicable. While we have no problem with large writing groups working together, trying to chase down three or more individuals for one story is a bit more challenging than we, as mods, are equipped to deal with. All participants will still receive relevant emails and reminders, but if we only have to look for one email instead of three or more, that will make our jobs significantly less challenging.

What is the Promo Period? Do I need anything special for it?

The Promo Period will be a month where (depending on how many teams we have), each team will be creating what is essentially a teaser for your team’s story and art. These posts may be used by the teams to promote their upcoming work on whichever social media platforms they wish, but as the original post will be submitted to the SPBB blog, you may reblog it from the SPBB blog, but do not repost on your own tumblr. We will post a promo for a new team every day during the Promo Period, in posting schedule order. This is why we ask that each Artist create a banner for the story they are creating art for. More details on what is needed from both artists and writers will be sent out a week or two before the actual promotional period. 

How do I post, and when do I post? What if I’ve never posted on AO3 before? 

We will be sending out emails to the teams with details walking you through the process of posting. If you are new to AO3, one of the mods will be able to walk you through the process. Make sure to contact the mod team at least a few days prior to posting for a walkthrough if you are new to AO3. If you do not have an AO3 account currently and are in need of an invite code, please contact the mod team, and we will try to accommodate you.

One team will post per day during the posting period until we run out of teams. Both Writer and Artist must post your works within your given day. We will send out emails asking which days your team can and cannot post, and will be creating a posting schedule from that information. Make sure to discuss availability with your partner. 

If I don’t want to be associated with my story after the first year, can I delete it from AO3? 

Yes, but we encourage you to orphan the work, rather than deleting it if you choose to remove your affiliation with the story past the one-year date.

Why are we posting during February? Why not sooner or later? 

Because, my beautiful chimichangas, that was when Deadpool the movie was released. And we all know a Spideypool bang is what Deadpool would have wanted. To honor his glorious movie debut, we are going to release a bunch of Deadpool romancing Spidey (and vice versa) creations into the world.