pilesofnonsense

Schedule for 2023 (all deadlines at 23:00 BST / 5pm CDT)

• Writer Sign-ups: May 8th - 14th
• Check-in 1: June 11th
• Full First Draft & Summary Due: July 9th
• Artist Sign-ups: July 17th - 23rd
• Check-in 2 & Art Draft Deadline: August 20th
• Final Fic & Art Due: August 27th
• Posting: August 31st - September 15th

Aside from posting deadline, all deadlines are on Sundays. Please make a note of the ones that apply to you so you don’t forget!

For all relevant Information as well as Sign-Ups please see our Tumblr.

Fandoms: Rusty Quill Gaming, The Magnus Archives, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten

Participation Requirements: 

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

Writers will require an AO3 account; if you do not have an AO3 account, please request one via AO3’s login page, or message the mods for an invite.

Artists will need somewhere to host their work, so that it can be embedded on AO3.

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

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

Minimum Final Word Count: 20,000

Maximum Number of Fics per Writer: 1

Maximum Number of Writers per Fic (collaboration): 2

Fic Draft Requirements: At the draft deadline (July 9th), we will require a complete draft of at least 18,000 words. “Complete” means that the fic is written from start to finish with no indispensable scenes missing or left as outlines—think, “If I posted this right now, would I be happy with the story it tells?”

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

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

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

Fic Requirements: Fics of any rating and with any warnings are permitted, as long as they meet the minimum word count (20,000), are centered around at least one Rusty Quill original podcast (The Magnus Archives, Rusty Quill Gaming, Stellar Firma, Inexplicables, Chapter & Multiverse, Trice Forgotten), and are tagged appropriately. We encourage authors to take this opportunity to challenge themselves to take on a project that they might not otherwise—though please consider what is realistic in terms of the deadlines as well!

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

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

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

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

Art Requirements: At least one fully finished piece of original artwork (traditional or digital colored/shaded drawing or painting, completed cross-stitch or knitting project, etc.) or full podfic. Compilations or arrangements of existing art, such as playlists or moodboards, should not be your primary piece for this challenge, though you are welcome to include them as a bonus (see below).

We hope that artists, like the writers, will take this opportunity to challenge themselves—whether by attempting an ambitious work in their primary medium, finding new means of creative expression, or sharing an extra tidbit inspired by their work on this project (e.g. sketches, a playlist, a comment about the fic and the process of creating for it, etc.).

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

Art Draft Requirements: Your draft should show significant progress on your piece. For a digital drawing, for example, the minimum would be completed lineart, ready for coloring. For handcrafts, your project should be about halfway done.

As always, if you are unsure what qualifies when it comes to your medium or process, you can contact us!

Maximum Number of Fics per Artist: Initially, each artist will only be able to sign up for 1 fic (they may create as much art for this fic as they like). 

Artists who would like to create for more than one fic can indicate this in their sign-up, and will be contacted during matching if this is necessary. You may also sign up as a pinch-hitter to be contacted in the event that another artist drops out.

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

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

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

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

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

Beta Readers:  We do not require any fics to be beta-read. If you’re seeking a beta reader, unfortunately this year we cannot facilitate beta reader matchups as a part of the event. You’re welcome to use whatever your usual avenues would be for finding a beta reader, and you may ask in our event discord to see if anyone would be able to help out.

Pinch Hitters: In the event that we cannot find an artist match for a fic via the standard matching process, or a previously registered artist needs to drop out, we will contact those who have registered as pinch hitters to help out. Pinch hitters are free to opt out of any requests we send; we just ask that you do reply promptly.

If you wish to only sign-up as a pinch hitter and not participate as a general artist, please send us a mail to [email protected] and we’ll get in contact with you.

Discord: Writers, artists, and anyone else involved in the event are all welcome to join our Discord for RQ Big Bang chatter! Links will be included in participant confirmation emails; please do not share these links, as they are created to meet our participant numbers.

Expected Conduct: 

• By signing up for this event, you agree to do your best to meet the deadlines. If you might need a little more time, please email the mods to explain your situation before the deadline passes. Those who miss deadlines without contacting the mods beforehand may be dropped from the event without further contact.
• In order to participate in this event, you must be willing to contact the mods directly in the event that you have a question, concern, or issue with your participation (as in the deadline example above). We are happy to help participants with anything that arises, but cannot accept “telephone”-style communiques on behalf of others.
• Be in regular contact with your match—if you’re going to be offline for a significant length of time, let them know. Radio silence from your match in events of this kind can be very concerning. (If you are having trouble getting in touch with your match, please contact us!)
• Please take care to credit your artist/writer in your own final post.
• Our Discord server has its own list of rules, which are listed within the server. If you decide to join the server, we require you to read and abide by those rules.
• Be kind and courteous towards your match and fellow participants. This naturally means that all forms of bigotry and discrimination are prohibited, but even where those are not at play, you are expected to treat others with respect.
• We, like Rusty Quill, have an “all headcanons are valid” policy. Harassment or mockery of those with different interpretations will not be tolerated. This does not mean you cannot discuss how you see the characters with others or that your artist/writer should not take it into account at their discretion, but insistence that any one interpretation must be adhered to is not allowed.
• If you have concerns that a work or participant may be in violation of the rules, please bring it to the mods directly. Harassment of other participants (including but not limited to callout posts, name-calling, baiting, etc.), either publicly or in the Piles of Nonsense discord server, over their identities, fanworks, or headcanons will result in an instant default.