Hello! Thanks for checking out the 1st annual YGO Rare Pair Mini Bang. This event was created to celebrate the wide variety of pairings in the Yu-Gi-Oh fandom thanks to a plethora of characters in each series. The YGO fandom is unique since the possibilities for ships are almost infinite (see every YGO shipping list ever for examples). To honor this, this event will focus exclusively on pairings that could use a little more love in the fanbase.
But, you may be asking yourself, “What the heck is a mini bang?”
Mini bangs follow the same rules for a typical big bang, just on a smaller scale. A big bang is a large-scale collaborative project that pairs artists with writers to create a huge pool of content for a fandom–hence the name “big bang”. A mini bang is often more accessible to a wider range of fans who may be intimidated by the writing requirements in a typical big bang.
Now that those definitions are out of the way, let me clarify what my requirements are for a pairing to be considered rare. For this event, a rare pair is considered any ship with less than 30 fics on Ao3. Polyships are allowed (3+ characters), as are crossover pairings between the different YGO series.
Please see the timeline and expectations for writers and artists below:
Timeline:
- Oct. 16-Nov. 6 Interest check and pre-signup
- Nov. 6.-Dec. 4. Official sign up period (writers can start immediately)
- Jan. 1 First check in for writers (½ complete or concrete outline–general check-in & beta assigning if wanted)
- Jan. 30 Second check in for writers (¾ finished–submit summary of fic. Drop out deadline for writers and artists.)
- Jan. 31-Feb. 3 Art claim period
- Feb. 5 Art claims assigned
- Feb. 19 Artist check-in (must have draft–pinch hitters assigned if needed)
- March 5 Final check-in (writers need fic finished, artists finalized pieces–create posting schedule)
- March 6-12 Finished pieces posted
Writers:
Writers are expected to create a fic 4-10k words in length. They must tag content appropriately and include this in their summaries for check-ins. Betas for writers are encouraged, but not required. If you would like to be a potential beta, please include this in your initial sign up.
Artists:
Artists must create 1 illustration OR a minimum 1 minute AMV or MMD video. For illustrations, it must be a piece that you consider complete as an artist (no stick figures on notebook paper, please). All skill levels and mediums are accepted. Writers, please be kind to your assigned artist and be nice about whatever art you are given for your fic :). (Pinch hitters will have different expectations, since they may not have enough time to create a fully finished piece.)
You may sign up as both an artist and a writer, so long as you do not create art for your own fic. Writers will submit their summaries anonymously to be paired with an artist to prevent potential bias during the art claim process. Writers should keep their fic ideas and WIPS private to only other writers involved so the final posting is more exciting for everyone looking forward to this event. The same goes for artists. Please do not share your WIPS or finished pieces early!
Both artists AND writers can sign up to be pinch hitters. For writers, this is in case of needing an emergency reverse bang if there are more artists than writers signed up–a reverse bang is when a fic is created for art instead.
Fics must be posted to AO3 as part of this year’s mini bang collection. You may also post your fic to other websites, too, once posting day arrives. Artists must communicate with writers about how their art should be posted for the fic (embedded, linked, etc.) and credited. Artists may also post their art elsewhere on posting day, but they must link back to the fic and credit the writer appropriately.
Mini Bang Rules:
- No bitching. This is an event to have fun and support each other’s interests. Participants who complain about what they are assigned or about those involved in this event will be removed.
- Keep an open mind. Since this is an event open to all series, some artists may be assigned a fic for a series they’re not familiar with. This is especially true for pinch hitters. If you do not wish to create art for a pairing or a series you’re not familiar with, this may not be an event you wish to join.
- Stick to the deadlines. I understand life happens. However, missing deadlines throws off other participants and may leave someone out.
- Communication is key. If you have questions, concerns, or schedule issues, reach out to the mod ASAP. Participants are encouraged to join Discord to make it easy to communicate announcements and check-in info. If you are uncomfortable using Discord, you must submit your email so the mod can check-in with you for each deadline. You are expected to check your email regularly for updates from both the mod and the writer/artist you’re paired with.
- Pieces should be posted in full on your assigned posting date. Don’t be an asshole and withhold parts of your fic–this leaves your artist hanging so they can’t share their piece along with the fic it’s written for. Chapters are fine! But all chapters need to be posted at once.
- Pieces should be original to this event. Do not submit pieces you’ve created for other events or on your own. Your story must be a standalone, complete story. Stories that are part of an AU or pre-existing universe are fine, so long as the story can stand on its own. In addition, all pieces need to be your own work. Plagiarism sucks, man.
If you are interested in joining, please complete the interest check by November 6th. You may also complete the pre-registration for the mini bang if you’re already sure you’d like to participate.
Thank you for checking out the YGO Rare Pairs Mini Bang! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out through DMs or by email at ygorarepairs@gmail.com. Signal boosts appreciated :). Follow us on Twitter & Dreamwidth for updates.
