So, what's allowed here?

The easy answer to that is: pretty much anything! We're open to slash, het, and gen, no matter your pairing preference. If you want to write Steve/Tony or Charles/Erik, that's awesome, and if you've got a great idea for an epic Natasha/Pepper or Emma/Scott, that's perfectly acceptable as well. You can base your story off of any medium - so whether you’re a diehard comic fan, into cartoons, or someone who loves the movies, you can participate! The only thing explicitly not allowed is pedophilia for the sake of pedophilia - if it's a plot point, it's okay, but we're not going to post stories that have sexual situations involving children (for our purposes, anyone under the age of 16). If you have a question about your pairing or specific idea, leave a note in the page-a-mod post, and we'll discuss it with you on a case-by-case basis.

Stories and art have to be new. If you've written something that's 10k already, awesome! That's a huge accomplishment, and we're really happy for you. However, this is a chance to create something new, so if your story has been posted elsewhere, it doesn't qualify for this challenge.

Sequels to stories you've written are acceptable! If you write a sequel, be sure to link back to the original story, so people can read that as well.

What about crossovers, fusions, and AUs?

The only requirement for this bang is that the primary focus of your story be on a character from the Marvel Universe. If you want to write Wolverine in Ancient Rome or Spiderman as a new member of the Hawaii Five-0 task force, you are more than welcome to. However, if you want to write a crossover that focuses on Harry Potter being a new member of the Avengers, this is not the place for it. The focus must be on a Marvel character. Crossovers with other comics fandoms are allowed, but the focus has to be on the Marvel character.

What are the requirements for fic?

Your story has to be at least 10,000 words, and there's no maximum limit. You can work with a co-author or a group, if you're more comfortable; the word count will be 10k no matter how many authors work on it.

You'll also need a beta reader for your story. If you have your own, that's awesome! If not, we'll be having channels on our Marvel Bang Discord Server devoted to helping people find betas. This is non-negotiable. You have to have a beta reader. If you want to have more than one person beta read your story, that's fine, too. One is a minimum, not a maximum. :)

What if I've already posted part of a fic? Can I finish it for this challenge?

The purpose of this bang is to unveil a completed piece on your posting date, however we are okay with you finishing your piece as long as you have not posted more than 2000 words of it and don't post any more until your posting date. Since this bang has a minimum word count of 10,000 words we are asking that no more than 2000 words be posted prior to signing up so that at least 80% of the fic is new.

Please note that the 2000 word limit still holds no matter how long your fic is - even if you complete a 100k epic, you can only submit it for this fest if you've published less than 2000 words of it before signing up for this challenge.

What counts as art?

Lots of things! Traditional art, digital art, manips, and fanmixes (with 8 songs and cover art) are all fine. Vids are also an acceptable form of art. If you want to check that what you have in mind is appropriate, or leave a note in the page-a- mod post. We'll discuss it on a case-by-case basis.

I'm interested, but I'm not sure what to write.

There will be a prompt thread on in the Marvel Bang Discord server. Anyone can leave a prompt, and anyone can take a prompt. If six authors choose to write from the same prompt, that's totally fine. If someone wants to mash three prompts together, that's also fine. If someone wants to use half of a prompt, that's fine. Sensing a trend yet? :)

Where can I post my story?

This has changed from past bangs. This year, the stories must be posted on AO3 and linked into the 2019 Marvel BB Collection. There will be a link provided and instructions for how to post to AO3 when it is closer to posting time. If you do not have an AO3 account, it is simple to get one. Here is the link: AO3 Invite. There's a queue, but it usually takes no more than a week to get your account. If you don't have an account, it'd be a good idea to get one as soon as you can. Lastly, don't post your story - or even parts of it - before the challenge goes live.

Will every story have art?

As it stands, we are aiming for every author that wants art to to be matched with an artist. Some people want to sign up as a solo participant and don't want to work with an author/artist and other people want to work with a specific author/artist.

What if too many artists sign up for the amount of stories written?/What if I want to create for more than one story?

If we have five authors sign up with ten artists, well, stories will be double-claimed. Authors are also allowed to claim multiple stories. We'll work this out to the absolute best of our abilities :)

Can I sign up as an author and an artist?

If you want to, more power to you!

Can I sign up to write more than one story?

Sure! You can sign-up to write up to two different stories for this challenge. If you do want to write two stories make sure to sign-up separately for both. If you have to drop one or both make sure to tell us before rough drafts are due so that you don't leave an artist hanging. If you have to drop either story after you have turned in the rough draft you will be banned from next year's challenge.

Can I sign up with a co-author?

You can work with a co-author or a group, if you're more comfortable. But remember the word count will still be 10k no matter how many authors work on it. Just make sure to sign up all authors on the sign up sheet and have everyone join the comm. The limit of two stories per author still stands even if all the stories are co-written.

What if I can't finish my story in time?

That's fine! We understand that sometimes the muses won't cooperate or life gets too hectic. You are free to drop out of the challenge with no penalty any time before you turn in your rough draft, just let us know. You are also welcome to participate as a solo author and not submit your stories for an artist claim. That way if you finish it you can post and if not there will be no penalty. However, if you have to drop out after an artist has claimed your story, you will be banned from participating in next year's bang. We don't want to leave any artists hanging if we can help it.

What is a solo author/artist?

A solo author/artist is someone who want the structure of a fanwork challenge without having to work with someone else to create an accompanying fanwork. By working alone you don't have to worry about whether you complete your project or not because you won't have a partner depending on you. You can also decide to do your own art or find your own partner to work with. Basically we won't be matching you with an artist or an author, but you can still have a fic with art if you arrange it yourself. You can also work on other kinds of projects like podfic if you desire.

Do I have to join LJ/DW/Discord/Tumblr to participate?

The short answer is no. You don't have to join any particular social media platform, except for AO3, in order to participate. However if you want to keep up with bang updates and take part in the more social aspect of this challenge you will want to follow us on the platform of your choice. Discord in particular is where we will be having our prompt post, beta finding help, writing support, word sprints, etc. so you may want to join up there.

I still have questions! Where can I ask them?

Our page-a-mod post is linked in the side bar. Leave us a message there and we'll get back to you ASAP.