Not long now! We’re entering the “oh shit it’s real” portion of the countdown. It’s not time to panic, I promise!! But it is time to prioritize and make future-you’s life easier.

Authors— this is a good time to look at what still needs to happen before your fic is ready to post. Ending? Editing? Beta reading? Formatting? Tags/warnings? Maybe make a list now so it doesn’t overwhelm you at the last minute.

Artists— same goes for art! What still needs doing? Sketching? Coloring? Rendering? Maybe you need updated details from your author, or to pick an image hosting site? Have a tentative plan to make it easier on you when it comes time to post!

Tiny goal for this week: make a “must finish” list and a “nice if I have time” list. Be honest with yourself AND be kind to yourself. Perfection is the enemy of fucking everything creative. Honest, beautiful, moving, thought-provoking, hot, funny, joyful, heart-breaking… all of these beat perfection.

A little less than 4 weeks to go until the finished masterpieces are shared with the world! What's everyone looking forward to most? Whump? Porn? Romance? Heartbreak?

I shared the posting schedule last week, hopefully the timeline works for everyone, but please reach out if you have issues or questions.

This time last year, we were counting down the days until the season 3 premiere and making predictions about what would become of our beloved characters. Now we're counting down again, but this time, you all are deciding what happens to them! The beauty of fan fiction and fan art-- no matter how the official story ended, infinite endings are possible and people pour their time and energy and love into making them happen. How beautiful is that?

Since it's officially June (or just about where I am) this is a good time for a gentle check with your fic/art and partner. Not a panic check! Just a quick where are we, what’s working, what’s changed, and what do we still need?

Authors, this might mean looking at your draft and figuring out what still needs the most attention. Is the scope still realistic? Is there a scene you need to prioritize? Is there anything your artist should know has changed since your original summary?

Artists, this might mean checking in on your concept and making sure it still feels doable. Has your idea shifted now that you know more about the fic? Are there details you still need confirmed? Is there anything you can simplify now to save yourself stress later?

Tiny goal for this week: have a little check-in with your partner. Share one thing that’s going well, one thing you’re still figuring out, and one thing you might need from them between now and posting.

Hi everyone! a little over 4 1/2 weeks to go before posting starts! Please check out the posting schedule above, I set it up so we have 2 mini bangs and 2 big bangs each day for 4 days!

A few reminders, tips, and pointers:

Fic should be posted to AO3 on the posting date. Any time of day in the time zone that you're in is fine.

You should add your fic to the Squid Game Big/Mini Bang 2026 collection (closed at the moment but I will open for posting.)

Artists, it is preferred that you post your art to AO3, however you may also post to your tumblr, twitter, etc, in addition.

When posting art to AO3, please use the "inspired by" setting (if you author hasn't posted their fic at the time you're posting the art, you can update this setting later):

If you don't think you will be able to post on your scheduled day, please reach out to your partner and to me!

If, god forbid, AO3 experiences any issues during the posting period that prevents you from posting your work, let me know! I can update here as well if that happens.

Hopefully by now you’ve all checked in with your partners and started chatting about your collaborative vision! As always, if you're having trouble getting in touch or not sure what to do next, please reach out!

Tiny goal: Feeling overwhelmed? Try to identify and reach one specific milestone over the next 7 days! Authors, this may mean cleaning up a scene you've been struggling with or asking a friend to beta something for you! Artists, this could be something like choosing a color palette or finding the perfect reference! If your milestone affects your partner, share it with them too!

Hopefully you've all checked in with your partners or are in the process of doing so! If you’re having any trouble getting in touch, please let me know!

Authors, if you haven't already, this is a good time to provide your draft to your artists! If you don't have a draft to share yet, an outline, snippets, messy notes, character profiles, reference images or moodboards, playlists, etc, would work just as well!

Artists, this is a great week to starts asking questions and narrowing down what you might want to make. A specific scene? Something more symbolic? Character focused? Moody, romantic, straight up porn?

Tiny goal for this week: have a conversation with your partner about the emotional core of the fic. Not plot-related “what happens,” but what it’s about. Grief? Regret? Horror? Romance? Healing? DILFs getting railed by vampires? Being on the same page about this will help the writing and the art feel connected, regardless of any details yet to be ironed out!

Questions for this week: (Feel free to share your responses if you want, but these are mostly intended to prompt some introspection!)

Authors: What feeling do you most want readers to carry with them after reading your fic?

Artists: What kind of art are you starting to imagine for this fic and what might you need to ask your author to help bring it to life?

By now, you should all know who you've been paired with for the bang! I am SO excited, we are going to see some truly amazing fic and art once posting begins!

If you haven't already, reach out to your partner to check in! Many of you already know each other but I'm sure some don't. If you're shy, start off simple-- preferred name, pronouns, time zone, best contact method, and how often you’d like to check in!

After that, discuss the level of collaboration you are aiming for, to find one that you are both comfortable with! Authors, share your drafts! Artists, share your thoughts or sketches!

IMPORTANT!!! Now that you've been paired up and are "committed", things may start to feel a little too "real". Don't panic! There is plenty of time until we expect fics/art to be posted (June 27 or after). Over 50 days from today!

Authors, even if you only write 100 words a day, that's 5,000 words! 1,000 words a day? That's a whole novella! You are on track!

Artists, apparently the Mona Lisa took years to finish, but I've seen art from all of you that honestly puts that portrait to shame. Average 10-15 minutes a day and that's a whole 10-hour masterpiece right there!

Questions for this week: (Feel free to share your responses if you want, but these are mostly intended to prompt some introspection!)

Authors: What are you most excited for your artist to see, feel, or understand about your fic?

Artists: Was there a mood or phrase from the author's summary that caught your attention? What are you most curious to learn from the author?

Next steps:

1. you should all have some way to contact the person you’ve been paired with, either tumblr, twitter, or discord. If you have trouble getting in touch with each other, please also let me know asap!

2. Connect with each other within the next few days/week so you can begin collaboration! The amount of collaborating you do is up to you to work out. At a minimum, authors should prove a draft for their artists to read, and artists should let their authors know which scene(s) they’re thinking about drawing/painting!

3. you don’t have to keep the pairings a secret, so feel free to discuss openly. It’s up to you if you want to keep the topic of the fic a secret until posting but please do not post any snippets anywhere public!

Artists!

Fic Summaries are available here for you to review! Artist claim form is available here!

please read below for an overview of the claims process!

First, good news-- Tumblr has re-instated messaging on this blog! Hopefully it won't get spam flagged again🤞

If I haven't already, I'll be reaching out soon to check-in on the status of your fic and see if you have any questions or issues! Fic summaries are due April 18th and should be submitted here.

Fic summaries don't need to be the same as the summary you will include with your AO3 post (although they certainly can be!). The summary should include at least these main components of the fic:

Characters – Who are the main Characters?

Setting – Where and when is it? Canon universe, college AU, Regency AU, etc.

Plot/Conflict – What’s going on? What are they trying to do, and what’s getting in the way?

Genre/Themes – What’s the vibe? Rom com, horror, fantasy, drama, etc.

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