The BSD Worldbuilding Minibang is a fandom event dedicated to exploring the canon universe of Bungou Stray Dogs. We define this loosely, but types of exploration we're targeting include, for example:

  • how each respective organization deals with taxes or other realistic minutiae

  • the events of a pre-canon era such as the Great War

  • outsider POV on a specific plot-line, whether coming from an uninvolved side character or from an OC

  • a canon character's sparsely-detailed backstory or a missing period of time from their backstory

CURRENT PHASE: SIGN-UPS

RULES

  1. By signing up for this event, you understand you will be collaborating with another participant and should not pull out unless necessary.

  2. Participants should be 16+ years old. Both NSFW and SFW are permitted, but participants below 18 will not be permitted to work on NSFW pieces. Mods reserve the right to remove you from the event should there be any misguidance on ages.

  3. Fics should be 4000+ words long; art pieces should be a complete work of art (either colored + shaded or lineart + flat colors)

  4. Fics should placed in the canon setting (AUs are fine so long as they are recognizably placed in the world of BSD; i.e. excluding settings such as fantasy AUs or mundane university AUs, but allowing works such as organization swaps or canon divergences).

  5. Gore/dead dove/sensitive content is accepted, but warnings are strictly required and—to ensure eligibility when matching with an artist—an alternative pitch is required without this content. All ships are permitted. We reserve the right to exclude pitches or works for content in poor taste with regard to real-world politics.

  6. Crossovers and OCs are permitted if they match the other requirements of the event. Crossovers and fics with OC/canon ships or OCs who are not plausibly preexisting in canon require alternative pitches without either of those elements to ensure eligibility when matching with an artist.

  7. Writers are allowed to pitch up to three works. They're guaranteed a work of art for only one of their pitches, and only one will be released if there's an unplanned-for scarcity of artists (writers will be given the choice to rank their pitches depending on which one they find most important; writers who require secondary pitches will have their secondary pitches released, though only one will have be paired). Betas and artists are permitted to volunteer to pick up three pitches each, not including pinch hits, but are only guaranteed to work on one.

  8. Monthly check-ins will occur to ensure progress is on-track.

  9. The majority of communication will occur through a Discord server opened during the Writer/Artist/Beta sign-ups.

  10. Pre-planned pairings (writers/artists or writers/betas) are permitted. Beyond this, pairings are determined by artists and betas "claiming" the anonymous pitches/summaries they would like to work on, determined by their own comfort level. There will be an option to ask to not be matched to a specific person should that be a concern.

  11. Harassment, bullying, threatening, etc are not permitted nor tolerated.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What is a minibang?
A minibang is a variant of a big bang, a fandom event where fic writers are paired with artists to create an artwork-fanfiction collaboration based on the theme of the bang. A minibang has a smaller wordcount minimum than a big bang traditionally has.

What are the requirements with regards to word count?
We have a 4000 word minimum. This may be split up into multiple parts (chapters, series, or oneshots are all fine), but the work meet the minimum word count by the deadline. If you would like to publish only the first chapter of a multichapter on posting day and publish the rest on your own time, that is allowed. We have no word count maximum and encourage you to be as prolific as you please.

How do check-ins work?
Monthly check-ins will be conducted by the mods. The check-ins are informal and brief; they're conducted through Discord and mainly used to ascertain if progress is on-track to make sure there's a clear line of communication on-going.

How are pairs/groups selected?
Writers provide summaries/pitches of the work(s) they intend to write. The mods release these pitches anonymously, separated into NSFW and SFW. Artists select from the pitches which ones they're willing and offering to collaborate with; betas, similarly, select depending on which artists have requested a beta. Mods pair writers/artists/betas depending on choices and availability.

What happens if my artist drops out, or if no one offers to take on my pitch? What happens if my writer drops out?
If your artist drops out, a pinch hitter artist (artist volunteering to take on additional assignments) will be assigned to you. If no artist offers to take on your pitch, you'll go on an initial list sent out to pinch hitters—assignments won't go out until everyone has one artist. If your writer drops out, similarly, a pinch hitter writer will take on the pitch and work with what you've already collaborated on to write something which fits your art.

Does this event allow NSFW or sexual content?
Yes! We allow participants under the age of 18, however, since our age requirement is 16+, and therefore strictly separate out NSFW and SFW content.

Is dead dove/sensitive content allowed? What about [pairing]?
Yes and yes! We have certain restrictions (see the rule on mandatory warnings and requiring a second pitch), but dead dove/sensitive content permitted and fine. We have no blanket restrictions on pairings, but we may sort your pitch into the dead dove category if there is explicit depiction of incestuous relationships or of romantic/sexual relationships between a minor and an adult with a significant age gap—this would create boundaries around timeframe and depicted dynamic, but not around the pairings being written.

Are crossovers permitted?
Yes, permitted that they match the other rules of the event: a focus on exploring BSD canon and no alternate settings. This means that click-drag-dropping the cast of your favorite book into the setting of Bungou Stray Dogs or a longer/more involved AU where one or more crossover characters have been involved with the canon plot from the beginning are fine, but doing the reverse and placing BSD's characters into the setting of another canon isn't permitted. If you pitch a crossover, we require that you submit an alternative pitch without this element, though, since we can't guarantee any artists are familiar with other fandoms being referenced.

Are OCs permitted?
Yes, and we encourage creating them. If the OC does not plausibly/realistically exist in canon or in cases of OC/canon ships, we require a second pitch for matching purposes, but with—for example—fics focused on outsider POV, we don't require a second pitch. (In essence: if the focus is a childhood-friends-to-lovers romance with a canon character whose backstory we can safely assume doesn't include that, we require a second pitch; if the focus is on a group of OC government employees navigating laws around ability users, one pitch is fine).

Is shipping/focus on romance in general allowed?
Yes, absolutely. We do, however, want you to have specific aspect(s) of BSD worldbuilding/lore that you intend on exploring in detail with your shipfic, and will ask you to explain how you plan on doing so. A main point into the creation of this event is wanting to shine a light on lesser-seen facets of BSD, so we would gently ask that this is kept in mind— we'll be contacting writers if the pitches feel too homogenous and diverge from the original vision of the event, though solutions to this will be sorted out one-on-one and will be individual.

Why ban alternate settings? What does that restrict?
The restriction on alternate settings is because of the theme of the minibang—to explore canon worldbuilding and the nuances of it. We permit alternate universes as long as they are still recognizably set in the world of BSD (i.e. basic facts such as that ability users exist and are known, the PM and ADA operate in modern-adjacent Yokohama, etc). Ultimately: we encourage you to play with non-canon ships, headcanons, and composing intricate background lore; you'll likely be asked to replace your pitch with a new one if your summary is of a cowboy or space opera AU, but we leave less extreme examples of veering off from canon up to your discretion.

How do I sign up?
Sign-ups will occur over Google forms. Please head towards any of our social media profiles to find links.

Do you have a Discord server?
Yes! The majority of communication will take place over Discord. Please enter the server through the link given in the sign-up form.

SCHEDULE

  • 1st Dec — Sign-ups + Pitch Submissions Open

  • 31st Dec — Sign-ups Close

  • 14th Jan — Pitch Submissions Close

  • 15th Jan — Summary Claims Open

  • 22nd Jan — Summary Claims Close

  • 31st Jan — Pairings Release

  • 1st March — 1st Check-in (25% finished)

  • 1st April — 2nd Check-in (50% finished)

  • 1st May — 3rd Check-in (75% finished)

  • 1st June — Final Check-in (finished)

  • 7th June — Posting Period Begins