FAQ - General

What is the Our Flag Means Death Big Bang?A "Big Bang" is a writing and art challenge pairing artists with authors completing a long work of fiction. The OFMD Big Bang is centered around stories which take place in the Our Flag Means Death universe with a minimum word count requirement of 10,000.Additional information about the OFMD Big Bang can be found on our Home Page!


How do I sign up?Author sign ups are closed.To participate as an artist, sign up on the Artist Sign Up form. Artist sign ups begin June 1st, 2025 and run through August 25th, 2025.You can also sign up at any time to be a Beta Reader


Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?You may sign up in both categories, but please be aware of your ability to balance your workload.Signing up as an artist is a commitment to the writer you claim that you will produce artwork for their story.Signing up as a writer is a commitment to the artist that claims you that you will produce a finished story to accompany that artwork.


Do I have a Tumblr/AO3 account to participate?All authors must have an AO3 account (or access to one) in order to post your finished works.Artists are not required have an AO3 account.Tumblr accounts are nice to have, but not necessary for either authors or artists.Tumblr and AO3 accounts are free to set up and easy to use. If you do not currently have an AO3 account, the mods can provide you with a code.We apologize if this is inconvenient, but previous bangs have had difficulty with posting format and consistency, and this seems like the best solution to allow authors to maintain control over their own work and keep the bang running smoothly.


Where is the schedule?The schedule for this Big Bang can be found here. If there are any questions or issues surrounding the schedule, please contact the mods.


When and how do artists claim stories?The Artist Claim Post will go up on August 25th, 2025. In order to submit a story for an artist claim, an author must be at least halfway finished with their draft (minimum 5000 words).Authors will submit their story summaries during Author Check-in Number 2, summaries will be anonymized and posted, and artists will fill out a form to claim the story.Artists will be sent links to peruse the summaries a few days before claims. On August 25, they will then submit their picks. Stories will be assigned by lottery and results should be sent out within a couple of days.

Will every story definitely have art?Due to the higher ratio of authors to artists in most big bangs, we cannot guarantee that all stories will have accompanying art.This is why we require that stories be halfway completed for submission to the Artist Claim Post. Completing half the minimum word count by August 20th, 2025 and writing an interesting summary will increase an author's chances of being claimed by an artist.


Where will the stories and artwork be posted?All stories and their accompanying art should be posted in their entirety to Archive of Our Own. Artwork will be embedded within the story.

Rules - Authors

Story Parameters🧭 The purpose and spirit of this bang is to create a work of long fiction within a specific time frame, so stories you have started writing prior to the start of the bang are not eligible to be included.⚓ However, brainstorming, planning, preparing, and outlining prior to the bang are allowed.🧭 Stories must be able to be read as "standalone" stories (i.e. they do not require a previous story or a sequel to be understood or feel complete). Sequels to previous stories are welcome as long as the sequel can be read as a standalone story and otherwise adheres to the OFMD Big Bang guidelines.⚓ This bang is open to canon, alternate universe, alternate timeline, and crossover stories, as long as these stories also contain a major element recognizable from OFMD.🧭 Stories may contain any romantic pairings/relationships, and stories that do not focus on romantic relationships (gen) are also more than welcome.⚓ RPF (fic involving the actors portraying the characters) is not allowed in this bang.🧭 All stories must be beta read. If you do not have a beta, you can request help from one on the OFMD Big Bang discord server (link sent to all members).


AO3 Account & Email Requirements🧭 All OFMD Big Bang authors must have an AO3 account for ease of posting.⚓ Authors must provide a frequently-checked email account. Only the mods and your artist collaborator will have access to the email address you provide.🧭 If you do not currently have an AO3 account, the Mods can provide you with a code.


Author Commitment🧭 Submitting your summary to the artist claim is a commitment to finish your story.⚓ We understand that circumstances arise that can interfere with your ability to finish your story; if this happens, please contact us right away.🧭 Dropping from the OFMD Big Bang after artist claims may result in ineligibility to participate in future OFMD Big Bangs.


Author & Artist Communication🧭 Authors and artists are responsible for all contact between them during the course of the OFMD Big Bang.⚓ Artists are responsible for getting embedding links for their completed art to you.🧭 You are responsible for providing story drafts to your artist and integrating any final artworks into your story before posting.⚓ While changes can sometimes happen to a story during the editing process, remember that your artist is creating artwork based on the version of the draft they received. Out of courtesy to your artist, please try to communicate any major changes to the title or storyline as quickly as possible.🧭 If you have difficulty reaching your artist, please contact a mod.


Completed Story Requirements🧭 Stories must be finished, beta read, edited, and incorporate their art by October 25th, 2025 in order to be included in the OFMD Big Bang posting schedule.⚓ If you believe you cannot meet the deadline, please contact the mods as early as possible. Failure to post your entire, completed story by your assigned posting date could lead to your exclusion from the next year’s Big Bang.🧭 The submitted version of your story posted to AO3 should be complete (all chapters posted at once), beta read, polished, and include the artwork from your artist.⚓ Graphics and traditional/digital artwork should be embedded in the story. (Your artist is responsible for getting you an embedding link.) Fanmixes, podfics, and fanvids can be linked in the tumblr header and/or in the notes on AO3.🧭 Racist tropes/depictions are not allowed, e.g. portraying POC characters as savage or more violent than they are in canon. If you are unsure if you are doing so, please ask the mods for help in finding a sensitivity reader.


Promoting & TaggingGeneral⚓ Please do not tag or otherwise call the attention of the OFMD cast and crew to works other than your own, even after the Big Bang has ended.Until the Big Bang is over🧭 You may promote your story on whatever social media platforms you are on. The OFMDBB is only on tumblr and bluesky though, and will be sharing story posts on those sites only.

Rules - Artists

Artist Claims & Commitment🧭 Signing up as an artist is a commitment to the writer you claim that you will produce artwork for their story.⚓ Authors will indicate in their Artist Claim Post summaries the types and ratings of artwork they prefer to receive / not to receive. Please do your best to make an artist claim that will best suit both you and your writer.🧭 We understand that circumstances arise that can interfere with your ability to finish your artwork; if this happens, please contact us right away.⚓ Dropping from the OFMD Big Bang after artist claims may result in ineligibility to participate in future OFMD Big Bangs.


Email & AO3 Requirements🧭 Artists are NOT required to have an AO3 account.⚓ Artists must provide a frequently-checked email account.🧭 Only the mods and your author collaborator will have access to the email address you provide.


Author & Artist Communication🧭 Authors and artists are responsible for all contact between them during the course of the OFMD Big Bang.⚓ You are responsible for getting embedding links for your completed art to your author.🧭 Authors are responsible for providing story drafts to you and integrating any final artworks into their story before posting.⚓ If you have difficulty reaching your author, please contact a mod.


Artwork RequirementsArtists are required to host their artwork on a site of their choosing and then to provide embedding links to their authors. Simply emailing your finished art files to the author is not acceptable unless you have already discussed doing so with them and they are okay with it. See below for more information.🧭 Traditional or digital artwork should include at least 2 pieces of artwork, though one piece can be a banner/header or a piece of cover art cropped from the first piece of art.⚓ Graphics Packages should include at least one piece of cover art, and a banner/header (which can be a modified version of the cover art).🧭 Fanmixes should include a linkable (hosted on spotify, youtube, or the like) mix of at least five songs with front and back cover art.⚓ Fanvids should include at least one video of at least one minute in length.🧭 Photosets or Gifsets must have at least six (6) frames.⚓ Podfics should include a recording which covers the entire text of the story.🧭 In all cases, artwork should not whitewash any character played by an actor of color. Artists may be asked to adjust their color palettes if the mods deem it to be necessary.


Promoting & TaggingGeneral⚓ Please do not tag or otherwise call the attention of the OFMD cast and crew to works other than your own, even after the Big Bang has ended.Until the Big Bang is over🧭 You may promote your story on whatever social media platforms you are on. The OFMDBB is only on tumblr and bluesky though, and will be sharing story posts on those sites only.

Rules: Participant Conduct

All participants are required to treat other participants with kindness and respect. This means no harassment, name calling, bullying, or piling on; and no ship or character bashing. Stories about all OFMD ships and characters are welcome in this Big Bang. Violation of any of these rules will result in a warning or exclusion from the big bang, at the discretion of the moderator team.Additionally, participants who have a history of harmful behavior may be removed from the Big Bang at the mods' discretion.

Rules: Warnings Policy

The purpose of a warning on a fic is to let the readers know what they are getting before they click on the link. The most important reason this matters is that some subjects are trauma triggers for certain readers, and while we can't know everything that could potentially trigger a reader, we want the reading experience to be as safe as reasonably possible.For this reason, certain warnings will be required to be provided if they are present in your fic, and others we strongly suggest you include.🧭 Required warnings and tags. The following must be included in the warnings if they are present in your fic: child abuse (physical, emotional, or sexual); domestic abuse/violence; incest; non-con/dub-con, including statutory; sex involving characters below the age of 18; graphic violence; suicide/suicidal ideation/self-harm; and major character death (whether or not that death is canonical). If your fic contains these situations and you do not warn for them, you’ll be given an opportunity to update your header, after which time your fic will be removed.⚓ Strongly encouraged warnings and tags. We strongly suggest you include warnings for the following: Minor character death (whether or not that death is canonical); kinks (BDSM, slave, bloodplay, breathplay, scat, etc. — if it’s something you’d prompt on the kink meme, consider warning for it); mpreg; knotting; underage drug/alcohol use; substance abuse of any nature; and mental health issues.🧭 We also urge writers to tag any romantic pairings that appear in the story, even those that appear in a background or minor way.Warnings and tags also help people to search for story content they will most enjoy and to filter out content they'd rather not read, so warnings and tags help everyone have more fun!Thank you all for your cooperation and for keeping the OFMD Big Bang a safe space for readers!

FAQ - Authors, Writing

What is the minimum word count? Is there a maximum word count?The minimum word count required for this festival is 10,000 words. There is no maximum word count.


Can I use a story I’m already writing?The goal of a Big Bang is to create a new work of long fiction within a specific time frame. As such, stories you have begun prior to the start of the bang cannot be used as that defeats the purpose of the bang.However, brainstorming, planning, preparing, and outlining prior to the bang is allowed.


Can I write a sequel to a story I have already written?Sequels to previous stories are welcome as long as the sequel can be read as a standalone story (i.e. a reader will not need to have read the first part of your story to understand the sequel, and the sequel functions as a complete story on its own) and otherwise adheres to the OFMD Big Bang guidelines.


Can I write more than one story?Signing up for more than one story is allowed, but discouraged due to the high word count requirement. You are the best judge of your writing pace, so please only sign up for what you feel is realistically achievable.Remember that submitting a summary to the Artist Claim Post is a commitment to your artist to complete your story or stories.


Is cowriting permissible?You may sign up with one coauthor for any given story. You may also sign up for an additional story with a different cowriter, if you desire.


Can I share my story premise or idea on social media?No, since artist claims are supposed to be anonymous - which is part of the fun of the Big Bang! But you can share and chat about your ideas privately with other BB authors.


Which pairings are permissible?For the OFMD Big Bang, any pairings are permissible, including poly ships (OT3+), as well as general (Gen) fics focusing on any platonic relationships, or on characters outside of relationships. Real person fic (RPF) is not allowed.


Are crossover fics allowed?Crossovers with other fandoms are allowed as long as the main characters are from OFMD.


Are there any content restrictions (nsfw, etc.)?Anything you can legally post to AO3 is allowed, provided you tag appropriately, follow our warnings policy, and otherwise follow the rules outlined here (i.e. no rpf).


When are the check-ins, and how many words are required for each one?The full OFMD Big Bang schedule, including check-in dates and information about the basic check-in requirements, can be found here. Check-ins are an opportunity to touch base with the mods and, once you are paired, your artist.Important: In order to submit your story for an artist claim, you must have a word count of at least 5,000 words by the end of the second check in on August 20th, 2025.


Is a beta reader required for my story?Your story must be beta-read at least once before submission. If you do not already have a beta reader, you can visit the OFMD Big Bang Discord "beta profiles" or "find a beta" channels to find one.


What if I don’t finish my story?You may drop from the OFMD Big Bang at any time prior to receiving an artist claim without penalty.Dropping after art claims is unfair to your artist. If you drop after receiving your artist claim without prior contact with the mods, you may not be allowed to participate in next year’s OFMD Big Bang.


What if I don't get an artist? Or what if I complete my story but my artist doesn't finish their art?Your completed story can still be included in the OFMD Big Bang collection. The time and dedication you put into completing a work for the bang means that you still deserve to be included and cheered!

FAQ - Authors, Posting

Where will the stories and artwork be posted?All stories and their accompanying art should be posted in their entirety to Archive of Our Own. Artwork will be embedded within the story using the embed link(s) provided your artist.


Do I include the artwork in AO3?Yes, graphics and traditional/digital artwork should be embedded in the story. (Your artist is responsible for getting you an embedding link.)Fanmixes, podfics, and fanvids can be linked in the tumblr header and/or in the notes on AO3.


Can I still post my story if I don't get an artist? Or if I complete my story but my artist doesn't finish their art?Your completed story can still be included in the OFMD Big Bang collection. The time and dedication you put into completing a work for the bang means that you still deserve to be included and cheered!


When do I post my story?During one of the last check-ins, part of the check-in form includes your preferences for posting dates. With this information, the mods will assign your posting date, which will be announced via email.


Can I post my story whenever I want?You must post your story on your assigned posting date. As long as it is still that date somewhere on the planet, you will be fine.If you do not post on your date, you may be removed from the Big Bang.

May I post my story as a series of installments over time (e.g. one chapter at a time)?No. Your entire story must be posted on AO3 before you submit the required information for the official tumblr and twitter posts.In order to get all chapters posted and any formatting issues resolved, you may start posting to AO3 up to 48 hours before your time slot. Please choose your posting slot accordingly.If you need more than 48 hours to format your story, please use AO3’s draft and preview system. (Tip: Weirdly and unintuitively, you need to "preview" your work on AO3 in order for the "save as a draft" option to show.)We understand and appreciate that releasing a story chapter by chapter is a helpful strategy for authors (which includes many of the mods!) to build hype around their multi-chapter works - and, we do have specific reasons for requiring that stories be posted all at once for the OFMD Big Bang.🧭 First and foremost, the spirit and tradition of a Big Bang is "a big explosion of long fics and art all at once."⚓ The emphases of the OFMD Big Bang event are collaboration and shared delight - taking joy in our shared love of Our Flag Means Death and its celebration of the value of loving, kind community and found family - rather than individual promotion.🧭 Practically, allowing for posting individual stories at a staggered pace (e.g. chapter by chapter) - even if it is within a given time frame - makes managing the event much more tricky. We are a small team of volunteer mods passionate about this fandom and this event, and changing the rule for posting timeline requirements by allowing chapter-by-chapter posting would create a significant amount of additional work and stress for us.So in addition to keeping with fandom tradition for this particular type of event and emphasizing joy in community and collaboration, this rule is also a boundary we (the mods) set for our own well-being as we balance the different responsibilities we have in our lives.So for authors who create a multi-chapter work for the OFMD Big Bang, this is the one occasion where staggered posting won't be possible since it is one of the event parameters. But many great things also come with participating in the BB - fantastic art, enthusiastic collaboration, participation in a fandom tradition, creative community, and the opportunity to build and grow friendships with other OFMD lovers!


Promoting & TaggingGeneral⚓ Please do not tag or otherwise call the attention of the OFMD cast and crew to works other than your own, even after the Big Bang has ended.Until the Big Bang is over🧭 If you promote your story / collaboration on Twitter or Tumblr, link to the official OFMD Big Bang post for your work on that platform (rather than the direct AO3 link).⚓ If you promote your work on another social media site (e.g. Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook), you may link directly to your published work.Once the Big Bang is complete🧭 Once the Big Bang is complete, you may link to your work however you wish.

FAQ - Artists

What are the art requirements for the OFMD Big Bang?The OFMD Big Bang allows a wide array of art, with requirements based on the media.Artists providing a graphics package should include at least one piece of cover art, and a banner/header (which can be a modified version of the cover art).Artists submitting a fanmix should include a linkable (hosted on spotify, youtube, or the like) mix of at least five songs with front and back cover art.Artists submitting traditional or digital artwork should include 2+ pieces of artwork, though one piece can be a banner/header or a piece of cover art cropped from the first piece of art.Artists submitting a fanvid should include at least one video of at least one minute in length.Artists submitting a Photoset or Gifset must have at least six (6) frames.Artists submitting a podfic should include a recording which covers the entire text of the story.In all cases, artwork should not whitewash any character played by an actor of color. If deemed necessary by the mods, artists may be asked to adjust palette/skin tone color of their work.The summaries posted to the Artist Claim Post will include a note on any types of artwork an author prefers to receive/not to receive. Some authors may be uncomfortable with certain content (eg. nudity) or formats. Please do your best to make an artist claim that will best suit both you and your writer.Artists are required to host their artwork on a site of their choosing, and then provide embedding links to their authors. Simply emailing your finished art files to the author is not acceptable.


How do I sign up?Fill out the Artist Sign Up form. Artist sign-ups continue through August 25th, 2024.


How do I claim a story?The Artist Claim Post will go up on August 25th, 2024. Only stories with drafts of at least 5,000 words will be posted in the claim post.The Artist Claim listings will be anonymous (no author(s) names) and will include any pairings or warnings which appear in the story.Artists will vote on whether the claims are made on a first-come, first-served basis or via a lottery. Artists will be notified of the poll via email before it is posted.


Can I claim more than one story?Please claim only one story in the first Artist Claim Post. If we still have unclaimed stories, we will post a second round claim post later that same week.


What do I do when I’m finished?When you have completed your art, please contact your author to determine the best method for sharing your artwork.Any graphics or traditional/digital art should be embedded within the story, which requires the artwork be uploaded somewhere other than AO3. There is no requirement for exactly where the artwork be uploaded (imgur.com is a popular service), though it must be uploaded by the artist.Artists may also make an art masterpost on AO3; please do not post your art to AO3 until 24 hours prior to your author’s posting date/time.Artists creating a fanmix for their stories should post the link to the youtube/spotify/etc. fanmix, along with the accompanying cover art, to tumblr or AO3; your writer will include a link to the fanmix in the header of their work.Artists creating a fanvid should post their video to YouTube, preferably with a link to the author’s story in the notes.


What if I complete my art but my author doesn't finish their story?Your completed artwork can still be included in the OFMD Big Bang collection. The time and dedication you put into completing a work for the bang means that you still deserve to be included and cheered!


Promoting & TaggingGeneral⚓ Please do not tag or otherwise call the attention of the OFMD cast and crew to works other than your own, even after the Big Bang has ended.Until the Big Bang is over🧭 If you promote your artwork / collaboration on Twitter or Tumblr, link to the official OFMD Big Bang post for your work on that platform (rather than the direct AO3 link).⚓ If you promote your work on another social media site (e.g. Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook), you may link directly to your artwork.Once the Big Bang is complete🧭 Once the Big Bang is complete, you may link to your works however you wish.


Do I have to have a tumblr/AO3 account to participate as an artist?No, a tumblr or AO3 account is not required to participate as an artist.Your works can be hosted in any location mutually desirable to you and your author, and embedded/linked within the work in the most appropriate fashion.We do need a way of contacting you, so you must provide a frequently-checked email address. We cannot allow sign-ups with only tumblr urls. Email addresses will be kept private to the mods and your author partner(s), only.

FAQ - Betas

How can I offer my services to authors for this festival?There will be a beta sign-up sheet you can fill out. It should be posted before the first author check-in.Any other questions?Please direct all questions to the mod team, and we will respond as quickly as possible.