What does eldritch mean?

Eldritch means weird, eerie, strange, or unnatural, especially in a way that inspires fear. The word’s origin comes from a time when otherworldly beings were commonly thought to inhabit the earth. Give us all of your horror fics, your Lovecraftian monsters, your Gothic scenes — the scarier the better.

Can I write and create art for this bang?

Definitely! You may sign up as an artist AND as a writer. You may sign as a Big Bang writer, a Big Bang artist, a Reverse Bang artist, or a Reverse Bang writer. You can do both Bangs but, in this case, it goes without saying that you must still meet your deadlines on both sides. Be judicious and check the schedule below. You may not claim your own work.

No work submitted to this challenge will go down because it wasn’t claimed or your artist/writer didn’t get their part done on time. This challenge is for fun, not to stuff us with more stress than we all already endure. The numbers are not balanced. Sometimes too many or too few artists/writers may sign up or drop out. No writer/artist will be forced to bite more than they can chew by picking one story/art after another. Other times life just… happens. If your artist/writer has been abducted by the Empty, the mods will try to pair you again with a new, willing one. If this is not possible don’t worry, your work will remain in the challenge as it is.

Can I write/art pairings?

You can write/art gen or include any pairings/ships if you like. Just keep in mind that the main focus of this bang is on the horror aspects of the story/art. No sex without a scary plot behind it. If you choose to write/art pairings, no sexual situations for characters under 16.

Can I write/art AUs or crossovers?

Your work may be SPN or RPF, but at least one character must be a canon character (one seen on-screen). Any pairing is allowed. AUs are allowed. The only crossover allowed in this challenge is SPN/RPF. If you still have doubts, ask the mods.

Do I need to include any particular characters in this bang?

No, but the characters must be part of SPN. If you write RPF, you can slip in one or two characters that have not been on the show. Let's be honest, Chad M. Murray, Steve Carlson, Justin Hartley, etc, have been a part of Supernatural RPF since… forever — they are practically supernumeraries at this point. Just keep in mind that most of your RPF characters must belong to SPN. RPFs’ real kids are not allowed. OCs are allowed and encouraged.

Can I write a sequel or prequel to an existing fic?

Only if the Eldritch Bang fic can read as a stand-alone fic.

RULES:

All works will be posted anonymously for the claiming process.

Stories/art can NOT be posted anywhere before the assigned posting date.

Stories/art must be posted unlocked.

Writers:

Fics should focus on horror, no exception. If you have questions about what that might include, look through this list of horror tropes for some ideas.

Your story must be a minimum of 10,000 words for the Big Bang or 1,000 words for the Reverse Bang. No maximum word count. If the muse strikes you, go wild.

IA-generated works, whether art or writing, will not be acceptable for this challenge. If you try to con us with an IA-generated story, we will ban you from the challenge and send hellhounds on your tail.

No foul play. Don’t solicit from artists in advance on the Big Bang, and don’t have other artists make additional works for your words.

Please respond to all writer check-ins. If you are playing for the Big Bang and you don't submit a rough draft of 10,000 words by the Big Bang deadline (before the artists’ claims), we will assume that you have withdrawn. Be complete in your fic summary and tag all warnings and ratings as appropriate for artist claims. If you have questions about this, ask the mods.

Stay in touch with your artist and collaborate. Be nice, folks.

Stories must be beta'd before posting.

Artists:

Art must focus on horror. Any visual arts mediums will be accepted, AI art will not. No foul play. IA-generated works, whether art or writing, will not be acceptable for this challenge. If you try to con us with an IA-generated work, we will ban you from the challenge and send hellhounds on your tail.

Please, don’t solicit from writers in advance on the Reverse Bang, and do not have other writers make additional works for your art.

For either of the two bangs, one main piece of art and a title card are required. Further pieces of art are not. If you feel inspired to make more, they will be loved and cherished, but must be produced in agreement with your author.

If you don't submit one piece of art by the Reverse Bang deadline (before the writers’ claims), we will assume that you have withdrawn.

Stay in touch with your writer, and collaborate. Be nice, folks.

DEADLINES:

For the due dates for the current Bang, see our full schedule on LiveJournal; a rough schedule is listed below.

When the posting schedule goes up, we will try to accommodate requests if you can't make a specific date. If you miss your posting day without being in contact with your partner and the mods, you will have a probation requirement the next time you wish to participate. Please meet your assigned posting date if you don’t want to be sent to Purgatory!

Either the writer or the artist needs to make a masterpost on Eldritch LiveJournal that includes the following: title, writer's name, artist's name, rating, any applicable warnings or tags, summary, and the links to fic and artwork on our Ao3 collection. If none of you have an LJ account, let the mods know, and we will post there for you.

In order for this challenge not to become an unmanageable mess scattered all across social media, the main post must go on Eldrich LiveJournal, with a link to your work on Ao3. Once the posts on LJ and Ao3 are done, you can post your work wherever you want, but LJ/Ao3 goes first.