Dark Paths

Art Claims are OPEN!

2020-12-22T03:30:45Z

I know that I haven't really been posting here for the challenge this year, though I did warn that this was gonna be the norm. Facebook has been the primary home of Dark Paths 2020, along with the tool of Google Forms. But now, to get as many options as possible, I'm going to post the two fics we have eligable for art!

#1 Title: More Than What Meets the Eye
Fandom: Harry Potter/Assassin's Creed
Pairings/Characters: Terence Higgs/Harry Potter
Summary: Harry Potter didn't know what to expect when he found out he was a wizard. But he didn't expect to be rescued by Assassins either. Not knowing that this was a part of his ancestry and bloodline. One thing was for sure, he was not going to be on Dumbledore's side when the war broke up. But which side is he on?

#2 Title: Immortal Melancholy
Fandom: Harry Potter
Pairings/Characters: Marauders+Lily polycule
Summary: What if they stuck with the plan to have Sirius as Secret Keeper?

To claim, comment below with the number you would like and the penname you used to sign up with at our artist sign up post. Each entry is a Big work, which means they each need two pieces. Posting dates for stories + art will be January 30-Feb. 6th. (Dates have been moved due to 2020 sucking for your dear mod). Claims are first come, first serve. You can post your art or stories anywhere. We do have an AO3 collection here, though. Art claims are open until they're all claimed!

2020 Artist Sign-Ups!

2020-08-01T16:00:23Z

For those of you who would like to do art for the lovely stories that will be offered forth, please fill out the Google form here. Remember, we'll be easier to contact through our Facebook group (here). As a reminder, the artist requirements will be listed below.

Artist Requirements

Two Pieces are required if you claim a big bang

One Piece is required if you claim a little bang

No Art is required for a mini bang, though if you yourself want to do art on your own time, that's entirely up to you.

2020 Author Sign-Ups!

2020-08-01T16:00:22Z

If you wish to particpate in in the 2020 Dark Paths (which, btw, you can post your finished story anywhere you post fic, but we will have a 2020 AO3 collection, link to follow), please use the Google form here to sign up. Remember, it'll be easier if you join our Facebook group (here) to keep up with everything. As a reminder, here are the requirements for our three levels:

Author Requirements

Big Bang 25,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

Little Bang 10,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

Mini Bang 5,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

2020 Dark Paths Round!

2020-08-01T02:19:28Z

So, just a couple of changes for the 2020 round of this challenge. First off, it will be run primarily off of Facebook (group you can join is here) and Google forms. That being said, I'll try to remember to post here and on Dreamwidth, but if you see a date come and go on the schedule (to follow in this post) and I haven't posted, please hit the group on Facebook up, as it will be the best way to contact me. Alternatively, if you wish to participate and don't want to join the Facebook group... comment below, and let's discuss what we can do. Author and Artist sign-ups open TOMORROW!

The 2020 Schedule

August 1st, 2020: Author and Artist sign-ups open

August 22,2020: Author sign-ups close

September 12, 2020: 1st Check-In

October 10, 2020: 1st MANDATORY check in

November 7,2020: 2nd MANDATORY check in

November 14, 2020: Snippets due (more info to follow)

November 21, 2020: Artist Claims go live

December 12, 2020: 2nd Check-In

January 2-January 16, 2021: Posting Days (more info to follow)

Life Happens

2019-09-23T01:53:28Z

So, just a quick message here. As the title says, life happens. Life has happened to me this week, and I've just been way too busy to make it to the computer. So, for one more week, the posting dates will remain open. Then, I'll make a post here to speak of changes come to the next round of Dark Paths.

Posting is now OPEN!

2019-09-16T01:10:19Z

Posting is now OPEN! Please feel free to post anywhere you see fit, but please also drop a link either in a post to this community or leave a link in the comments below, and we'll post for you! For more information, please see this post.

After everyone's done posting, I'll be putting up one more post explaining some coming changes for the next time the comm opens. So stay tuned!

Posting Info!

2019-09-07T00:24:50Z

The time is almost upon us! Posting week opens September 15th, and closes September 21st. Extensions are an option, if you need one (please see linked form). Please use the template in the textarea below to post here anytime within that week or on your designated extension date. I'll also link to our AO3 community below. Also, please fill out the form linked here, so I can get an idea for how long I need to leave things open. I'll do a masterpost once everyone has posted, including some changes I already have in mind for the next round.

AO3 Community is Here

Art Claims (Sort Of)

2019-08-23T23:53:55Z

Okay, so I didn't get any emails from any of our participants. So, no formal art claims. That being said, if someone out there just missed those posts, just drop your info here if you'd like a banner... or if you're writing a Little Bang or larger, and we'll get you hooked up. Posting starts on September 15th!!

REMINDER! Art Claims

2019-08-17T00:18:45Z

Just a reminder that tonight is the last chance you have to send in your info if you want a banner for your story! Send your info (see this post here) to darkpathsbang@gmail.com.

A Note About Art Claims

2019-08-13T01:28:09Z

You may have noticed that art claims haven't gone up yet. That's because, in light of what we have signed-up, I'm going to shake things up and bend the rules. We have mostly Mini Bangs, which would mean no art, which means that the artists wouldn't haven't enough to choose from--considering a couple of things. So, instead, I'm going to open it up where all Mini bangs get a banner, and so the little bangs will get two pieces of art. There's only one big bang, and it already has an artist, so that's not in the running. So, those of you writing those mini and little bangs, I need you to do something for me.

By Friday, August the 16th, if you are one of those with a mini or little bang, please send the information below, and a snippet of 600-1000 words to darkpathsbang@gmail.com. I will then post the art claims on Saturday, August the 17th. I will email assignments out as soon as I can after they are claimed, and we should have enough time for art to get done on time. But, if any of you feel if you need an extension on writing or art, please message me here or using the email above, and I'll probably grant it. The other info necessary will be:

Name:
Email:
Title:
Fandom:
Characters/Pairings:
Summary:

Please put that, and the snippet in the body of the email. Thanks to everyone, and I can't wait to hear from all of you!

2nd MANDATORY Check In

2019-08-05T02:08:55Z

The time has come for the 2nd Mandatory Check-In. A few people missed that first one, but that's really why we decided to do 2. After this, snippets and art claims will be soon to follow. I'll put up a post with more information on that either tomorrow or Tuesday. As before, to check in, please click the link below and fill out the Google form.

Click Here to Check In

1st MANDATORY Check In

2019-07-15T02:17:11Z

The time has come for our first mandatory check in. There's not much required for this one. Just follow the link and fill out the very few things on the Google form to check in. Nothing is required to be turned in at this point. Also, those of you who have signed up as artists only are not required to check in, as no claims have happened yet. Follow the link below. I'll leave it open for about a week--maybe longer if I forget, lol. If you have signed-up but not responded by that time, I may email just to touch base.

Click here to check in.

Last Day and 1st Check in!

2019-06-23T19:24:43Z

Today is the Last Day to sign up as an author in this round. Sign-ups will close at midnight, wherever you are in the world. Please fill out the Google doc linked in this post to sign-up. Also, this is not mandatory, but we'd also like to take this opportunity to have our very first check-in for the round. Please fill out the Google doc linked below to check in. Artist sign-ups will remain open until all eligible stories are claimed, when that time comes.

Check In Here

Closing Date Reminder!

2019-06-16T18:44:50Z

Just a friendly reminder that Author Sign-ups close on June 23rd! If you want to participate, please fill out the google form found on this post. Artist Sign-ups will remain open until all stories are claimed, when that date comes.

Dark Themes: A Discussion

2019-06-09T17:11:26Z

Much thanks to LJ user rose_malmaison for this idea! For those hesitant to sign up because you're not sure if your fic is "dark" enough or "darkly divergent" enough, here's a place to talk that out with your fellow participants and mods! Also, feel free to check the FAQ, which may be helpful.

I'll start the discussion. The main story I'm hoping to complete for this round is in the Batman: the Animated Series fandom, while also drawing inspiration from The Killing Joke and Devil's Advocate comics. It's AU mainly in term of timelines, which allow me to manipulate the characters to do what I want them to. It's the story of how Barbara Gordon--pre-Batgirl, pre-Oracle--ends up involved in the Joker's--who is now a legally free man--crazy world, both romantically and not.

Artist Sign-Ups 2019

2019-06-05T21:56:07Z

Following what I've done for the author's sign-ups, please use the link below to sign up as an artist!

2019 Artist Sign-Ups

Author Sign-Ups 2019

2019-06-05T21:52:36Z

In an effort to get as many participants as possible, I'm doing things through Google Forms. So, to sign up, please fill out the form linked below.

2019 Dark Paths Author Sign-Ups

Info and Schedule '19

2019-05-12T01:36:02Z

Dark Paths is a bang for stories that go a little... dark. Say a character from your fandom made a different decision at a crucial moment rather than the one they made in canon. How would things be different? How would they be darker? That's the question we seek to answer with our works here. These are canon diverent AUs that make things a lot harder for our chosen characters.

We'll have three levels of bangs to choose from: big, little, and mini. In the big bang, the minimum required wordcount will be 25,000 words. No max. Works must be new, that is, they must have never been posted anywhere. In the little, the minimum required wordcount is 10,000, with that work needing to be new as well. No maximum until you've hit the big bang's min, then it will simply swap over. Finally, for our no commitment folks--we understand that life is busy sometimes--we have the mini bang, with a minimum of 5,000 words. Again, it must be new with no max until you hit the little's wordcount.

Author Requirements

Big Bang 25,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

Little Bang 10,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

Mini Bang 5,000 words at least of a fic that takes a canon divergence down a darker path

Artist Requirements

Two Pieces are required if you claim a big bang

One Piece is required if you claim a little bang

No Art is required for a mini bang, though if you yourself want to do art on your own time, that's entirely up to you.

Schedule

Wednesday, June 5th Author and Artist Sign-Ups open
Sunday, June 23rd Author Sign-Ups close; 1st Check-In
Sunday, July 14th 1st Mandatory Check-In
Sunday, August 4th 2nd Mandatory Check-In
Friday, August 9th-Sunday, August 11th Snippets Due (More Info to follow)
Monday, August 12th Art Claims Go Live
Sunday, September 15th-Saturday, September 21st- Posting Week (More Info to Follow)

POLL: How'd We Do?

2019-01-23T22:00:12Z

So, I just had some questions for everyone that I hope will lead to an even better round next time. I would appreciate if everyone who signed up--whether you finished or not--would answer. And, heck, if you have friends you think would be interested, please show them to the poll/comm.

View Poll: #2089164

If there's anything else that I haven't thought to ask about here, feel free to comment and leave your concerns below!

Reminder! Posting Deadline is Tomorrow!

2019-01-14T02:28:02Z

Deadline for posting is January 14th at midnight wherever you are. Also, to clarify a little on the posting guidelines... you are not required to post to the AO3 account if you are posting solely on your journal or on fanfiction.net (or wherever else). However you must post on one or the other. If you are posting on AO3, then you aren't required to put your info block on this journal--but you can if you wish once the collection is revealed. But if you are opting out of posting to the collection on AO3 then you must post an info block on this journal.

I hope everyone has enjoyed doing this bang. I might do a poll post after everything is done to get everyone's opinion for when we do this again. The AO3 collection can be found here, and it will be revealed on the 15th.

Posting Info

2019-01-01T00:10:52Z

The day is upon us! Posting opens tomorrow, January 1st and closes January 14th. So, what is necessary to post?

First and foremost, you must make a post on this commmunity with a link to your work. Please, do not post your stories here, links ONLY. Now, you may post anywhere you please--fanfiction.net, AO3, LiveJournal, Dreamwidth, etc. We have a collection on AO3 that you can find here. If you post there, please add your work. I'd love to see it! For posting here on the comm, please make a post that includes the following:

Title:
Author:
Fandom:
Rating:
Disclaimer:
Warnings:
Word Count:
Summary:

Please include your link somewhere in all of that. Now, to reiterate, the AO3 collection won't go live until January 15th. Please be aware of this if you have also written for another challenge that might end sooner than this one. Artists, if you would like, you may post here as well, including a link to your masterpost. Please feel free to add your art to the AO3 collection as well. And that's it! Thanks everyone for playing along and making your wonderful creations! I can't wait to see them!

Also, I may have already opened the AO3 collection for us to post to... ssshhhh....

4 Days Until Posting Opens!

2018-12-27T22:55:16Z

Just a friendly reminder that the posting dates are January 1st-January 14th. I'll open up the AO3 collection on the first, and you'll have until Midnight on the 14th to get your story up! You may also post on your own journal, fanfiction.net, or wherever else you choose between those dates. I'll put up the final how to post instructions on December 31st. Also, if anyone is having any sort of troubles, please use the comments of this post to alert me, and I'll do my best to help.

Oooh, I so excited! I can't wait! See you all in the new year!

Art Claims

2018-12-20T20:51:39Z

Since we only have a couple of participants that are doing the Big levels of Bang (rest are micro), I'm gonna skip the preview phase and go directly into claiming. So, here are the offerings for art claims!

1. ~~Title: The Moon that Breaks the Night~~

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Characters/Pairings: Stiles-focused, pre-Stiles/Derek, Hale Pack (including Peter), Allison, Chris Argent, Scott

Summary: Season 2. The night Matt and the kanima attack the sheriff's department, everything changes with one decision. Before fleeing, enraged that he's lost control and any chance with Allison, Matt takes out his fury on Stiles. Derek follows his instinct to save his ally, and sets Stiles on a dark journey where friends become tormentors and enemies make good bedfellows. The Alpha might have taken his old life by keeping him alive, but the new wolf crawling beneath Stiles' skin has instincts of its own.

2. ~~Story Title:~~ We Bury the Sunlight
Fandom: Torchwood
Characters/Pairings: Toshiko Sato, Ianto Jones/Jack Harkness, Owen Harper, Gwen Cooper, Andy Davidson, Kathy Swanson
Summary: Even the strongest of us can break that is what happens to Toshiko when one to many hurts overwhlemed her. Needing to numb the pain for a while Tosh turns to alien drugs. Only one of her teammates sees her fall into the abyss and show the cracks in the team that need to be fixed if they wish to save Tosh.

To claim, just comment below with either "1" or "2" and your email. Claims are first come, first served. And we only have two claimable stories, so you'll have to act fast. Art claims will close when all stories have been claimed.

All Stories are claimed! Thanks so much, and we look forward to seeing everyone on posting day!

Time's Almost Up!

2018-12-19T03:09:08Z

You've only got until tonight at midnight (wherever you are in the world) to comment on the mandatory check in #2. If you're running a little late, shoot me a PM. I think we only have one person who hasn't checked in.

Mandatory Check-In #2

2018-12-15T17:00:41Z

It's time! Rough drafts are due from now December 15th to December 18th. Art claim previews will go up on December 19th and art claims will be open on December 20th. Posting will happen between January 1st to January 14th. We've stretched it a bit, due to our meddling with our own dates. That being said, please be aware that the AO3 collection will not go live until January 15th. You are allowed to post anywhere you want between those dates with your story revealed (more info to follow), but if you are doubling challenges, be aware of the fact that the AO3 collection, at least, won't be live immediately. Now, you don't have to submit your whole draft. If you have had a fandom or story switch, now is the time to let us know by filling out the info block below. Here is what you have to do:

Big Bang Particpants:

If your story meets the Big Bang requirements, then please fill out the info block below in the comments. Then, send an email to darkpathsbang@gmail.com with three snipppets from your story, with a word count of 1,000 to 1,500 per snippet, that best represent your story, along with the title, author name, expected final word count, fandom, and characters/pairings within the body of the email. The mods will then email that info to whomsoever claims your fic for art. You are encouraged to communicate with your artist--and artist, with your author--but it isn't mandatory. Please put in the subject line of your email: Dark Paths Bang [Story Title, Author Name] Snippets

Little/Mini Bang Participants:

If your story meets the Little/Mini Bang requirements (my wording has changed between posts, lol), then please fill out the info block below in the comments. Then, send an email to darkpathsbang@gmail.com with two snippets from your story, with a word count of 1,000 to 1,500 per snippet, that best represent your story, along with the title, author name, expected final word count, fandom, and characters/pairings with the body of the email. The mods will then email that info to whomsovever claims your fic for art. Again, you are encouraged to communicate with your artist--and artist, with your author--but it isn't mandatory. Please put in the subject line of your email: Dark Paths Bang [Story Title, Author Name] Snippets

Mini/Micro Bang Participants:

Since no art is required for this level, please just fill out the info block in the comments below. No snippets are required.

Info Block (Please Fill Out in Comments):