apparently one whale years ago was observed doing this for hours and now more and more whales in the area are seen copying it so we think it’s a whole new behavior and it seems to be a response to shrinking food sources.
Instead of expending any energy actively hunting, the whale just holds its mouth open wherever fish are being hunted by birds. To escape the birds, the fish try to hide in the whale’s mouth because it’s a darker area that looks like shelter.
…They’re turning into giant, sea-mammal pitcher plants.
Well out of the blue I just remembered today the time I accidentally joined the cast of a production of The Princess Bride….in the middle of the production.
A Big Bang (or “Bang” for short) is a specific type of challenge usually involving long fics and accompanying artwork. This type of challenge is a reprise of the old zine tradition of collaboration between artists and writers for internet fandoms.
Most Big Bangs have a similar format: Writers sign up to take part in the challenge and begin writing stories. When the early drafts of the stories are available, each one is assigned one or more artists, or artists might claim stories from posted summaries. Artists create fanart to go along with the story. This art can take the form of illustrations, manips, photo collages, vids, icon sets, etc.
Mini bangs are similar to big bangs, but are smaller in scope, with a smaller word count requirement than traditional big bangs.
So, what exactly is the word minimum?
We’ve set up two tracks for this event: the Mini Bang and the Petite Bang.
For the Mini track: writers are expected to write a minimum of 3k words. Artists should create one simple piece to accompany their writer’s fic—the definition of a “simple” piece is up to artist discretion, but should approximately match the amount of work writers put into their fic.
For the Petite track: writers are expected to write a minimum of 10k words. Artists should create one complex piece OR two simple pieces—again, definitions are up to artist discretion.
How long do I have to do this?
Writer sign-ups are open from Wednesday, May 1 to Wednesday, June 12, and are expected to have 50% of their work done by Sunday, August 4, at which point they will be asked to provide a summary and excerpt of their fic for artist claims.
Artist sign-ups are open from Wednesday, May 1 to Wednesday, July 31. Claims happen a few days later, and artists will receive their assignments a few days after that.
Fics and art are to be posted beginning on Wednesday, October 16. This gives writers four months total to work on their fic, and artists a little over two months to create their art.
Sounds good! How do I sign up?
Sign-ups open on Wednesday, May 1. The form for writers is HERE, and for artists is HERE. Please be sure to read the Event Guidelines/FAQ before signing up!