What's the Women of Dragon Age Fandom Challenge?This challenge was created for the sole purpose of celebrating the women of Dragon Age, and to create works that show the relationships between those women. Works should be able to pass the Bechdel Test, and for the purposes of this challenge the women must be the primary focus of the work. Works do not have to be sexual or intimate in nature, and could be focused on the friendship of two characters (eg.Isabela & Aveline) without a romantic nature.
What’s the Bechdel Test, and what does it mean for this challenge?The Bechdel Test is a story that passes all of the following rules:
1) it must include more than one woman
2) who have at least one conversation
3) about something other than a man/men.
For this challenge, we’re asking participants to create a work that centers on the relationship (romantic or not, canon or not) between at least two of the female characters of Dragon Age. It could be romantic or sexual. It could be friendship. It could be women adventuring together. It could be an interaction between enemies. Anything, as long as the main plot of the story revolves around multiple women and their interactions with each other - interactions that are not about/centered around male characters.
For more information on The Bechdel Test, you can read about it
here.
So, are you only looking for stories?No! This challenge is open to writers, artists, and fanmixers. We’d love to see art or mixes dedicated to the relationships between Dragon Age women.
No boys allowed?Secondary characters only! So, for example, you can write a story about how Leliana and Morrigan save Alistair when he falls down a well, but it should focus on what Leliana and Morrigan are doing, not on how Alistair is trying to get himself free.
How does the challenge work?...Sign-ups are open between now and January 31st, 2012.
...You’ll have time to write or create your work between now and February 29th, 2012.
...Respond to the check-in on February 22nd to let us know you’re still working.
...Works should be turned in to the mods on February 29th, 2012.
...Posting begins on March 7th, 2012.
Where do I sign up? The sign-up post is here. Please read the sign-up post and make sure to leave a comment with your information.
Do I have to wait until the 29th, to send in my work if I finish early?No! Please, if you finish early, email the mods as soon as you’re ready. This will give us extra time to start the posting schedule before everyone finishes on the 29th.
What if I miss the turn-in date on the 29th?Well, ultimately, we’d like this not to happen. But, we understand that life sometimes gets in the way and that you might be a little late. If, you tell us in advance that you’re going to be a little late, we’re happy to accept your submission as long as it’s before the 7th of March. However, if you don’t give us any notice, we can’t really plan around it, and won’t take a submission after the 29th.
How long does the work have to be?Stories must be at least 1,000 words.
Fanmixes must contain at least 12 songs, and have some kind of cover art.
Art is hard to quantify, but we trust that all fanartists will give their project their best! :)
I want to play, but I have no idea what to write/draw/mix!That’s okay! We’ll also be setting up a post dedicated exclusively to prompts - hopefully one of those will inspire you! Keep an eye on the community for that post, with more details.
Are crossovers allowed? What about AUs?Fandom crossovers are allowed, but your work must center around at least one female Dragon Age character. And the main point of the work must still be the relationship between two women - two DA women, a DA character and a female character from your crossover fandom, whatever works in your context!
And we encourage all the AUs ever. :D
What if I want to write a story AND make a mix? And make art, because I’m that ambitious!You can initially sign up to make one of each art form - so, if you’re sufficiently motivated, you can sign up to write, mix, and make art! You’ll get a separate posting date for each work created.
Also, you’ll be allowed to sign up to make another work if you turn in your first project early! We just ask that you don’t rush your work - make sure you take the time to edit, get a beta, do whatever you need to do to make your work the best possible piece!
What happens when posting begins?After you turn in your finished work, we’ll email you with your posting date - on that day, you can post your work to whatever platform you prefer. (LJ, DW, AO3, Tumblr, DeviantArt, et cetera.) Then, make a post to the LJ community with a link back to your work, so we can all flail over it!
Why are you assigning dates?So that your work can be properly appreciated! It’s much easier for people to read/view/download your work right away if it’s only one of a handful of things posted that day, rather than one of a couple dozen or so things all posted at the exact same time. In other words - less competition! Everyone wins!
But I don’t have an LJ account!If you don’t want to create a free account, you can email the link to your work to us, and we’ll help you make arrangements to get it posted on the LJ community.
Why do the Dreamwidth and Tumblr communities exist, then?The mods will be posting links and roundups to DW and Tumblr, advertising the work posted on the LJ community.
There will also be an AO3 collection set up for works created during this challenge. Stay tuned for more info on that!
Oh no! I missed the deadline by # days! Is it too late to sign up? Well, technically speaking, yes. However, we’re going to keep a place available for people that miss the deadline, or have things that don’t quite meet the length requirements, or have already finished on project. We want to support the works that have been created and want them to be appreciated by everyone.
Do I really have to give you my LJ user name/email address? Well, it’s really the best way for us to get in contact with you. Having your LJ name will help know who to give posting access to when posting time rolls around. And having your email address will help us keep in contact with you about final check-in and due dates.
Is that it?Just about, yeah. If you have further concerns/queries, read the FAQ first, and if they still haven't been addressed, then feel free to email the mods at womenofda@gmail.com.
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dragonagewomen challenge - thus far, we have ended up with 13 works posted to our challenge, which is amazing! I haven't personally had the chance to check out everyone's works yet, but I'm thrilled at all the different characters, pairings, and media represented here. Thank you, everyone!
