Team Free Will Big Bang

Here are 2020′s stories and art pieces. Please check the ships and tags on links before reading…

Limbo Lost

Mature | Dean/Cas | Big Bang

Story: spnsmile | Art: verobatto-angel-hunter

Summary:

Castiel reveals Emily Dickinson is a prophet, Dean needs to board a hot air balloon, but most importantly TFW2.0 needs to retrieve a heavenly weapon from heaven where a literal door in the sky exists. Adventure is clearly out there until the blue sky turns dark and things explode because the Bermuda Triangle is known for that.

Amidst all the distractions of mirrors and doors, all Dean can think about is romance his angel or invoke his fury while Castiel only wants to gut a sorceress for laying a hand on his charge.

Story | Art

Can’t Escape Anything in this Town

Teen Up | Sam/Cas | Mini Bang

Story: hit_the_books | Art: thegoodthebadandtheart

Summary:

Team Free Will 2.0 rock up in LA to check out a series of mysterious deaths all seemingly tied to a corner of the LA contemporary art scene. Needing to infiltrate the community there, Sam plays at being a billionaire, and Cas (at Cas’s own suggestion) plays at being Sam’s boyfriend.

Dean and Jack have no idea what to make of the two of them, though they are far more concerned about the case. There’s a pretty high body count already and whatever is behind it needs to be stopped.

Story | Art

Third Wheel

Explicit | Dean/Cas/Sam | Mini Bang

Story: AngelTortured | Art: LeafZelindor

Summary:

Castiel really wishes he had listened to Dean all those years ago outside that gas station.

“I could be your third wheel,” Castiel had said with such excitement. He was eager to have a new purpose, following the Winchesters and helping people. He still needed to help. It was the only thing that made him see
clearly - helping. Who better to teach him than the brothers who spend their lives helping others?

“You know that’s not a good thing, right?” Dean had replied, his tone gruff. His annoyed posture had been in stark contrast to Castiel’s glowing face about the idea.

Sam chuckled at the terrible idea.

Castiel knows that… anything involving himself at that time was a bad idea. He wishes he knew then what he does now. Being the third wheel is a terrible thing.

Story | Art

Reluctant Faith 

Mature | Gen | Big Bang

Story: GhoulsnHalos | Art: Amberdreams

Summary:

Cybernetically enhanced bounty hunter, Dean Winchester is not a righteous man, or a bright soul. But he will hunt down anything for the
right price. His brother, ex-lawman turned bounty hunter Sam Winchester is no king, but like Dean he’ll bring you in if the price is right.
Bunker dwelling rogue angel Castiel is immortal - unless you know how to kill one of the Host.

Castiel must firstly convince Sam & Dean that he is not the real enemy despite the bounties on his head. Then he must get them to believe that the three of them are the ones foretold in prophecy.

Do that, and with a bit of help from a few ‘friends’, Team Free Will can take on the might of the Host. The fate of a cyberpunk Wēalhaz hangs in the balance. Can the Immortal, The Boy King and the Righteous Man prophesied in the holy books save the world?

Story | Art

Graceless

Teen Up | Minor Dean/Cas, Sam/Crowley | Big Bang

Story: sarasaurussex | Art: JenniferB

Summary:

Set in early season 13, Sam and Dean catch wind of a dangerous artifact making its way to New Orleans that can supposedly expel angels
from their vessels. They meet up with Castiel and Jack, but tensions arise when it’s made clear that Dean still doesn’t trust Jack. To add to their problems, the artifact has attracted a powerful new villain to the Crescent City, Emile.

Despite the help of an unexpected ally, Team Free Will 2.0 is no match for Emile and he uses the artifact to expel Castiel and severely damage Jack’s powers. All seems lost, until Castiel saves Sam, Dean, and Jack in a temporary new vessel: an eight-year-old girl.

Now, in order to retrieve the artifact, defeat Emile, and save Cas and Jack’s grace, Team Free Will 2.0 must put aside their issues and trust one another. Only then will they understand that, grace or no grace, human or angel, they’re all one family
 

Story | Art

Duo Familiars

Explicit | Dean/Sam, Sam/Cas | Big Bang

Story: Inkblooded Witch | Art: MidnightSilve

Summary:

It’s highly irregular to have more than one Familiar, but then Sam Winchester never proscribed to normality. Besides, it’s no more irregular than being in a relationship with your Familiar, or for your Familiar to be your brother, providing the two are different people. It makes Castiel’s being with Dean seem downright normal. However unorthodox their lifestyle, even for mages and Familiars, they are content. Anyone or anything that threatens that contentedness never meets a merciful end. A point they have to make abundantly clear when they are waylaid by another mage-Familiar pair on the road.

Story | Art

Shake the Foundation

Mature | Gen | Big Bang

Story: Waning_Grace | Art: heart-eyescastiel

Summary:

St. Patrick’s Day is supposed to be a day filled with fun and green beer, but this year it’s going to be anything but for the Winchester’s. When Dean goes missing after a night out at the bar following a bad hunt it’s up to Sam to find him. When days go past with no leads Sam calls Castiel…but will the two of them be able to find Dean before it’s too late? 

Story | Art

Once Upon A Time

Teen Up | Gen | Mini Bang

Story: Center of the Galaxy | Art: destielle

Summary:

After making a wish on a shooting star, Jack awakes in a medieval fairy tale where he is the Crown Prince, Sam is the King, Dean is the Knight Captain of the Royal Guard and Castiel is the court mage. Determined to rescue his family and break free, Jack needs to get his family back to their old selves, stop the dragon rampaging the village, and catch the witch who sent them all here. All in a day’s work for Team Free Will 2.0, right?

Story | Art

Crashed in Paradise

Teen Up | Gen | Big Bang

Story: Impala_Cherry_Trickster | Art: casquecest

Summary:

Eight unrelated people, who happen to board the same plane heading back to the States. Before the flight, they knew nothing about each other, but when the plane crashes somewhere over the Atlantic, they have very little choice but to work as a group to survive. Unfortunately, surviving the crash isn’t the biggest challenge the group will face, when one of the group turns out to be working against them.

Story | Art

But Memories Last Forever

Teen Up | Gen | Mini Bang

Story: Sakarrie | Art: Gio

Summary:

Dean and Cas come back from a fruitless lead to find Sam the latest victim of the hunt. Determined to stop it before it can kill Sam, they enter into his dreams, but as they hop one from nightmare to the next, it becomes obvious that the creature is hunting them too.

Story | Art

The Silence of Souls

Mature | Cas/Dean, Rowena/Sam (past) | Big Bang

Story: thefandomsinhalor | Art: impmakesart

Summary:

After receiving an unexpected phone call from Patrick, a witch who Sam and Dean encountered years ago, Team Free Will 2.0 leave Dodge City
behind and rush to meet him in Wichita. The reason: He claims to know a way that could help Mary cross back to their universe.

His demands are reasonable and the spell is simple, but Patrick warns them that the spell is not without risks. After all, the universe always has a way of balancing itself out.

Not thrilled at the idea of potentially releasing something bad into the world, they nevertheless think that Mary’s safety is worth the risk.

So, the original Team Free Will cast the spell, with Jack by their side, ready to assist them against any surging danger.

Unfortunately, what is unleashed upon them is far more troubling than anything they had anticipated.

It’s the spell-casters’ darkest versions of themselves.

Namely, Godstiel, the Boy King of Hell and Deanmon, bearer of the mark of Cain.

And all three of them are determined to make themselves very comfortable in their new home.

Story | Art

View the 2020 Team Free Will Big Bang AO3 collection here.

Rules

You must be aged 18 or over upon registration in order to take part in this bang. If you lie about your age, you will be banned from all future TFW Big Bangs and other events run by this bang’s mods.

Authors, Artists and Betas will be sent a confirmation email within 48 hours of signing up. You must reply to this email to complete sign up.

What do I create?

Authors:

• A story of a minimum of 15,000 words (big bang)
• Or a story of a minimum of 5000 words (mini bang)
• The story must feature Team Free Will (Dean, Sam and Cas) at the center of the story or Team Free Will 2.0 (Dean, Sam, Cas and Jack)
• Or be a real person fanfic (RPF) featuring Jared, Jensen and Misha at the center of the story (Alexander Calvert can also be included as a central character if you so desire)
• No story may feature anyone under the age of 16 in an explicit sexual situation, this rises to 18 for RPF
• Your story must be posted in full on your assigned posting day

See further in the FAQ for more details

Artists:

• For a big bang: a cover and two pieces of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)
• For a mini bang: a cover and a piece of art connected to the fic (cover can be derived from main art)
• No art may feature anyone under the age of 18 in an explicit sexual situation
• No explicit art may be posted to Tumblr
• No art can be made of photo manipulations <<< NEW FOR 2020
• Note that this bang runs a no fic left behind policy

See further in the FAQ for more details

All authors and artists must familiarize themselves with the bang schedule.

All authors and artists must make attempts to regularly communicate with each other once paired.

For those taking part, we have created a Discord server. Details about this are available upon bang sign-up.

For more in-depth information on how to be a good bang participant: check out this post on allspnships.

FAQ

What are the differences between mini and big bangs?

Basically how long your story is. The Big Bang has a minimum of 15,000 words, and will receive a minimum of two art pieces from the artist plus a fic cover, while the Minibang has a minimum of 5,000 words, and will receive a cover and at least one piece of art.

Do covers have to be completely separate pieces of art from the rest of the bang’s art?

Covers can be remixes of art already created for the fic. But they need to feature the fic title, the names of the artist and the author(s).

How/where do I submit my draft?

We will provide details about this directly to creators nearer posting time.

How long does my story need to be?

You have two options: for a Big Bang, you need a minimum of 15,000 words. For a Minibang, you need at least 5,000.

What does the focus of my story need to be?

Your story must focus on all three members of Team Free Will: Dean, Sam, and Castiel. This means the story can be Dean/Sam, Dean/Cas, Sam/Cas, Sam/Dean/Cas or gen. If you choose a two-person pairing, the third character must be an equal focus on the story.

We won’t be counting words, but please try to stay within the spirit of the challenge. This is about celebrating Team Free Will characters, so have fun with them.

Since 2018, we have accepted interpretations of Team Free Will that include Jack Kline (Team Free Will 2.0), but everyone must still have equal importance in your story.

Team Free Love (Sam/Castiel/Dean/Gabriel) is not accepted for this bang.

Reader inserts are not accepted for this bang.

We will allow pairings where the four are with other characters, such as Sam/Eileen or Dean/Gabriel, BUT that pairing cannot be the main focus of the story.

Are AUs, crossovers and fusions allowed?

Yes, all are allowed. However, the more obscure the other fandom, the harder finding an artist who knows both will be, so keep that in mind.

What about RPF?

RPF is welcome, but must focus on Jared, Misha, Jensen and (if you want) Alexander. and their relationships with each other. So any combination of these four is welcome, as is a gen RPF where no one’s together. Everyone of these three (or four) needs equal weight in your plot.

What about underage?

Please ensure that all fanfic doesn’t include under 16s depicted in sexual situations - this raises to 18 for RPF. Basically - off the page is fine, but not on the page. All explicit art can only feature characters aged 18 and upwards.

Is it okay to write a sequel or prequel to an existing fic?

No, it needs to be a completely new story.

Can I sign up as both an author and an artist?

Yes, but you cannot claim your own fic.

Can I create additional art for my fic/have other artists make banners and art?

Not until after your post date.

May I do photo manipulations for art?

Due to issues of quality with manips in previous years, we have decided that photo manipulations are no longer welcome in the Team Free Will Big Bang.

May I do paper art or use alternative physical mediums like textiles or clay?

Yes.

Covers - can they feature explicit art?

Due to masterposts being posted on Tumblr, covers cannot feature explicit imagery.

Can I advertise my fic on my Tumblr, Pillowfort, Dreamwidth, Twitter, etc?

Once claims are completed and you’ve been assigned your artist, you are welcome to advertise your fic on whatever media you’d like as long as you don’t post any snippets of the actual fic.

Where do I post my fic/art when it’s complete?

All fics must be posted to AO3 and made live on your posting date, with the art embedded in the appropriate scenes if the artist allows.

All art must have a masterpost on either Dreamwidth, Pillowfort, AO3, or Tumblr made live on your posting day. Remember that explicit art should not be posted to Tumblr.

On or before your posting day, both links must be submitted in a post to the TFW Big Bang Dreamwidth, Pillowfort community and/or Tumblr blog. We will share the posting format nearer the time of posting. We will check over the masterpost, and make it public on the appropriate day on all platforms.

Do I need to link back to my artist’s master art post on my AO3 story?

Yes, all stories must have a link that goes to the art masterpost made by your artist. We advise you add this link in your notes using HTML like:

Will there be an AO3 collection for posted fics and art?

You will be able to add your fics and art to the moderated collection via: tfw_bb_2020

Do I need a Dreamwidth/Pillowfort/Tumblr/AO3 account to participate?

Artists should have at least one to post their art to, and authors should have at least AO3 to post their fic to. No account besides an email address is required for claims.

Masterpost submissions to Pillowfort or Dreamwidth will require an account on the service you want to use. Tumblr may be submitted to without an account. Submit the fic and art masterpost to your preferred platform and it will be crossposted by the mods.

Due to changes in LiveJournal’s terms of service in April 2017, the bang is no longer being actively run on LJ, though may be promoted there.

Can I write more than one story/collaborate on a story?

Each author can write only one story for this challenge. You are welcome to collaborate on a story, but that counts as your one story.

Can I claim more than one fic to make art for?

The first round of claiming will allow artists to claim only one story. If there are still unclaimed stories 24 hours after the claiming begins, we’ll open a second round for artists to claim a second piece or for artists who didn’t originally sign up to participate. If artists drop out after assignments are set, artists can pinch hit as well regardless of whether they’re already assigned one story.

What do I need to provide for claims?

Fic writers will need to provide drafts that are at least 80% complete (with a beginning, middle and (almost an) end) for claims, along with a summary. Specifics on how to do this will be shared via email ahead of the submissions date.

We will not accept drafts that fail to meet this criteria, as it’s not fair on artists.

What is “no fic left behind”?

If an artist fails to meet art draft check-ins, providing proof of art, when required: they will be removed from the bang and a new artist found for the affected bang story.

The only exception to this is those affected by extenuating circumstances who manage to communicate with their author or the mods - in this instance an extension will be given.

What if something happens in RL and I need to post on a different day or get an extension, or something?

Contact the mods, or get your teammate to contact the mods, or get a friend to contact the mods. Stuff happens and we don’t want our bang to be an extra stress, but you need to let us know that you need help so that we can help you. We can be pretty flexible, so please don’t worry and get in touch. You can reach us at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.

How will claims work?

There will be a preview doc with each summary posted at least 48 hours before claims and emailed to artists who have already signed up. When claims open, we will email a link to a Google Form where we’ll ask you to resubmit some of your artist details and your top five picks for doing art. We’ll update the preview summaries with notes on fics as they’re assigned.

Do writers need beta readers?

Yes, all fic needs to be beta read for at least spelling, punctuation and grammar.

If you don’t have a beta reader, you can try asking someone from our beta list to beta for you.

Ask on /r/fandomnatural or you can check out our list of beta readers for the bang. Details of this list will be emailed to authors once available.

May I post a WIP?

Works in progress (WIP) are not permitted to be posted for this bang. Fics must be posted complete (i.e. no serial posting), with art embedded.

You didn’t answer my question

The please contact hit_the_books and majesticduxk at teamfreewillbigbang(at)gmail(dot)com.