I think it's time, guys. Time to move this community over to Dreamwidth and mirror back here. It's going to take some time and effort and it's going to basically mean that everyone will need to post on Dreamwidth.


When the change happens, the posts on LJ will be locked for comment, requiring members to post and comment on DW directly instead of posting here and making the mods import back to DW. That's the only way moving the community will work. It doesn't mean you'll have to get a DW account - they allow OpenID posting. But keeping the LJ account "live" will mean that no one will ever really migrate.

Whenever Round 8 begins, it will happen on DW only, but notifications will be crossposted here to LJ.

Last month, your mods solicited opinions here and here, on whether we should do the Big Bang or the Reverse Big Bang challenge this year, and the results were conclusive. Artists were eager for the Reverse Big Bang and there was a majority of responding writers who preferred that challenge, too:



As for the start date, May does seem to be the most popular start time:



So, going with the will of the active fandom, Round 8 of the traditional White Collar Big Bang will be on hiatus, and we'll go forward with Round 3 of the White Collar Reverse Big Bang.

The following is a tentative schedule, subject to change before the round opens. The art creation period will be one month and the writing period will be three months, based on the fandom preferences expressed in this poll.

Sign Ups for Artists and Authors Open: May 15, 2017
Artist Check In (not mandatory): June 1, 2017
Artist Sign Ups Close: June 15, 2017
Art Drafts Due: June 20, 2017
Round One Art Up for Claims: Saturday, June 25, 2015 at NOON Eastern
Round Two Art Up for Claims: Depends on unclaimed artwork
Round Three Art Up for Claims: Depends on unclaimed artwork
Author Check in (mandatory): August 15, 2017
Last day for author drop out: September 1, 2017
Pinch hit request: September 2, 2017
Author Rough Drafts Due: Begins September 18, 2017, continues for one week
Challenge Closes, Fics and Finished Art Due: September 25, 2017
Posting Starts: October 1, 2017


As we'll be going forward with the Reverse Big Bang, all further 2017 challenge-related information will be posted solely to the wc_reverse_bb community (this post will be crossposted there as well), so please make sure you're a member of that comm.

Thank you to everyone who'd expressed an opinion (even the person who said the mods should be replaced with someone who could start the round in April, I know you're kidding). It's such a delight to see everyone committed to keeping this fandom alive.

The poll for the Big Bang/Reverse Big Bang is still open and if you are interested in participating in either of these challenges, please go and vote HERE.

Thank you to everyone who left comments, particularly those who had concerns about the duration of the challenge. While I'm posting here on the whitecollar_bb site simply because it has more members and a greater reach, some of the questions will be pretty specific to the wc_reverse_bb.

[Poll #2063925]

I can't believe it, but Round Eight of the White Collar Big Bang is on the horizon. If we with stick with the traditional April 1 start date, it's just a month away.

When there was always new canon on the horizon, there were a lot of fanwork creators who supported a rich community of challenges. But as time goes by, people become less interested or find new fandoms. That is simply the reality we live in. I currently mod three major White Collar Challenges: The whitecollar_bb, wc_reverse_bb, and the wcpairings exchange. In 2016, the Reverse Bang was put on hiatus and a lot of people had fun with the White Collar Pairings. There were just enough participants for the Big Bang and I have high hopes that the two writers who didn't finish their stories (for understandable reasons) will do so soon.

This poll is to gauge the interest of the fandom in which challenges should go on this year. I'm reluctant to put the granddaddy - the Big Bang - on hiatus, but if more people are interested in the Reverse Big Bang, I would do that. White Collar Pairings would be a supplement to either one of those challenges, not a replacement.

[Poll #2063840]

Please feel free to make suggestions, comments, words of encouragement in the conments.