SONIC AU COLLISION
WHERE WORLDS COLLIDE
hosted by @starzdeath
Sonic AU Collision is a fandom event that utilizes Tumblr’s poll feature in a bracket style tournament. 64 AUs compete until only one is left standing and declared the winner!Alternate Universes, or AUs, are a way for fandom to branch out and explore possibilities beyond the content provided in canon. This makes AUs a vital part of fandom because they help cultivate the community through shared interests and fresh new perspectives.While this event may be competitive in its nature, the true goal at heart is to promote positive interactions within the community and create a place to share and discover AUs. That's why we're here; to celebrate the creativity placed into each and every AU! Showing your support for others is what makes you a true winner here <3
SIGN-UPS OPENS OPEN IN:
WHAT TO EXPECT
SIGN-UPS
The sign-up date will be announced at least one month in advance, in order to allow time for you to prepare the contents of your submission.The following information will be asked when signing up:
Your Name or Alias
A Link To Your Tumblr
A Link To Any Co-Creator's Tumblr (if applicable)
AU Name
Content Warnings (if applicable)
Description of the AU
Image or Logo of the AU
Credits (if applicable)
A Link To Any Additional Content of the AU - e.g. a Masterpost, Comic, Tag, Dedicated Blog, etc. (optional)
Questions, Comments, or Concerns (optional)
Sonic AU Collision can only accept 64 AUs to compete in a Collision at a time. AUs are accepted on a first-come first-served basis. This means the sooner you sign-up, the greater chance you have of being accepted! As long as you make sure the form is filled out properly, and there are no violations of the rules found, you are almost guaranteed a spot in the Collision.Not providing a direct link to your Tumblr blog as directed and only giving the username instead, is an example of what is considered an improperly filled out form, and could possibly result in your submission being skipped for the time being. Remember, there is only one mod reviewing all these entries, the small amount of time it takes to search up your blog (as opposed to just clicking a link) quickly multiplies into hours of more work as more and more submissions come in. So please, take the time to ensure your submission is up to standard.Sign-ups will close on the announced date, or earlier, if all slots have been filled sooner than expected.
PREPARING FOR THE FIRST ROUND
Shortly after sign-ups close, a bracket will be posted, revealing which AUs will be facing off against each other in the first round.At this time, you may DM the mod either through the event blog (@sonic-au-collision-zone) or through their main blog (@starzdeath) for any updates to your AU. This includes, but is not limited to: AU image, description, and content warnings. These changes must be communicated to the mod by the given deadline. The mod will not accept any more changes until the next round. Content warnings are exempt from this and can be changed at any time.You may also send in Collision Questions through the blog's Ask feature. These are questions you can ask for AU characters or the creators of the AU to answer. (Ex. "To AU Sonics: What's your favorite food?"). Answered Collision Questions will be reblogged as propaganda after the first round starts.You are able to use this time to start creating and posting propaganda as well. Remember to tag @sonic-au-collision-zone and/or use the tag #au collision propaganda in your post to have it reblogged to the official event blog. The mod will start reblogging propaganda of competing AUs only after the first bracket has been posted.
DURING ROUNDS
All polls will be released at the same time on the specified date. This officially marks the start of a round. One poll will usually feature two AUs to be voted upon which will continue on to the next round.The submitted image and description will also be posted along with the poll. It is highly recommended you view all polls as this is the best way to learn a lot information about a large variety of AUs! You may even discover an active AU with a concept you believed could only exist in your abandoned Google doc. (Fanfic "I'll do it myself" Writers rise up).During this time, anyone is able to create propaganda to help show support for a certain AU. This can be a competitor creating something for their own AU, or even a person not competing, making something to cheer their favorite AU on. As stated previously, please tag @sonic-au-collision-zone and/or include the tag #au collision propaganda, even if your propaganda is included in a reblog from the AU Collision blog (I.e. A poll or bracket) it is asked you include these tags in order to avoid your post being missed by accident.Due to the large influx of propaganda, especially at the beginning of the event, propaganda will be reblogged by queue. This means it may take a few hours up to a few days before seeing your propaganda reblogged to the AU Collision blog. The mod may speed up the queue only when they are online, posting things from the queue at a few minutes interval.
IN-BETWEEN ROUNDS
While no polls will be running in this time, propaganda will still continue to be reblogged by the AU Collision blog as per usual. Only propaganda containing AUs still in the running and have not yet lost a round will be reblogged. This means if you have lost a previous round, you can no longer submit propaganda for your AU. An exception is propaganda depicting your AU interacting with another AU still in the running.If needed, you may DM the mod to make any changes to the information and/or image to be used for your AU's poll. As stated before, this is the only time aside from the sign-up period that you may update your information.
RULES
Only one AU per person may be entered—via the Google Form—to compete in a Collision.
Your AU must be derived from the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise in some way.
Only submit an AU that belongs to you. Do NOT submit someone else's AU.
If the AU in question belongs to multiple creators, you must be one of them. You are required to list any co-creators for proper crediting.
All artwork or content submitted must be your own, or ones you have explicit permission from the original creator to use with credit. The use of generative AI is strictly prohibited.
This event is intended for all ages. If your blog contains any mature content unsuitable for younger audiences, you must ensure that the corresponding post(s) have the necessary warnings and are tagged appropriately.
Any sexually explicit or suggestive content are prohibited on this blog. Having this type of content in itself on your own blog will not result in immediate disqualification from the Collision. However, any propaganda containing this content will not be reblogged onto the official Sonic AU Collision blog and you may be asked to remove the #Sonic AU Collision tag from your post if needed.
Depictions of violence and injury are asked to remain around the canon-typical level in regards to your Cover Art. This means small amounts of blood, lightly detailed or cartoony depictions of injury, etc. will be permitted. Moderate to extreme gore is NOT allowed.
Propaganda is granted slightly more leeway. Moderate gore will be permitted for propaganda pieces only and will be reblogged as long as proper tags and warnings are present. Anything exceeding the moderate level is prohibited and will NOT be reblogged.
If you are unsure as to what constitutes as moderate VS extreme gore, Art Fight has a helpful guide that you can refer to here
Any form of hateful or discriminatory content and/or behavior is not allowed and will NOT be tolerated. This includes but is not limited to: homophobia, transphobia, racism, xenophobia, ableism, sexism, and the use of slurs.
Be respectful to each other, no matter who wins or loses. Do not send any hate towards any AUs and/or creators.
Additionally, this blog wishes AVOID being affiliated with or condoning subjects that are typically considered harmful or problematic. This includes but is not limited to: incestuous relationships, large age gaps (i.e. minor/adult), and the sexualization of minors. If you are found to have such content, you will NOT be able to partake in the Collision.Failure to comply to these rules may result in removal from the event and/or being banned from the event altogether. This may also mean being blocked by the Sonic AU Collision blog.When filling out the sign-up form and entering your AU into the Collision, please make sure your submission adheres to the rules and that all information and the cover art given is exactly as you want it presented during polls. Your submission may be skipped if, for example, the cover art exceeds the maturity level set for the event; only after the mod has finished reviewing the rest of the current submissions will they return to any skipped and reach out about edits if there are any spots remaining. It is your responsibility to be proactive and know the rules, in order to avoid any hassle in the future.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
WHO IS RUNNING SONIC AU COLLISION?
Sonic AU Collision is hosted by Ghost (@starzdeath) as a passion project of sorts due to their love of AUs and as a way for the Sonic fandom community to share and discover AUs.Ghost has moderated fandom events for about two years, with some others being Reach For The Stars, Future With You, and Upcycled Treasure.(Special thanks to my friends for helping me with graphics and proofreading my work when I need it. I couldn't do this without you <3)
WHAT QUALIFIES AS AN AU?
The term AU, or Alternate Universe, is used loosely within Sonic AU Collision. This means that anything with a distinct difference or variation from canon, will be considered as an AU and may be entered into the Collision. This includes canon-divergence, crossover fusions (I.e. A retelling of Percy Jackson but with Sonic characters), Sonic OC-centric stories, etc.
WHAT IS PROPAGANDA?
Propaganda is a way of showing AUs your support, whether it be your own or another's. Propaganda may include but is not limited to: artwork, fanfiction, and lots of infodumping. Propaganda does not have to be new and can be of something made previously before the Collision. Anything goes as long as it's within the rules.Interaction with other AUs is highly encouraged! Let your characters get to know the others in the competition, maybe share a treat together, and have fun!Please tag @sonic-au-collision-zone and/or include the tag #au collision propaganda, even if your propaganda is included in a reblog from the AU Collision blog (I.e. A poll or bracket) it is asked you include these tags in order to avoid your post being missed by accident.
WHY HAVEN'T YOU REBLOGGED MY PROPAGANDA YET?
The blog receives a large amount of propaganda in a day, especially in the earlier rounds of the Collision. Propaganda is reblogged using the queue function to avoid too much spam and to keep the blog running throughout the day, meaning it can take anywhere between a few hours to a few days before seeing your propaganda reblogged to the AU Collision blog. The mod may speed up the queue only when they are online, posting items in the queue's order at a few minutes interval.If you're unsure if your propaganda has been seen and is in the queue, you may DM the mod to check, if a few days have passed. Propaganda may also not be reblogged if it violates one of our rules.
DO I REALLY NEED AN IMAGE?
Yes, an image representing your AU is required, whether it be digital or traditional. Skill level does not matter. You may also use another artist's piece depicting your AU, but only if given express permission by the original artist.The image is not required to be a drawing. Logos will be accepted as well, even if it's just the AU name written out on a document in a fancy font and screenshotted. It will be accepted.
WHAT SHOULD I WRITE FOR MY DESCRIPTION?
A summary of your AU as a whole! Just think of it as what you'd find on the back of the book. You're free to write as much or as little as you'd like.
WILL I BE ABLE TO EDIT MY ENTRY?
Yes, you will be able to edit your entry either via the Google Form used to sign-up or by sending a DM to the AU Collision blog. Please note that access to edit your form submission will be removed when sign-ups close, however, you may still continue to update your AU through DMs until the specified deadline. Edits will always be allowed to be made in-between rounds. Once a round starts, the mod will not accept further updates until the round is over. Content warnings are exempt and may be changed at any time.
WHAT HAPPENED TO THE OLD BLOG?
It died in a big fiery explosion because the mod kept using explosion GIFs everywhere. /sillyReal Answer: It got deleted by Tumblr for reasons still unknown to this day. More information on the situation can be found on this post. At this point, it's just a thing of the past now. AU Collision is now back on @sonic-au-collision-zone and is better than ever!
CAN I STILL SIGN UP IF I ALREADY COMPETED IN A PAST COLLISION?
Yes! We'd be more than happy to have you again! All that's asked is that, if your AU made it past round 4 in the most recent Collision, that you submit a different AU.
I LOST ROUND X, CAN I STILL ANSWER COLLISION QUESTIONS?
Yes, you may! Even if you are not taking part in the Collision at all, you are more than welcome to answer collision questions. Just note that your answers will no longer be reblogged if the AU is not actively a part of the Collision.
CAN I STILL TAG YOU EVEN IF MY AU ISN'T/NO LONGER IN THE COLLISION?
No. Due to the high volume of notifications the blog already receives in a day, it is asked that you do NOT tag us if the post does not feature an AU still competing in the Collision.However, you may freely tag us in your AU posts when there is no event ongoing. At this time, the blog will serve to showcase any and all AUs while the Collision itself is inactive!
IS THERE A DISCORD SERVER?
Yes! Worlds Collide is the official Discord server for Sonic AU Collision, and is currently moderated by a total of five mods, including the Sonic AU Collision host. This server is intended as a space to share and discover the many AUs within the Sonic fandom, as well as serve as a place to provide any important immediate updates regarding the Sonic AU Collision event.You can join the server here.We're looking for more help to make this server shine! Discord Mod Apps can be found here.
BLOG DIRECTORY
| Tag | Description |
|---|---|
| #sonic au collision | The general tag for all things AU Collision related. |
| #collision report | Tag for important info and announcements. |
| #au collision propaganda | Tag for propaganda reblogged for AU Collision. |
| #world map | Contains the bracket or "world map" for each round. |
| #collision questions | Not to be confused with #comms logs. Questions asked to the creators or characters of an AU. Anyone is welcome to send in a collision question! |
| #comms logs | Not to be confused with #collision questions. Asks sent to the mod. |
| #mod chitter chatter | Mod talk tag. For minor announcements or unrelated topics. |
AU COLLISION SIDE EVENTS
MINI COLLISION
A smaller and quicker-paced version of Sonic AU Collision. This time, as opposed to 64 contenders, there's 16. Additionally, voting spans over the course of 1 day instead of a week.
BLIND COLLISION
TBA
CHARACTER CLASH
TBA
OTHER RELATED EVENTS
These are events NOT hosted by Sonic AU Collision, but are still highly recommended for all Sonic AU lovers out there!
An annual month-long prompt challenge designed to encourage Sonic fans to share their AUs. Hosted by @cosmiicats.