Watching the RarelyWritten sign-up summary

[brightknightie]

The sign-up summary for 2015's rarelywritten game (updated hourly) makes it very clear how the matching would go if the sign-ups don't shift between when you view it and when sign ups end tomorrow (Sunday) night. It also opens that matching to a bit of gleeful manipulation, if you'd like to pick up a match in one of the least-requested or least-offered fandoms.

For example, if the matches were made right this minute, then I would necessarily be assigned to write for the only other person who has requested a story in any of my fandoms: that's a Forever Knight request (presumably Greer's). And my prompt slate would necessarily be given to either her or the only other person who has offered a story in any of my fandoms: that's a Highlander offer (presumably ArgentumLS's). No one besides me has yet requested or offered in Battlestar Galactica (1978), Dungeons and Dragons (cartoon) or Young Blades, and no one besides me has yet requested in Highlander. It's cut and dried... and a bit disappointing in its relentless predestination.

With no prejudice at all to Greer, I just wrote for her prompts in 2014's fkficfest. It would be more inspiring to address a new audience. And it would be more fun to not know for sure exactly how the matching must fall out. So I keep scanning the summary. I've maxed out on requests, but perhaps I can find another fandom to offer? I'm stumped so far, but fandoms only appear on the list when a request for them registers. Perhaps something will turn up!

(I wish I were a good enough writer and Victorianist to offer Daniel Deronda for the person requesting Gwendolen, but good gravy I couldn't dare to fanfic Eliot. I mean, Eliot.)

Comments

[skieswideopen]

I see I should have participated in nominations; Person of Interest ended up with a very limited slate, and of course, most of the shows I'm currently interested in didn't make it in at all. I'd sign up and request PoI to give a little variety to your possible matches, but I'm afraid there's no way we'd be matched on it.

[brightknightie]

Thank you very much for the generous thought!

And yes, golly, when allowed 5 nominations per fandom, why did the person who nominated Person of Interest stop at 3? Only the Machine, Root and Shaw. Not even Carter, Control, Zoe, Kara, Grace, Dani, Jessica or Alicia.

I keep asking myself whether I dare offer Root and/or Shaw. So far, without a "Dear Author" letter to check for the one current PoI request, I keep deciding not quite. I feel that I could do certain things with them and not others. But I could very happily have tackled almost any of the other recurring characters (not Kara, I think) and most of the guest stars.

I would offer Call the Midwife, except that the nominator/requester is clearly a whole season ahead of me. (She must be in the UK.) I haven't even met one of the characters she nominated yet.

Maybe I can offer Cinderella (2 appearances) and Rapunzel (1 appearance) from Once Upon a Time. They didn't initially grab my imagination, but I do know the series well.

I'm way behind on Sleepy Hollow, and no one nominated Katrina or the new Lieutenant, who would have been my preferences back where I am in this season. (Another case of a nominator who puzzlingly stopped at 3 characters.)

Although the fandoms were nominated, no one has yet requested Grimm, The New Mutants, ElfQuest, Sailor Moon...

I'm keeping an eye on the various mythology requests...

---
I see that your Orphan Black is on the list with 2 requests and 5 offers, at least. And SGA! I'm not spotting many of your others. :-(

[skieswideopen]

I could offer Justified, and maybe offer and request The Librarians. And I could certainly ask for Shaw. But I'm not sure what else... I loved Penny Dreadful and The Fall, but I don't really feel a need to read fic for either. I'll have to read through the list again.

[brightknightie]

The one current PoI request seems a bit out of my scope, so I'm hesitant to offer there.

I wish we'd been able to nominate more fandoms and more characters in the first place! I see that they've extended the sign-ups, though.

(Thank you for answering the FKFicFest survey, btw!)

Justified requests

[brightknightie]

If you offer Justified, I imagine that you're almost certain to receive one of the Justified requests to write, as there are presently 2 requests and 0 offers. Here are the "Dear Author" letters by the Justified requesters:

• J. request by Miss M
• J. request by Kalisgirl

[brightknightie]

If you decide that you want to play, and if you decide that you want to request PoI, let me know and I'll offer Root and/or Shaw specifically with you in mind. :-)

[greerwatson]

O! Perspicacious One, you are right: I have indeed requested FK. Iit is true that I have another fandom request that has two possible writers, not counting myself. However, if I'm your only match....

Fortunately, you write brilliantly. :D

(In a similar vein, there seem to be two people for whom I can write: you and my sister. I matched with her last year, and wrote a treat for you.)

[greerwatson]

Look, if you do match with me, throw out my prompts if you prefer, and write anything that inspires you. (Sole proviso being the appropriate focus on a female character, given the nature of rarelywritten.)

[brightknightie]

That's deeply generous. Thank you very much.

I'm sure that your prompts will be very good prompts. From your current placeholder letter, I'd most probably fulfill your "Natalie... insider's scoop on daily routine on the job" prompt.

We will see what happens. People always sign up at the last minute! There may yet be more FK sign-ups, as well as other fandoms!

[greerwatson]

If I were to turn out to be your match, that would surely be a lovely prompt for you to fill.

(all firmly put in the subjunctive)

[brightknightie]

I ♥ the subjunctive case. I hope that it doesn't die out of English from chronic disuse and misuse.

[argentum_ls]

At this point, I'm expecting to be writing for either you or bethskink (another friend of mine) and to be assigned to bethskink. There are two other people I could be assigned to, depending on how the rest of the matches shake out, both of whom I've either written for or who have written for me in other fests.

I'm afraid this is the consequence of having a regular slate of fandoms.

BTW, the requests summary is open, and I note that the PoI requester has a letter linked there.

[brightknightie]

Good luck receiving the most happily compatible matches among your options!

Good luck to us all, to see more people fall in love with our so-deserving best-beloved fandoms. :-)

>"...and I note that the PoI requester has a letter linked there."

Thank you! I found it.

Interestingly, this seems not to be the person who advocated for the Machine being eligible for the fest. This requester would adore Root/Shaw hurt/comfort, but would be happy with any 'shippiness between them.

I probably won't offer PoI, then, unless another request registers.

(I believe that I could do something good with Root-as-mystic, or Root and the "third category" of numbers, and I might be up to Shaw casefic, but my limited romance talents don't extend to the very complex psychology of psychotic/sociopath.)

[argentum_ls]

Well, I talked bethskink into signing up specifically because of a new fandom I sold her on. So, maybe we need to be out there twisting arms more :)

Good luck to you, too!

I'm already planning what to do with your prompts. I'm afraid quotes don't do much for me. Fortunately, I have a couple other ideas that should work.

Interesting that there was an earlier HL requester who seems to have dropped her request. I wonder why.

[brightknightie]

What's your and Bethskink's new fandom?

If you receive my slate and would prefer non-quotation prompts, perhaps try my past three years of prompt slates for this fest (linked at the top of this year's letter). :-) In an imaginary reality where everyone shares my fandoms, I'd make very specific scenario and limited character requests, but with matches such a reach, I thought that the flexibility of quotations might help.

>"Interesting that there was an earlier HL requester who seems to have dropped her request. I wonder why."

Since she's apparently still offering (though no longer requesting), I'm assuming that she spotted an offer in a fandom she'd rather read. (Otherwise, I'd have to conclude that she may be fleeing the possibility of getting stuck with my writing... eeeeek.)

[argentum_ls]

The new fandom is called Wolfblood. It's an English kids' show about werewolves, except the werewolves are not monsters. The whole thing is available on Netflix, which is how I found it. The show doesn't strike me as one that would appeal to your tastes; however, I'm not for familiar with all of the nuances in your taste, so I could be being presumptuous. One of the draws for us is that has excellent girl and women characters.

Permission to visit older letters is always appreciated. While I tend to reuse prompts from exchange to exchange, new ones do creep in, especially in open canons. I'm cool with people using any prompt from any exchange ever, but I never know if anybody else is as well.

She wasn't offering before. The 1,1 that was sitting there for a while was her request and my offer. I'm not requesting this year, after all, because there are other fandoms I want more.

[brightknightie]

There are currently 3 HL offers. Perhaps the other person mistakenly requested where she meant to offer all along. Or just found greener pastures.

Thank you for the Wolfblood reference. I've now read the Wikipedia entry, and should be able to recognize if when comes up. No, it doesn't sound like it'll leap to the front of my personal viewing queue. :-) I still haven't yet seen any of Agent Carter or Penny Dreadful, among other things.

Prompt recycling

[brightknightie]

>"I'm cool with people using any prompt from any exchange ever, but I never know if anybody else is as well. "

The one angle from which I feel that it may be inadvisable to recycle a prompt is when someone has already specifically written a distinctive prompt scenario. I wouldn't want the first writer to feel that her interpretation wasn't valued.

(That doesn't really apply to any of my HL prompts in past RarelyWritten/Rarewomen games, though. I did gratefully receive an HL fiction in the '12 game, but it is more a perspective/reflection essay than a plot scenario that could feel "competed with" from the prompt.)

Re: Prompt recycling

[argentum_ls]

In the case of a really specific prompt, I can see that. With open-ended prompts that have a wide variety of possible interpretations, I like it when multiple people are inspired simply because of how different the resulting stories will be.