brightknightie: Nick, Natalie and Schanke looking at Nick's painting of his beast (Trio Nick Natalie Schanke)
Amy ([personal profile] brightknightie) wrote2024-02-05 08:12 am

noodling toward FKFicFest 2024

It's time to start thinking about this year's [community profile] fkficfest. If at least 5 people would like to play, I'll run it.

Probably due in early May? (Easter is March 31 and Passover April 22-30 this year.) I don't want to overlap with other games that permit FK, but I don't know any of their schedules! Last year, [community profile] 90s_channel_tv_exchange was due May 28, but it had already finished sign-ups by mid-February, and I haven't seen a peep from it yet this year. [community profile] everywoman was due July 25, with its nominations and sign-ups both wholly in June.

Definitely challenge-style, not exchange-style. Period. Now, [personal profile] havocthecat shared a very interesting idea about how to pick the challenge(s), which I'd like to try: brackets (aka direct eliminations). That is, as in many sports, we'd have rounds of votes pitting the nominated prompts against each other, with the winners moving to the next round. (This would be instead of me trying to deploy ranked-choice voting math meant for situations with fewer candidates than voters.) It would require an initial vote to rank the nominees, though, in order to slot them into the brackets (highest v. lowest). Then the "final four" become the challenge pool.

For years now, I've been paring away at the gameplay instructions/rules, trying to make them as short as possible, while still comprehensive enough for a total newbie. Last year, we did add the new rule prohibiting using AI/LLMs to write/draft (as a research or brainstorming tool, fine; but not as a co-writer!). I'm wondering whether we need to add any rules or admonitions this year, from lessons learned across fandom last year...? For example, do we need to point out that it's generally considered polite, in a community game, to read and reply to at least a few other stories, not exclusively your own? Do we need to say anything to help educate incoming fans about the norms of commenting on stories -- for example, that fan-culture suggests that a comment should be primarily about the story it's left on, or the expectations of constructive vs. destructive criticism, and general community feeling? (For example, I personally got some upsetting -- seemingly bigoted -- comments on older fic last year, one so upsetting that I reported and deleted it. It purported to be complimentary, even more ick. Never seen the like before! And I saw some other fandom events get hit with unanticipated behaviors.) I'd like FKFicFest to be a positive experience for all. We're all we've got!

thefruitbat: Friutbat (Default)

[personal profile] thefruitbat 2024-02-05 06:01 pm (UTC)(link)
Count me in!

Sorry to hear that people left upsetting comments on your stories (I really don't get why, because afaik you mostly write gen and nothing gory or unsettling, but well, these days it's weird what gets people frothing at the mouth. :/).
I've heard about some major WTF going on with someone in the fandom, but I really hope that it won't be an issue anymore.
You're right, we're all we've got and even though I'm not part of the fandom that long, I've always felt at home and safe here, especially with FKFicFest.
Maybe some general rules about commenting in FKFicFest might be helpful? Sure, it's up to everyone to comment or not, but since it's a fandom event, it comes alive through the engagement of every writer, right?
Elimination style for the challanges sounds good. :)
dlyt: LC montage (Default)

[personal profile] dlyt 2024-02-05 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
I’ll play, and the new approach to selecting prompts sounds good.
greerwatson: (Default)

[personal profile] greerwatson 2024-02-05 08:06 pm (UTC)(link)
Count me in, too!

As for how it's run: I thought last year worked pretty well; but, if you feel something else would be better, that's fine. You're the one organizing it; so, as far as I'm concerned, whatever works best for you is best for us, too. I'm just glad to have FK Fic Fest run again!
pj1228: Lacroix (Default)

[personal profile] pj1228 2024-02-05 08:55 pm (UTC)(link)
Count me in, too!
If the new prompt choosing mode is less time-consuming for you, go for it.
switchbladeeyes: (Default)

[personal profile] switchbladeeyes 2024-02-05 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
Count me in as well!

FKficfest challenge brackets sound way more fun than March Madness brackets (apologies, college sportsball fans).

If you think it would be helpful re: commenting norms/expectations/etiquette in this challenge, perhaps some friendly "best practices" rather than "rules," especially if you're trying to keep the actual rules brief and perhaps save yourself from having to enforce something. I'm sure no one (who isn't an intentional jackhole, can't do anything about them) wants to inadvertently misstep or seem rude.

I'm really sorry to hear someone left you such an upsetting comment! I hope that was an outlier and not to be repeated, but I gather from your remarks that there has been some sort of unpleasant behavior or misunderstandings in fandom-at-large over the past year that you want to head off at the pass in this event.

Thanks for all your thoughtful approach to ensuring a positive experience for participants. Like [personal profile] thefruitbat, I haven't been in the present FK fandom that long (less than a year... a returnee from the 90s) and have found it really, really nice. Hopefully, that vibe sticks through this particular event and beyond.


havocthecat: natalie lambert from forever knight (fk natalie lambert)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2024-02-06 05:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I am potentially in, as always, depending on whether the prompt sparks something in me. But since I haven't written FK in years, I am not to be counted on.

As to brackets, I do hope it would be fun! As it was for the best Methos competition over in [community profile] highlander_chat, with the surprise upset of Methuselah's Stone as the winner, for example.

I don't think there needs to be a huge rules change, I think, as this is a prompt fest and not an exchange fest, so one doesn't need to worry about "surprise, here is a thing that does not technically violate your DNWs," but possibly a reminder and example of proper tagging practices, especially in a fandom rife with historical flashback possibilities and actual flashbacks to some quite dark times in history would be good?
havocthecat: the lady of shalott (Default)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2024-02-07 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
Oh, I totally see your point on "commonly acceptable prompts," but if you want to pick a "grand prize winner," and then do some ranked choice voting for additional prompts or whatever, you could? The fun is the point of a prompt showdown! The campaigning for votes! The sheer OTTness of it all.

So I should say that even for CNTW, it is good tagging practice to also warn? But definitely if you have some fraught topics, you should also choose CNTW! I will use myself as an example, my latest fic is definitely a CNTW, I also have Dead Dove Do Not Eat, Graphic Violence, Consensual But Not Safe or Sane, and many other, worse tags on it, because it's a real humdinger of a dark fic. (I won't link it. I'm sure you could find it if you wanted.)
havocthecat: the lady of shalott (Default)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2024-02-07 06:04 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't know if you need to say "if your story is likely to unduly etc." It's nice of you to try to take that all on yourself, but also this is just common politeness for everyone in fandom these days? One person's content warning is another person's interest tag, so you don't need to pre-emptively point yourself out in any potentially self-deprecatory way? (I am very anti self-deprecation!) You can just be very general! And not mention any names.

If anyone takes offense, that's on them, not on you.

After a certain point in time, some tags are kind of duplicative, and sometimes authors miss them, but yes, I thought I'd try to help with my understanding of how tagging conventions have evolved over the years. (Blame Tumblr, for sure, for those weirdass freeforms. I love them. But they are weird.)

I'd go back and revise the tags on my older fics, but that's hard work.

[personal profile] calliope24 2024-02-06 06:34 pm (UTC)(link)
I'm in as well!

I think whatever makes life easier for you is the way to go. We want this little slice of the fandom to continue as long as possible.

Sorry for the unfortunate remarks you received. It does seem odd at this juncture in time. I do think Switchbladeeyes made a good recommendation that an encouragement or comment about 'best practices' is the way to go.

Thanks!
havocthecat: the lady of shalott (Default)

[personal profile] havocthecat 2024-02-07 03:29 pm (UTC)(link)
I missed that suggestion, but let me delight in thirding it!

Playing this year.

[personal profile] waltd 2024-02-20 07:15 am (UTC)(link)
I'll do it!
This keeps my brain alive :-)