Amy (
brightknightie) wrote2024-02-05 08:12 am
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noodling toward FKFicFest 2024
It's time to start thinking about this year's
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,
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.
everywoman was due July 25, with its nominations and sign-ups both wholly in June.
Definitely challenge-style, not exchange-style. Period. Now,
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!
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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]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
Definitely challenge-style, not exchange-style. Period. Now,
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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!
no subject
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
no subject
Yes, friendly best practices is exactly right! Thank you. "If you're new here, here's how we generally do things..."
My corner of fandom is pretty small, but even from my vantage, watching other folks' journals and events, this past year had several never-before, not-right, why-would-anyone incidents. Perhaps it's just the world being stressful! Or perhaps it's collisions between different fan cultures, as Tumblr fan society -- and others such -- begin to outgrow email-list-legacy fan society. Or... goodness knows! Anyway, yes: I'd like FKFicFest to be a joy for all; that's why we do it.