noodling toward FKFicFest 2024

[brightknightie]

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!

Comments

[havocthecat]

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 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?

[brightknightie]

I'm eager to run the brackets experiment! I'm not yet confident that it will truly establish the most commonly acceptable prompts across the most players -- which was the point of ranked-choice voting instead of winner-take-all -- but I'm hoping that people will find it fun and transparent, which is definitely missing with the ranked-choice (because showing the math is a pain).

Tagging practices friendly reminder: good thought. If you're going to choose to not tag for something generally considered a trigger, then go full in and select: "Author chose not to use archive warnings."

[havocthecat]

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.)

[brightknightie]

;-) So: "If your story is likely to unduly distress your mod -- who likes PG gen and literally has the word 'bright' in her handle and cannot imagine half the dark things out there, but nevertheless feels obliged to comment on every story in this fest -- please put on all the tags she needs in order to cope healthfully and cheerfully with your story." ;-)


I would blame myself, not the author, if I read a tagless "Chose not to warn" story and it upset me. But I suppose full, old-fashioned taglessness is a different signal than some tags, but not enough tags, which could seem deceptive. I don't read many "current" or "younger" fandoms, so newer tagging conventions are... new to me!

[havocthecat]

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.

[brightknightie]

I miscommunicated; my apologies!

I meant for the winking emoticons to convey that I wanted to be cheeky and kidding with that pretend draft. I should have said "just joking around" in so many words, instead of relying on emoticons.

Likely, the one thing I would definitely try to communicate about tagging is that it -- and summaries, prefaces, endnotes, etc. -- are available for being fair, appealing, and kind to your readers. Something along those lines.