It's THAT TIME OF THE YEAR!

[reikah]

Hoorah, it's here! Welcome to the 2014 KurofaiOlympics!

This is our fourth Olympics event in the fandom, following on the heals of the 2013 Future vs Fantasy olympics, the 2012 Canon vs AU Olympics and the 2011 Fluff vs Angst Olympics. The theme this time around -

(*drumroll*)

Comedy vs Tragedy!

We will be taking a break from our standard Olympics format, however! This year our teams will be competing on the common ground of standard slash fanfic cliches/stock tropes! We hope you'll find this change an invigorating alternative, whether you're an experienced competitor or a new person coming into the Olympics for the first time - speaking of which, enjoy the guide below!



(Mokona mascots & banners designed by the amazing bottan, who is a true miracle worker!)

Many of you are hardened veterans who have ridden this rodeo before, but some of you might be new to the whole idea of Olympics! Please find below a (slightly updated) guide to the Olympics process below!

What is the Olympics challenge?

An Olympics challenge involves two teams of writers, writing different genres of fiction (in this case one team will be Team Comedy (or Team LOL) and the other team will be Team Drama (or Team SRS)). To keep the playing field level, the teams will be asked to write fanfiction following stock fanfiction tropes supplied by the challenge moderator (me!). The themes will be equal in size, and there will be enough themes provided that each member will be able to select a different theme. After you've picked your theme, you and your opponent on the other team with the same theme will be given a scheduled posting day.

Example:

Let's say Cassie, Connie and Callum sign-up for Team Comedy, and Daniel, Dora and Dia sign up for Team DRAMA. Once the sign-ups are over and the Teams have been finalised, I proceed to post the following trope list for them:

Undercover at a gay bar

Everything's Better With Dragons

High school AU

Cassie & Dia both claim High school AU, Dora & Callum claim undercover at a gay bar, and Connie and Daniel both claim everything's better with dragons (which it is). Now I hand out scheduled posting days; undercover is scheduled first for April 6th, Dragons second for April 7th, high school au for April 8th. April 6th rolls around and Dia & Cassie both post their contrasting fics, one funny and one serious, based off the theme undercover at a gay bar. A day later, the dragons people post their fics, and so on.

What we need for a successful Olympics

This is fairly simple. We need writers, yes, to fill out two teams.

IMPORTANT UPDATE: This year in order to prevent the number of drop-outs we had last year, there will be a team size limit imposed of six people per team, plus two pinch-hitters. People with a proven track record of successfully pinch-hitting in previous olympics will receive priority placement on the teams. If you sign up, but unfortunately do not make it to the team, you can still vote! And there is ALWAYS room for pinch hitters!

A pinch-hitter, aka standby or back-up writer, is another necessity. The pinch-hitter's job is essentially to leap into action and fill in a story gap caused by another writer dropping out. If someone does need back out of the contest, their prompt day will be shunted to the end of the posting schedule to give the understudy the maximum possible time to write. The understudy only will be granted +24 hours for their fic; their opponent, who would have originally been scheduled to post earlier, will not be exempt. It is important to contact me ASAP if you think you may have to bow out. This is because if you do not post at all, and I don't receive any information from you telling me what's going on, I will penalise your team, and you may cause your team to lose the contest.

Wait, penalities?

Yes. The Olympics is a team-driven event, but it's also a contest. You're competing against the other team to win the popular vote, as decided by readers, and as such, it's very important that you post a completed fic on schedule. If your fic is not completed, it will receive a -2 penalty from its total votes. If it would naturally have received a 9, it would be downgraded to a 7. If a fic is not posted on its scheduled day, I will halve its score (the exception to this rule is, obviously, the pinch-hitter's fic). If a fic is not posted at all, and you do not contact me to arrange a pinch-hitter, I will subtract -10 from your team (before averaging), thus likely costing your team the contest given how close the two sides usually come. It's very important to have your fic finished and ready to post on your scheduled day!

I'm not a writer. Can I still participate?

Yes! Participating writers are not allowed to cast actual votes for any other fic in the Olympics, so we're dependent on you, as a non-affliated, independent reader to read each fic and vote for it. You will be asked to vote for any given fic across three categories, which will be given to you at the end of the fic. Sample categories have included:

1. How well-written was this fic?
2. How in-character were the cast?
3. How much did you enjoy this fic

You will grade the fics on a 1-10 scale, where 1 is the lowest and 10 is the highest. Your votes will then be tallied to work out an average for the fic, which will then be tallied together with other fics written by the author's team-mates to work out the average score of each team. This can be seen in action here, in the 2012 Olympics.

What time zone will the contest operate in with regard to schedules and deadlines?

Pacific Standard Time (PST). This is -8 GMT, -19 Australian EST, meaning that if you live in Sydney, your deadline will actually be 7pm the following day. This is because PST is usually the furthest timezone of competing authors, thus granting those ahead of it a little extra time. If you are unsure of the time zone difference between yourself and PST, google 'local time in los angeles' and calculate from there.

Can I co-write my entry?

No. You have to write your own fic, based off whichever theme you choose.

I've got this half-finished fic that fits the theme...

All entires for the Kurofai Olympics must be freshly written.

Is there a minimum or maximum length for entries?

Nope! Write as much or as little as you like. Do remember, however, that shorter fics are likely to score lower votes due to your readers having less information to go on. You should aim for a balance; a fic that is sufficiently long enough to engage readers, while not being overly ambitious and ending up not able to finish the story in question (thus incurring yourself a penalty). Most posters usually end up between 5,000-14,000 words. Remember that longer fics may turn off voters.

When will you post the themes?/What's the schedule for this Olympics?

Sign-ups will remain open until Monday 17th March 23:00 GMT (PST 3PM), at which point I will engage in some team-shuffling to balance the numbers. On Tuesday 18th March I will post this Olympics' tropes, and you will be able to choose them. Hopefully both teams will have their themes picked out and organised by 0:00 PST/ 8:00 GMT Saturday 22nd, when writing will begin! Fics will be scheduled to begin posting three weeks later on Saturday 12th April, and the posting period will be followed by two weeks to allow for readers to vote on all entries, ending Saturday 26th April.

I don't think that everything really IS better with dragons, you know.



I have a further question.

Post it in the comments section and I will reply to you ASAP!



Hopefully, with those questions out of the way, you're sufficiently prepared to sign up to write for the 2014 Kurofai stock tropes COMEDY VS DRAMA olympics!

(Running tally of sign-ups as follows, please note these are not final and provide a headcount of everyone who signs up and their preferences):

Edit: Tropes will be posted at 11:00/23:00 GMT on MONDAY the 17th.

Comments

[eijentu]

ONE TICKET FOR TEAM SRS PLS!!!

[reikah]

*stamps ticket officially, passes it back*



OFFICIAL.

[mikkeneko]

I'll sign up for Team Comedy!

[eijentu]

HOW COULD YOU BETRAY ME AGAIN MIKKE? D: WHY? WHY?????????

[uakari]

Team Comedy for me! \o/

[reikah]

I am expecting flying monkeys FYI

[badluck_koi]

Team Comedy for me! \o/

YES! Wouldn't want it any other way! We have high expectations for the LOL Veteran.

[bottan]

WHOOOT~! I'll take whichever team needs another member! :DDD

[reikah]

♥!

[farenmaddox]

I would prefer team serious but will happily move over to team comedy if we have an uneven number!

[bottan]

OMG, YOU'RE DOING OLYMPICS? EEE~ :DD *SQUISHES YOU*

[reikah]

*SLINKS IN LIKE TEN MINUTES AFTER POSTING WITH ICE CREAM*

Team DRAMA for me, yo

(seriously how did you people all beat me I WROTE THE POST)

[eijentu]

OMG ICE-CREAM INFILTRATING TEAM DRAMA, BABE!!! D:

[cloverfield]

Sob I wanna be in this but my lappy is still dead and it's bloody hard to write porn fic on a smart phone SOB

CAN I SIGN UP ANYWAY? And if my charger doesn't get here by the start date I'll bow out and give my place up to someone who wants it?

/waily waily waily

I don't even care where you put me, I just wanna play with all the cool kids ;_____;

[reikah]

bb you are totally one of the cool kids cos everyone is one of the cool kids, it's ok <3

just... don't injure yourself this time, bb! promise?

[zelinxia]

Okay, I'm more prepared and relaxed this time around so I will stick in this time. *warrior cries*.

Team Drama for me please, cause writing drama is my bread and butter. But if we need more people for team comedy, I can vouch for that, too.

[reikah]

Welcome aboard again! As you successfully pinch-hit previously, you're at the top of the list! :D

[caffeine_buzz]

Hmm...I don't really have any particular preference this time, so sign me up for whichever team needs another person :D

[reikah]

Yay! I love all your fic, serious and comedic, so I can't wait! :D

[reikah]

Hoorah! Welcome to the Olympics! Your accommodation is better than Sochi's! Also, more gay.

[badluck_koi]

Oh wow, time flies by. I arrived late to the team fluff and team angst, so I am looking forward to this one. If you need anyone for team LOL, I am your clown. Since there are new writers in the fandom, and with the team restrictions, if anyone arrives late and wants a spot, I will instead volunteer as a pitchhitter. I know from Xia that it isn't stress-free, and in some ways it is a lot more demanding.

[reikah]

You're definitely not wrong there! Thank you so much! Pinch-hitters are the most important part of the olympics because one person ALWAYS gets a family emergency at the worst time!

[mindlessadri]

Hello~

I'll take drama.

I think - but I'm really wondering what the difference is between drama and angst? I want to make sure I understand.

[mikkeneko]

'Drama' fics don't have to be sad or tragic, they just have to take their subject 100% seriously, no jokes or humor.

[sotongsotong]

Ah, I came in a little too late! Are there still any placings for team comedy? If there isn't, it's alright :D

[reikah]

We'll see if we can fit you in! As I said to Adri, the numbers are getting kind of tight with the 6-people per team rule etc, would you be willing to also sign up as a pinch-hitter?

[animangod]

Pokes head out of dimension hole. I would like to help. Prefers Tragedy or pinch hitter but could also do comedy.

[reikah]

Sure thing, I've added you to the list! You pinch-hit previously so we'll definitely get you in!

[ereshkigali]

/whispers

sorry I'm very late to this but I am actually a lot more confident in my time-management this year so if there is still space anywhere I would be interested in that space I CAN DO EITHER TEAM

[reikah]

We'll see what we can do! 'cos the numbers are kind of tight this year, would you be able to sign up as a pinch-hitter also?

[kokochan]

I'm completely new to this comm, but is it okay to ask to be part of team drama? If not, that's perfectly fine and I'll just vote this year. *hides behind wall of much-loved TRC manga*

[badluck_koi]

*glomps new member* Welcome koko and please stay. In past Olympics, both writers and readers have greatly been appreciated. I've been both, and enjoyed the experience. This year, I think Reikah might be doing something different (correct me if my memory is off [I am old after all XP]), so there may be more chances this year! I hope!!!

EXCITED FOR NEW STUFF

[badluck_koi]

This year, I am excited to see new fans! I would offer my comedy place to give another TRC fan a chance to compete for the first time! I like writing and reading. This time, I can do either. I already participated in the Olympics "AU vs. Canon" and feel satisfied. ((But I will guard my next chance like a dragon with its hoard)). So I am open to anything. Team Comedy, Pinch Hitter, Reader, Judge.

Re: EXCITED FOR NEW STUFF

[reikah]

Thank you, I'm currently sweating looking at all the proven previous competitors and the shiny new faces! Pinch hitting is SO important (ask Xia or Animangod!) and it's so good to have people up for the challenge!

[reikah]

OK SO we're currently looking at the following team line-ups:

Team Drama

zelinxia
animangod
farenmaddox
eijentu
reikah
mindlessadri
kokochan


Team Comedy

mikkeneko
uakari
cloverfield
steadfastsonnet
bottan
caffeine_buzz
ereshkigali

Pinch-hitter

badluck_koi
sotongsotong

I did say 6 people per team however that was a *lie* so uh, 7 people it is.

[zelinxia]

Looks good!

[tsubasafan]

is it too late to sign up?

[reikah]

Sadly it looks like we have skated past full capacity for this olympics. We can always use more pinch-hitters, though!

[reikah]

Update! Tropes will be posted at 11:00/23:00 GMT on MONDAY the 17th.

[renlylittlerose]

Aaaah, the olympics again! :DDD I'll be looking forward to reading everyone's fics and commenting them!