Bleak boyband bingo began as a short and snappy summary of some of the more horrible common experiences of boyband life, and then expanded into a system for summarising the general malaise and existential torment that underlies the boyband experience. Since then we've gotten more specific to Kpop and the idol experience in particular.
The uberboard is comically large and almost impossible to win at, but maybe as a big group we can cross a lot off. We're hoping this ficfest will give people an opportunity to explore the horrors, joys and inherent contradictions of fame with an audience that will also be interested in unpacking complex ideas around the idol experience.
We're keen to avoid trauma porn or angst for the sake of it, but works can be as dark or as positive as you feel is appropriate. How you choose to grapple with the specific bleak circumstances is up to you, much in the same way that it is up to each idol :^)
CANONVERSE vs AUs The point is dealing with the emotional and conceptual complexities of canon, so that has to be the seed. Can be “what-if” AUs, canon divergence, or canon adjacent, including alternate realities based in canon that include magical or sci-fi elements.
GIRL GROUP INCLUSION The concept originally started with boy groups, and the name hasn't changed, but many of the original BBB themes are highly relevant to girl groups, although they may be experienced differently. We are very interested in exploring those commonalities and differences, so girl group fic is 100% welcome and encouraged.
CONTENT ADVISORY WARNING You know what you're getting into with this fest. We won't place any content restrictions on the works you create, but please tag and warn accordingly (or explicitly choose not to warn).
Notes On BBB Interpretation Each prompt has a particular intent or origin, but that doesn't mean that you can't interpret it in your own way, especially once it's combined with other prompts on your board.
There have been some concerns about how to work with prompts that people aren't sure of or don't think apply to their groups of interest. We want to make clear that GG prompts can be used as is or with minor modification for a BG, and foreign idol board prompts can be reinterpreted quite easily for a local idol.
When it comes to modifying a prompt, will allow one or two word leeway, as long as the original intent of the prompt is preserved. For example one change could be:
shroedingers butch → shroedingers twink
You do not have to change the wording of the prompt if you don't want to, and we are also interested in seeing any inversions, subversions or expansions on a prompt. As long as it is obvious what prompt or theme you are grappling with, we want you to feel free to run wild in your thought experiments!
On Tone How you then work with your interpretations of the prompts is up to you, but we also want to emphasize that there is no obligation to rely on angst. In fact, it may be more interesting to figure out how to turn these prompts into something comical, positive, heartwarming, sexy, goofily sexy, or sexily goofy.
While BBB obviously intends to capture some of the harsher realities of fame, it is also about the whiplash of the highs and lows, the grand successes and the absurdity of all of this existentialism happening in a (relatively) short-lived and often publicly Happy and Successful boyband (or group of your choice). BBB is about what it is to live at the center of a hyperreal, maximalist farce.
HOW IT WORKS 1. Sign up via card request form. 2. We'll create a custom 5x5 bingo card for you to fill based on your sign-up. 3. Once you get your card, try to fill as many squares as you can. You can use one fic to fill multiple squares, or keep your fills separate. 4. Submit a fill confirmation for your work to be approved into the collection. 5. Once you've completed at least one bingo (row, column, diagonal), you can request a new card.
Can we fill multiple prompts using one fic? Yes, we encourage multiple fills but only if it feels appropriate; you don't have to fit everything it at once and you don't have to split prompts across separate fills either.
Do fills for other fests count? Yes, as long as you're creating the fill with your bingo card in mind (i.e. you can't retroactively fill using a work posted before you received your card) and it doesn't clash with the rules of the other fest.
Is there a minimum word count? You know what's best for your story, so as long as you're giving each prompt its due, we won't restrict you with a word count.
What does X prompt mean? How should I fill X? We don't want to limit you to a single interpretation of any of the prompts, feel free to take them as literally or as metaphorically as you see fit.
What if I get prompts I don't like or don't want to write on my card? You're allowed up to 5 opt-outs and 5 opt-ins at signups, so you can use that to curate your card a little bit by avoiding prompts you know you 100% won't be able to write for and by including prompts that you're pretty sure you will want to write for. Aside from that, the rest of the card will be random, and if you end up with something you're not interested in, you're not obligated to write for it. We encourage you to stick with your card and try to be open to inspiration from prompts you weren't expecting, but if you're really struggling, you'll be limited to at most one re-request within the first 48 hours of receiving your card.
Can I write for X group/Y ship? You can write for any idol group you want, including J-pop and C-pop groups if you feel like the prompts are fitting. Feel free to write any pairings, threesomes, moresomes, selfcest or crossovers the setting allows for.
Do we need to keep our cards secret? We don't enforce anonymity for this fest, so you're free to keep your card a secret if you'd like but we'd encourage you to post your card somewhere it can be updated as you post fills (e.g. a twitter thread, a carrd page, etc.) Fics won't be made anonymous either, unless they're posted to another collection that has an anon period.
Is the fest for fanfiction only? Will other works be allowed? While we're guessing that the majority of participants will be primarily interested in writing fic, any other artists or creators are welcome to join, so long as you have a public location where your works can be hosted that we can keep track of to mark your progress. You're also welcome to crosspost your works to the AO3 collection, or notify us if you'd like us to retweet your works onto our account. We'd love to see your art, fanmixes, fanvids, graphics and gifsets!
Participants will post their fic to AO3 and apply to have it added to the collection.
Then participants will fill out this form to let us know what prompts they completed. We have an optional section where you can highlight quotes or sections that fulfill the prompts, and/or explain how you approached including your prompts. This is not mandatory - we are taking your word on it if you say your fic has filled the prompts.
Once we have received your fill submission form, we will approve the fic and it will be added to the collection.
It isn't practical or appropriate for us to read every fic to determine if the fill has been met, and we aren't interested in policing people's creativity in that way. Instead we're hoping that participants will read and comment on each other's work, and that if authors indicate that they're open to constructive feedback or in depth discussions, that participants (and any other readers!) will engage in that.
We look forward to seeing what everyone's been up to!
