Admin Announcement

[Vin]

Hi everyone.

I wanted to talk to y'all a bit about how we talk about each other's applications both in the review threads and in the discord as well.

A couple of things to get out of the way before getting into the meat of it all. First, I am not singling any one person out, or trying to point fingers, with this. I'm not at all interested in that. What I'm interested in is making sure that from now on and for the duration of this contest, from the rest of this application phase through the contest proper, we are able to collaborate as a cast and an audience in positive and healthy ways. As such, this is a post that is addressed to anyone and everyone who reads it, and I hope you all take the time to read it.

Second, this is not me coming to the defense of an application. I am responding to reactions that I've seen about a specific app, yes. But I'm not here to change people's opinions about this app. My only concern here is how we are addressing not just this app, but apps, and later posts, on a broader scale as well.

So. I noticed some talk about the Shoklok application that made me a little bit wary, both in reviews and in the discord itself. These statements either implied or outright stated that had viscerally negative reactions to Shoklok's character, in some cases asserting that it was a character that they could never vote for. I'm not here to tell people that those reactions and feelings are invalid. I'm not here to draw attention to the statements or punish them. I'm here because I felt it was necessary for me to step in as an admin and ensure that we all treat each other's apps with a little bit more care in the future.

Just like there's a difference between critique and criticism, there's a difference between saying something isn't quite your cup of tea and making a moralizing argument about why that thing is bad. The reason review threads exist is so that people can engage with the applications on a critical and constructive level, as well as maybe giving the author some things to think about either going into the contest if they make it or walking away from it if they don't. Saying "I can never vote for this character because I think it's sick/makes me uncomfortable/etc" is not constructive. There's nothing valuable that the author can take away from that. I understand that sometimes people have strong and visceral feelings about apps. That's understandable. Those feelings aren't the issue here.

Everybody applied for this contest because they want to craft a good story. I promise you that nobody came into this contest with the intention of writing a bad or harmful story. Maybe the way that they approach this challenge is different than you would. Maybe the themes they want to explore are different than the ones you would. That doesn't mean that their way of telling a story is wrong, and it doesn't mean that the story they are trying to tell is bad or worthless.

I know from first-hand experience what it's like to receive reviews like this, and whenever anyone said anything like, "I hate this character and I would never even consider reading (or, in the context of survivor, voting) for this", it made me think, "OK. This person thinks my writing is worthless and doesn't respect the fact that I have a story that I want to tell". And that's the thing for me. Maybe you don't like a given story, but the author writing it still deserves respect. Because at the end of the day we're all here to do the same thing, and that's to tell the stories that mean something to us in the ways that we know best.

And look. I don't think that anyone here has intentionally disrespected or will intentionally disrespect another author. But I think because of the anonymity of these contests it's super easy to forget, when we're talking about apps or writing in review threads, that behind every application there is an author who put blood sweat and tears into it and who cares very deeply about their creation...but because of the anonymity rule isn't really able to defend it in the way that they maybe want to. So if you're reading an app— any app, not just Shoklok— and you find that when you go to write a review or talk about it in the discord the only thing you can think of to say is, "I just personally hate this app and won't vote for it because of that", I would encourage you to step back, don't think about the app for a while, then come back and read it with fresh eyes and see if you can find something constructive to say.

Otherwise, just say it's ain't yer cuppa and don't talk about the app at all. Everyone who applied for this contest deserves to be treated with respect, so let's make sure that we give each other that respect.

I also think we should be very careful about ascribing intent and/or meaning to any of these applications. Everyone's gonna approach applications with a different perspective and interpretation. But at the end of the day, we don't know the complete picture of any application. It's fine to discuss your interpretation of an application, but be careful to not portray your perspective/interpretation of an application as the "correct" one. We don't know who the author is, we don't know what they are planning to do. They are the only person who can speak to any of these things.

And remember. If you have a genuine problem with an app or a post that goes beyond disliking it— for instance if you think that it has crossed some sort of line or broken a rule— come and talk to me first, not the whole world. The court of public opinion won't solve those kinds of issues. That's my job as the admin. If I'm not available, Airan is the big kahuna here and can probably help you out.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this. I know people are excited to talk about apps and to get into the nitty gritty and get reviewing, but I felt that this was an important thing to say before we really dive into that stage of the contest.

[Vin]

Hey y'all.

Wild times, eh? When I started this contest, I certainly didn't expect to be dealing with anything unprecedented, at least not in the app phase, and yet here we are, for better or for worse. I've taken my time today to stop, think about the situation, count all the new grey hairs on my head, and really digest everything that's happened in the last couple days.

It's not an easy one, that's for sure. I don't have any solutions or resolutions right now. The process isn't going to be immediate. I plan to talk to each individual applicant and get a temperature check on feelings around the group, and see where we can build from there.

As for what I can do right now. I got some pushback and some critique on the announcement I made that I wasn't necessarily expecting, and I think it would be beneficial for everyone but especially those people who did offer critique if I walked everyone through the process behind my decision— what happened, what prompted concern, why I felt that it was necessary to step in and make a statement, etc.— so that people understand, if not necessarily agree with, the steps that I took. I know that Frost has now revealed himself, but I don't think that erases anything that happened leading up to that moment and I feel that it's best for me as an admin to be as transparent as possible right now.

I got Shoklok fairly early on, or at least early relatively speaking— fourth, maybe fifth? I read the app, and then I put it away for a bit. I came back, read it a few more times, and scored it. I didn't notice anything concerning about the app, and I honestly didn't think it was the kind of app that would receive backlash. As with every category except for the Bone Rattlers, this process ended up being purely academic. I moved onto other apps that needed more attention and I didn't really think about Shoklok for a while, other than some light discussion on the judging boards.

Cut forward a few days, and the apps have been released for everyone to read. There were a couple of conversations about review threads, and Airan posted rules. Naturally, when apps are released discussion soon follows, and at a certain point Shoklok came up. At some point, I said, "So...Shoklok. That's a cult, right?" I didn't say this necessarily as a reflection of my own interpretation of the application, but as a possible interpretation of the application. I did something similar with Marunae, when I pointed out the stress that the author put on the Green Forest and wondered how that might affect interpretation of the character. My goal with these statements was not to push any interpretation of an application of the audience, but to get them in the mindset to think critically about applications, to look at the little details included in the applications and how they might influence the meaning behind a character.

I was a bit surprised at how people sort of latched onto that idea and how far they took that reading of the application. My own interpretation of the application had some echoes of the interpretation, but it didn't necessarily extend in the same direction. There were a couple of statements made about the app that made me cock my head, but I didn't really think much about it because people are naturally going to have different readings, feelings and opinions about apps. It's part of the deal. In another contest, I would have spoken up and given my own view of the app, but I didn't think that as an admin it would be fair for me to speak too deeply about any of the apps on display except to the authors of those apps.

Then Frost messaged me. Like he mentioned in his forum post, he asked if there was a chance that he could speak to the judges and get a chance to clarify certain aspects of his app. I told him that I was planning to have private individual discussions with each author about their apps on a deeper level, and we would have the opportunity to talk about it soon. In the conversation, he briefly mentioned a certain amount of surprise at certain attributes that had been given to his app by others.

This conversation indicated to me that there was a possibly a certain amount of worry that the author of Shoklok had about the popular interpretation of his app. When an applicant comes to you, an admin and a judge, and asks you for a chance to clarify character choices and give recommendations about what they could have done better in response to conversation about their app, that's...worrying. When you're running a contest, you don't want anyone to feel alienated because of the app that they wrote and the response that it receives. So I decided to think this situation and hopefully come up with some way to alleviate those worries that didn't involve the author breaking anonymity.

I know, I know. Job well done. 

Before I really had a chance to consider things, review threads started coming out. I didn't really read them in their entirety. I skipped straight to the Shoklok sections to see if there was anything I needed to consider in my thought process.

I was expecting a certain abount of critique for the app, given the conversations that were had. What I wasn't expecting to find was a condemnation of the character itself. Based on conversations I had seen in the discord, I figured there was a reasonably high probability that more negative reviews would follow and it was possible that they would be no more forgiving.

So I found myself in a tough position. On one hand, I like the review threads that happen every contest. I think they allow people to express their opinions and I think they can be enormously valuable to the applicants and give them a chance to see different perspectives on their work. On the other hand, I wanted to avoid a dogpile of negative reviews on one application and one author that offered no tangible constructive value. I don't think that the statement, "I find this character so reprehensible I will never vote for them" is something that either gives the author something to work on and grow from as a writer, or respects the fact that you don't truly know what they intended with the character or what they are planning. On a third hand, which we'll assume for the sake of this explanation that I do have, I didn't want to dictate what opinions people put in their review threads. On a very dubiously existent fourth hand, I've already had the author of this app give me reason to believe that they were concerned about these exact interpretations of their application.

Ultimately I decided the best course of action was to freeze the review threads and write up my expectations for how we as collaborators would treat each other not just in this application phase but throughout the contest. I tried to be calm, measured, and, yes, firm, but also fair. There were a lot of words in that statement, but what it essentially boiled down to was this:

"Everybody in this community deserves respect. Please treat them as such."

I know I haven't been a perfect admin, but I have spent a lot of time and energy to design and organize a contest that we as a community can all take part in and enjoy. I think that it is fair for me to ask that we treat each other well.

I realize that nobody here is intentionally disrespecting anyone else. I would be beyond shocked if that were the case. But I do believe that sometimes it is easy, especially in a competitive venture like a survivor contest, to forget how the way that we say things can affect people. I was not calling anyone out or shaming anyone's behavior. I was simply asking that we remember that fact, and that we be considerate when choosing our words.   

I also realize that a number of you felt that my statement was somehow telling you to not speak your mind or voice your opinion. That was never my intent. If I thought that your opinions were not valuable, I would have just hand-picked the applications I liked best. You always have a voice, and the most powerful way you can use that voice is not to talk in review threads. It's to vote. Let's keep our words healthy and positive, and the voting results will speak for themselves.

Finally, I know that some of you had other issues with what I said and/or how I said it. I am happy to talk over your concerns about that statement or this one, in private or in public.

Thank you for taking the time to read this. I hope that it at the very least gave you a bit of insight into my decision-making process in this situation. Over the next few days, I am going to try my best to try and figure out the anonymity conundrum. I will begin contacting applicants tomorrow.