RPS Fandoms...

[twigged.livejournal.com]

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT: PLEASE READ

I've been getting quite a few questions lately regarding various RPS fandoms. Obviously we here at crack_van have no philosophical objection to RPS; Popslash and LotRiPS have been with us from the beginning. However, we have decided (and really, phil left the decision to me, so I'll take the heat if there's heat to be taken), not to accept RPS in the small fandom category. This is not really a new policy; it's just the first time it's been spelled out. We've revisited the question several times in the past year and half, but in practice we have never accepted RPS in small fandom.

The reasons:

1. The current waiting list for a small fandom slot is a couple years long.
2. RPS fandoms are nearly as numerous as non-RPS fandoms, if not as prolific.
3. The pairing permutations in a fandom like, for instance, women's college basketball, are endless and ever-changing, making a comprehensive overview impossible.
4. SUM(1:3) = an ugly combination.

I realize there are smaller, self-contained RPS fandoms that may be a better fit in this community (Star Wars RPS has recently been suggested), but it becomes difficult to draw the line between appropriate and not, so we're not going to pick and choose.

It does seem like there's enough interest in RPS fandoms to warrant a multi-fandom recs community, though. If anyone is aware of one let me know; I'll be glad to pimp it here, and will point future volunteers that way.

Thanks!

Comments

[heavensqueen.livejournal.com]

Would it perhaps help to generaliz existing categories?

Popslas = RPS related to all musicans
LOTRIPS = RPS related to all actors

still not sure where that would leave to sports part

[lady-smith.livejournal.com]

That wouldn't help the summery issue. In fact, it would aggravate it to the Nth degree.

[twigged.livejournal.com]

I agree. It would create more problems than it solves.

Hopefully someone will decide to create an RPS rec comm to cover them.

[lady-smith.livejournal.com]

Well, I wish them the best of luck, but as it's not my cup of tea, it won't be me.

A question, though. Would the creation of such a community herald the removal of all RPS from Crack_van? (Something I am neither for or against, just curious.)

[twigged.livejournal.com]

No, it wouldn't. And if any other RPS fandom gets as large as Pop or LotRiPS, I wouldn't have a problem adding them on as full-time. It's mainly the congestion in the small fandom category that is prompting this decision. I would think an RPS comm would also want them represented there, too, though, unless their focus was specifically on smaller RPS fandoms.

[lady-smith.livejournal.com]

That makes sense. Very reasonable. Thanks!

[bozaloshtsh.livejournal.com]

Out of curiosity, what kind of proof of popularity would you need? I know of several extremely active communities that are spuritng forth SW RPS like there's no tomorrow, multiple posts per day, with almost instantanious feedback. There is as of yet no real reccing community, hence probably the current numbers of requests for SW RPS.

Again, I'm praying this isn't a "read the fucking memo" type situation, but were a bunch of us to actually petition for something RPS within a self-contained amount of time, much like LotRiPS, how would we go about doing that sucsessfully?

Sorry if this is something you've addressed at another point in time, I don't want to agrrivate people with useless questions.

[twigged.livejournal.com]

We ask for 8 months worth of reccers initially to make a fandom full-time. If you can round them up let me know and we'll add it. Thanks!

[zaneetas.livejournal.com]

1. The current waiting list for a small fandom slot is a couple years long.

Holy crap. That's...both v cool as it's a great sign of the overwhelming success of this community and a total nightmare to deal with, I'm sure. It'll be interesting to see which of those small fandoms that have staked a place in line are still around in 3 or 4 years times.

I've never personally seen a multifandom rps recs comm (uh, that I remember at least) but if these are *really* small fandoms we're talking about, I think there are a couple of places to rec rare fandoms/pairings of any kind.

Also, am v glad to hear you're not getting rid of rps entirely! That would be so vastly tragic, I just have no words...

[twigged.livejournal.com]

Actually the list is more like 3-4 years long, I realized after I posted this. I'm tapping people who signed up last spring right now, and most of them are still interested.

I'd like to see a rare pairings RPS comm spring up to pick up the slack, but we're definitely not planning to eliminate RPS here completely.

[cupidsbow.livejournal.com]

I rec rpf and fpf of any and all fandoms on rec_room, and I have an open call for guest reccers (http://www.livejournal.com/community/rec_room/61555.html). It's a personal comm, though, so it may not be what you're looking for.

[twigged.livejournal.com]

I'll mention it when I post a follow-up on this issue. Thanks. :)

[amproof.livejournal.com]

Just popping over to respond to your comment to mine on the request list, since that comment was locked to say that I'm actually not a crack_van member anymore and haven't been for many months. So, if you were going to tell me I could go ahead and do Van Helsing...don't. LOL

And I think soccer fans or music slash fans might disagree with you on the 'endless and everchanging'. This is especially true where the fandom has a ready-made team or band for characters to mix in. (As we have learned from PopSlash and Lotrips.) Every fandom has its OTP. :)

[twigged.livejournal.com]

I've deleted your comment for Van Helsing - and you were almost up to bat!

And I'm sure that's true of many RPS fandoms, but in others it's not. I'd rather have a well-defined policy regarding them than pick and choose. Maybe we'll do an RPS theme month or something in the future. :)