Fannish Fifty: Bingo Cards

[smallhobbit]

I do find having a bingo card an encouragement to write and especially the ones provided by allbingo because there are 3x3 cards and also, which I appreciate, 2x2 cards.

And, since allbingo is taking part in Three Weeks For Dreamwidth I thought I would post my answers to the questionnaire this week and promote my enjoyment of bingos.

How long have you belonged to this community? What attracted you to it? How often do you play?
I first took part in June 2020.  It was during Covid and I was looking for different inspirations.  I didn't take part again for another year, but after that I am semi-regular. 

What do you like best about creative bingo? Do you feel that it helps you as a creative person?
I like the inspiration and giving me a start to write.  I particularly like this because I find it helps provide short chapters for a fic which is a good change from basic challenges.

What are some of your favorite bingo themes? Are those single events, recurring, or a mix of both?
Cotton Candy, Winterfest in July are both recurring themes I enjoy. There have been a few with food, which I always like!  This year's Public Domain theme, with a Sherlock Holmes card was a no-brainer.  And lastly, the Valentine's theme, with Language of Flowers was excellent, although the flowers weren't quite the traditional ones.

Do you participate in other bingo communities? If so, what are some of your favorites?
The only other bingo community I regular take part in is Book Bingo, which I do enjoy.  In the past I have done bingos for other communities but these are one-offs, not as a bingo community.

Do you typically create fills in the same format or fandom, or spread them out over different kinds? What will readers find in your work?
Yes, generally a 2x2 card, occasionally if I'm particularly inspired a 3x3 card. Mostly a chaptered fic, odd ficlets for a 3x3 card.  And I'm a Brit, so the square wording may be changed to be appropriate, but will always be in keeping with the intention.

Have you ever made blackout (filled all the prompts on a card)? If so, how many times?
Yes, all the time. But then most are 2x2 cards and I only have a 3x3 card if I am reasonably confident I will fill it.

Have you ever hosted a bingo fest here? If so, what was your favorite theme(s)? If not, what themes might you fantasize about hosting?
Not hosted - I applaud those who do.  My ideal theme would be based on some of Sir Matthew Bourne's ballets - a very niche theme.

Comments

[sallymn]

I totally failed at my last bingo attempt, maybe I'll dig it out and have another go after I get these assignments out of the way...

[smallhobbit]

I'd encourage you to do so - I find them fun. And your icon is awesome!

Go for it!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Over on allbingo you can play any card at any time, although we do host monthly fests. We're also doing Share Your Cards in Three Weeks for Dreamwidth if you want to post or talk about that card.

Re: Go for it!

[sallymn]

I'll check it out, thanks :)

[corvidology]

I'm dead impressed. I stopped getting Bingo cards when I realized I'd never completed a single one!

[smallhobbit]

That's why I generally get 2x2 cards!

Well ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

I've had cards where I didn't get a single fill. I usually get at least a handful, but it varies whether or not they're in a line.

The Bingo Card Generator goes from 1x1 to 7x7. Lots of people play small 2x2 or 3x3 cards. I use those sometimes when I want to play multiple sublists without mixing them.

Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> There have been a few with food, which I always like! <<

The May 2 Poetry Fishbowl has "Food" as a theme. :D

>> This year's Public Domain theme, with a Sherlock Holmes card was a no-brainer. <<

I want to make Public Domain Day a recurring theme. It won't always have Sherlock, but there should be something fun every year.

>> And lastly, the Valentine's theme, with Language of Flowers was excellent, although the flowers weren't quite the traditional ones.<<

I think the usual ones are in there, like roses, but I did try to including a bunch of things that only a flower language nerd would've seen before.

>>In the past I have done bingos for other communities but these are one-offs, not as a bingo community.<<

Yeah, one-shot bingos pop up on fandomcalendar occasionally. Fandom Empire recently posted one there.

>> My ideal theme would be based on some of Sir Matthew Bourne's ballets - a very niche theme. <<

I only count a theme as niche if its prompts are so specific they don't generalize well to other fandoms / genres. Looking at the list, there are 20 stage productions and a few more non-duplicates in Film & TV. That's almost the 25 items needed to fill a standard 5x5 bingo card (a good minimum for a prompt list). You could finish that with names of choreographers, dancers, etc. If you made a list of ballet terms (e.g. pas de deux, ballet slippers, giant wall mirror) then the two sublists together would be plenty. I can think if plenty ways to riff these -- "The Car Man" points to Boss Blaster for me. :D Plus I bet other folks would do what I just did, and look up the name to see what he's done. August is still open, and there are several months with recurring themes where a new one could also run.

I'm a fan of Hubbard Street Dance Company and Pilobolus.

Re: Thoughts

[smallhobbit]

I shall think about the Sir Matthew Bourne theme - it would be easy to add a few generic characters, like Queen and Prince as well.

Re: Thoughts

[ysabetwordsmith]

Ooo! I didn't even think of stock characters! And ballet has so many wonderful tropes. Plus you could throw in characters from any of the named ballets. The Rat King works not just in ballet, but also lycanthropy fandoms. :D You could do some subjective ones too, like Your Favorite Ballet Troupe.

I would love the hell out of this theme.