Ciddies Newbie Guide

So, you’ve heard of this thing. The Ciddies, they call it. But what is it, and how does it work? Well I’m here to answer all that and more as Jiro presents

The Eyes on Final Fantasy Newbie Guide to The Ciddies!

The most important thing you have to know about The Ciddies is that they’re fun. Enjoying yourself is essential! If you don't enjoy yourself, then something is wrong and must be resolved immediately. Throughout this guide you will (hopefully!) learn about The Ciddies, its history, how it works and how best to participate in order to make sure you have as much fun as possible!

Now for some quick history. The Ciddies are a bi-annual awards ceremony designed to provide some amusement and award some serious and some not-so-serious awards to the members of Eyes on Final Fantasy. They were named after Cid, the founding member of Eyes on Final Fantasy, and have his face plastered all over them. Isn’t he just dashing? The event is usually hosted by Award Guy, though several other accounts have hosted The Ciddies, including Award Girl, Award Cerberus and Award Yuletide. Look out for other zany hosts in the future!

If you’re new to Eyes on Final Fantasy, chances are you haven’t seen The Ciddies run before. Even if you have, it can still seem confusing, overwhelming, and a little bit of an ‘in thing’. But don’t let appearances fool you; The Ciddies are most definitely an event for newbies to get involved in. We do our best to ensure newbies are invited to participate in all aspects of the forum, but recognise that it doesn't always work the way we want it to. Hopefully this guide will help make The Ciddies more appealing to you, the newbie!

Ciddies Step One: Nominations
A few weeks before the actual awards are presented, a Nominations thread will be posted in General Chat. Most of the awards require potential winners to be nominated, so this is a vital step in ensuring all the most fitting members get their chance at glory. The Nominations are an important part of a newbie’s first Ciddies, but also a very difficult one.

It’s likely that, as a newbie, you don’t know too many members yet, and maybe not many people know you. This can make it hard to know who to nominate, and for other members to nominate you. But don’t let this get you down; many long term members have not been nominated for Ciddies as well. The key is to post lots, be yourself, and have fun! You will be noticed eventually, trust me on that!

For your first Ciddies, you might want submit only partial nominations, or skip the process altogether! But remember that the best way to get your name out there is to nominate yourself for all the awards you think you deserve! Please keep in mind that there might be restrictions on just how many awards you can nominate yourself for, usually a maximum of five.

Ciddies Step Two: Voting
Now that the nominations are all in and we have our Nominees, it’s time for the voting to begin! Another thread will be posted in General Chat listing the awards and the Nominees for each. Voting is open to everybody, even if you didn’t nominate, and we encourage each and every member of Eyes on Final Fantasy to pick their favourites.

The voting process is similar to the nominating process, only far easier. Because you only have to pick one of the options presented to you, you don’t need to worry about forgetting members! Newbies might still not be too familiar with members, but have a vote anyway, just to get used to it. If you don’t exercise your right to vote, you’re saying No to democracy!

Ciddies Step Three: Revelations
The Revelations Thread is where everything comes to a point. Located in General Chat (like the rest of The Ciddies!), this thread will be the location for most Eyes on Final Fantasy members during the Revelations period. The host account - that's Award Guy - will reveal our winners through a usually slow and lengthy process. The awards are revealed in reverse chronological order, beginning at Most Likely to Get Together (Ciddie #50) and ending with Best Member (Ciddie #1). The bottom few Nominees will be shown first, and then the winner and runners up will be revealed.

At this point there will be a lot of nonsensical posts by members trying to encourage and speed up proceedings. This might seem intimidating, but it’s basically the only licensed spamming the forum sees, so make full use of it. Posting in a Ciddies Revelations thread is a good way to get noticed, especially if you say something funny, witty or post a clever image macro. Be sure not to break any of the other forum rules though!

That sums up the most important parts of The Ciddies, but there are other parts too!


Side Dish A: Planning The Ciddies
The Ciddies don’t run themselves, and it takes a team of people to get things started. Joining the Events Committee allows you to give vital input into the way The Ciddies are run, as well as other events on the forum. A great suggestion from member shion is how this guide was conceived, so you know it works! Helping out or posting suggestions is a good way to become familiar with the way the event is run, and every input is a positive one. Don’t be afraid to give your two cents; you might just have an awesome idea to make The Ciddies better for everyone!

Side Dish B: Predictions
So you consider yourself a keen observer, or maybe a psychic? Then perhaps you wouldn’t mind trying to predict the winners! Once the Nominees are announced, members are invited to predict who they think will win the awards, and these predictions are compiled into a list that is posted during the Revelations. It’s usually pot luck picking a winner, so anybody can have a go, and you might find yourself winning!

Side Dish C: Speeches
Each Ciddie is presented along with an accompanying speech written by a member. The nature of these speeches is left up to the writer; you could opt for something humorous, something serious, an investigation of the Nominees or perhaps an acrostic poem using their names. The options are endless, and give us an opportunity to show off our skills as well as provide some extra Ciddies entertainment. Writing a speech is a good way to help The Ciddies run smoothly, as we’re always after more writers!

The Ciddies is the premier event at Eyes on Final Fantasy and can often seem like an elitist club for the more popular members of the forum. While it is, essentially, a popularity contest, that doesn’t mean that newbies can’t participate, have fun and even win awards! You’d be surprised at what can happen if you get involved and enjoy your time at Eyes on Final Fantasy.
It’s important not to take The Ciddies too seriously though. Not winning a Ciddie doesn’t mean people don’t like you! Many well liked and well respected members miss out on Ciddies. You just have to keep trying!

Which brings me to my next point: Don’t be surprised if you have to wait a long time to win your first Ciddie! We go to great lengths to ensure The Ciddies give every member a fair opportunity to win, but sometimes you just get unlucky. It took years for me to receive my first nomination, and then another year to win my first Ciddie, which was only the Most Likely To Win A Ciddie For The First Time Ciddie! Long time member Miriel only won her first Ciddie in 2010, after joining the forum in 2002! If you stick around long enough, have enough fun and post lots, then you too can be a winner!