ProtFiSIG Pilot Meeting: Protocol Fiction Definitions and Genre Analysis

Participants: suspencer_nit, _vgr, sachbenny, timber1997, maertia, amitashu, thewanderingeditor, mercerlain, jdbb, drevius., kannen123

The ProtFiSIG pilot meeting focused on defining protocol fiction and distinguishing it from special person fiction through detailed textual analysis. The group examined key examples like Die Hard and Lord of the Rings, debating whether characters were inherently special or simply operating within systems that treated them specially. A critical insight emerged: original Die Hard works as protocol fiction because McClane is replaceable, but sequels converted him into a special person archetype, diminishing the protocol fiction quality. The discussion traced historical precedent to golden age detective fiction (Knox's rules), noting that protocol fiction inverts typical genre development by starting with rules and iterating rather than deriving rules from existing works. The group then explored constraint-based literary traditions (Oulipo, Fluxus, Cut-up, J.G. Ballard) as potential methodological frameworks for developing protocol fiction. The conversation concluded by expanding the conversation toward genre variants like protocol romance, emphasizing that criticism of the protocol itself may be more fruitful than elaborating rules.

• Protocol fiction is unusual in starting with rules and then testing/iterating them, inverting the typical genre development where rules are descriptive of existing works.
• Characters can be 'special' in two distinct ways: through inherent superpowers or through systems bending around them (e.g., Frodo's ring immunity versus Superman's powers), and distinguishing between these is crucial to understanding protocol vs. special person fiction.
• The original Die Hard functions as protocol fiction because John McLane is interchangeable—he could be replaced by any competent cop in that system—but sequels transformed him into a special person, losing the protocol fiction quality.
• Constraint-based literary movements (Oulipo, Fluxus, Cut-up, Ballard) offer methodological parallels for developing and exploring protocol fiction rules and narrative possibilities.
• Protocol romance and other genre variants may be better understood through criticism of the protocol itself rather than elaboration of its rules.

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