BTRC Nov 2025 || Bingo Updates Pg9, Teams Pg12, Note Pg15 - Page 18

We are closing the curtains on this month, remind your teammates to log their books one last time✌🏻

Guys, the final count for pages will be taken as of December 02, 1:29 AM EST. (11:59 PM, IST)

Please let me know if all your team mates have updated their page logs before then.

Honestly, I was not engaging with anyone after my post in Nov results thread because I felt I had said what I wanted to say.

So thank you Shre and Vera for speaking up way better than I would ever🫡

Bee, Ghum, Mrina, Kadyn, Leena, Hinna (hey, that rhymes), MoodyMango thank you so much for the encouraging words and the solemn show of support, really made me feel seen.

If my tone (or words) offend anyone, no offense, coz I am not gonna refine my myself atp.

BTRC was always Lizzie's baby, baaki kisiki bhi koi bhi help ho, chaahe with posting, designing, graphics, it'll always be hers and it breaks my heart that I am one of the person making it a bad experience for everyone (and trust me, I have been trying my level best to do otherwise)

So Lizzie, if you ever see this, Thank you. I read a lot because of you and it reminded me of my teenage self who would go crazy for books and how much I loved doing it. My colleagues still don't belive I read a 100+ books just in 4 months and think I am some crazy person, and that's a huge compliment. (So also thank you for making me look unhinged at my work place)

The thread where Lizzie asked for volunteers clearly stated she will give us the whole control. Whatever was done previously , was between the two mods and their discussions, we weren't a part of it, and even if it was a pattern, it was their pattern, why were we expected to follow it?

I have seen tons of non mods help mods organize contests and games in forums, and mods never interferred unless there was a fight or something in the thread, so not sure what happened this time, or maybe I shouldn't have forgotten not all forums function the same.

Vera and I were coordinating with the drafts, so imagine my surprise when I was tagged. For a few seconds, I thought I might have missed something and (as always) was about to let it go, but then decide not to, coz I saw Vera work hard on the drafts and siggies and atleast needed an answer. (And no, Kadyn, I believe it wasn't your responsibility to check with anyone before making the siggies, you were just asked for help which you did, brilliantly, might I add) One text on fb or a tag on the November thread saying "Will you guys be posting the results?" Should have been enough, according to me, but that never came, and somehow we were expected to ask for permission to work on a thread we spent a month on?

Vera and Shreya already pointed out that the whole theme for December siggies will change given the specific reading theme, so not sure why she is expected to rework (even minutely) on a siggy? Heck, she and I are both captains, won't it be weird if one of our teams won and we are celebrating ourselves in the post? (Haan, maana Vera became MVP for Nov and would have had to post for herself if things had gone the way they should have, but that would have been a small glitch and not looked as hella pompous as posting for our teams. That is also a reason why we didn't become captains last month or sign up for Bingo, we wanted to ensure no one felt we were being partial to our teams in any shape or form.) And why should we post results for Dec? Dec isn't being handled by us, hum kyun last minute jaake post kare (even if we have the permission, my heart wouldn't be in it because I always feel a person's style and journey while hosting a game should reflect in all the posts, especially the results)

I am not sure why Vijay was even mentioned in the first post in response to mine. Ofcourse the badges are good, they are by Miss T. Ofcourse the thread has to be GA, this is a game for members across all IF forums. Can't a thread made by a non mod of a forum be GA? We all know the answer because Nov ki thread Vera ne banayi thi and that was GAed. And one dm/tag saying make a a new thread instead of posting in the og one would have sufficed for us to make a new thread for results.

I am not an antaryami, I can't see kaun kab kya post karega, I had a schedule with my co-host, I was given the permission to go full overdrive on MY thread by the person who started the challenge so main kaise (and kyun) pehle hi batati? (And yes, as I type this, I also am aware that people ask for permissions while hosting games and celebration threads in forums from the mods, but like i said above, the mods' responsibility is only till giving that permission and then they take the back seat)

Also, when people call out the "confusion" they are targetting the mods. Yes, they said mods, but they were asking for simple explanations and pointing out something that went wrong, which I believe is their right, and this is as a mod, I may not have fancy experience like many, but I know that more than the mods, it's the people's forums, we are just to ensure things don't go wack-a-doodle, unless even that has changed and I always lived in my own bubble of holding everyone accountable.

And yes, I could have done this in DMs, but I am done being the one who goes '"usko jaane de Nagma".

Sorry to my Gingerbreads, but I won't be continuing for Dec (or ever). It would be highly appreciated if someone takes over for me, you all are way more capable than me. You can make a new thread, use my old one, whatever the host approves.

I hope everyone here has a lovely reading time. I know this isn't some big deal for you and it's just a small hiccup, and please let it be just that.

If anyone felt targetted, I wish I could put my thoughts in a better way and I hope this ends here, or atleast this thread isn't closed anytime soon (if this escalates)

This is all from my side, I don't want any reason, or explanation or even support atp (because even your support will be thought of as a misdemeanor and I don't want that)

Peace out (for real) this time ✌🏻

Originally posted by: oh_nakhrewaali

Honestly, I was not engaging with anyone after my post in Nov results thread because I felt I had said what I wanted to say.

So thank you Shre and Vera for speaking up way better than I would ever🫡

Bee, Ghum, Mrina, Kadyn, Leena, Hinna (hey, that rhymes), MoodyMango thank you so much for the encouraging words and the solemn show of support, really made me feel seen.

If my tone (or words) offend anyone, no offense, coz I am not gonna refine my myself atp.

BTRC was always Lizzie's baby, baaki kisiki bhi koi bhi help ho, chaahe with posting, designing, graphics, it'll always be hers and it breaks my heart that I am one of the person making it a bad experience for everyone (and trust me, I have been trying my level best to do otherwise)

So Lizzie, if you ever see this, Thank you. I read a lot because of you and it reminded me of my teenage self who would go crazy for books and how much I loved doing it. My colleagues still don't belive I read a 100+ books just in 4 months and think I am some crazy person, and that's a huge compliment. (So also thank you for making me look unhinged at my work place)

The thread where Lizzie asked for volunteers clearly stated she will give us the whole control. Whatever was done previously , was between the two mods and their discussions, we weren't a part of it, and even if it was a pattern, it was their pattern, why were we expected to follow it?

I have seen tons of non mods help mods organize contests and games in forums, and mods never interferred unless there was a fight or something in the thread, so not sure what happened this time, or maybe I shouldn't have forgotten not all forums function the same.

Vera and I were coordinating with the drafts, so imagine my surprise when I was tagged. For a few seconds, I thought I might have missed something and (as always) was about to let it go, but then decide not to, coz I saw Vera work hard on the drafts and siggies and atleast needed an answer. (And no, Kadyn, I believe it wasn't your responsibility to check with anyone before making the siggies, you were just asked for help which you did, brilliantly, might I add) One text on fb or a tag on the November thread saying "Will you guys be posting the results?" Should have been enough, according to me, but that never came, and somehow we were expected to ask for permission to work on a thread we spent a month on?

Vera and Shreya already pointed out that the whole theme for December siggies will change given the specific reading theme, so not sure why she is expected to rework (even minutely) on a siggy? Heck, she and I are both captains, won't it be weird if one of our teams won and we are celebrating ourselves in the post? (Haan, maana Vera became MVP for Nov and would have had to post for herself if things had gone the way they should have, but that would have been a small glitch and not looked as hella pompous as posting for our teams. That is also a reason why we didn't become captains last month or sign up for Bingo, we wanted to ensure no one felt we were being partial to our teams in any shape or form.) And why should we post results for Dec? Dec isn't being handled by us, hum kyun last minute jaake post kare (even if we have the permission, my heart wouldn't be in it because I always feel a person's style and journey while hosting a game should reflect in all the posts, especially the results)

I am not sure why Vijay was even mentioned in the first post in response to mine. Ofcourse the badges are good, they are by Miss T. Ofcourse the thread has to be GA, this is a game for members across all IF forums. Can't a thread made by a non mod of a forum be GA? We all know the answer because Nov ki thread Vera ne banayi thi and that was GAed. And one dm/tag saying make a a new thread instead of posting in the og one would have sufficed for us to make a new thread for results.

I am not an antaryami, I can't see kaun kab kya post karega, I had a schedule with my co-host, I was given the permission to go full overdrive on MY thread by the person who started the challenge so main kaise (and kyun) pehle hi batati? (And yes, as I type this, I also am aware that people ask for permissions while hosting games and celebration threads in forums from the mods, but like i said above, the mods' responsibility is only till giving that permission and then they take the back seat)

Also, when people call out the "confusion" they are targetting the mods. Yes, they said mods, but they were asking for simple explanations and pointing out something that went wrong, which I believe is their right, and this is as a mod, I may not have fancy experience like many, but I know that more than the mods, it's the people's forums, we are just to ensure things don't go wack-a-doodle, unless even that has changed and I always lived in my own bubble of holding everyone accountable.

And yes, I could have done this in DMs, but I am done being the one who goes '"usko jaane de Nagma".

Sorry to my Gingerbreads, but I won't be continuing for Dec (or ever). It would be highly appreciated if someone takes over for me, you all are way more capable than me. You can make a new thread, use my old one, whatever the host approves.

I hope everyone here has a lovely reading time. I know this isn't some big deal for you and it's just a small hiccup, and please let it be just that.

If anyone felt targetted, I wish I could put my thoughts in a better way and I hope this ends here, or atleast this thread isn't closed anytime soon (if this escalates)

This is all from my side, I don't want any reason, or explanation or even support atp (because even your support will be thought of as a misdemeanor and I don't want that)

Peace out (for real) this time ✌🏻

Shibz, stop blaming yourself. Truly. You’ve always poured your heart into this, and anyone who’s been around knows that. You’ve always given your best, be it as the captain of your team in many BTRCs, as the graphicher who made tags and sigs, or as a friend who stepped in to help whenever needed.

Now repeat after me “ Ididn’t make Book Talk a bad experience” Because you didn’t. Not even close. Everyone will agree on this.

@bold: I’m completely with you on this. The understanding to share the results was solely between Madz and Riya …it didn’t involve you or Vera. Since the two of you were managing everything from A to Z for this book talk, it should’ve stayed in your hands from start to finish. Posting the results without coordinating with the people actually handling the task ends up undermining the value of all the effort you put in.

And honestly, if I had done something like this myself, I would’ve taken the thread down the moment Souten posted about it…that’s just the truth. I’ve also reached out to you both via PM so we can talk through the results properly.

Vera and Shibz, you were both amazing! 💛 Taking charge of the Nov book talk, especially when things were already a bit tricky, was no small feat but you handled it all so effortlessly that it felt completely seamless. It’s so unfair that your hard work didn’t get the ending it deserved. I know how much effort you put in, and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must feel right now.

You've just voiced out every single one of my thoughts about why this felt so unfair. I'm completely with you on this Shibz. And I expect most of the other BTRC participants are too, at least the ones who were active and were around to see the work happening. It's breaking my heart to see you blame yourself for this. You were never a cause for anyone's bad experience, you've only ever been the enhancer ❤️ From siggies and tags to excel formulas, you've always made it better for everyone

You saying goodbye is tragic but also understandable ❤️ but still, chin up before you go! You and V did a great job 👏👏

Originally posted by: WildestDreams

Shibz, stop blaming yourself. Truly. You’ve always poured your heart into this, and anyone who’s been around knows that. You’ve always given your best, be it as the captain of your team in many BTRCs, as the graphicher who made tags and sigs, or as a friend who stepped in to help whenever needed.

Now repeat after me “ Ididn’t make Book Talk a bad experience” Because you didn’t. Not even close. Everyone will agree on this.

@bold: I’m completely with you on this. The understanding to share the results was solely between Madz and Riya …it didn’t involve you or Vera. Since the two of you were managing everything from A to Z for this book talk, it should’ve stayed in your hands from start to finish. Posting the results without coordinating with the people actually handling the task ends up undermining the value of all the effort you put in.

And honestly, if I had done something like this myself, I would’ve taken the thread down the moment Souten posted about it…that’s just the truth. I’ve also reached out to you both via PM so we can talk through the results properly.

Vera and Shibz, you were both amazing! 💛 Taking charge of the Nov book talk, especially when things were already a bit tricky, was no small feat but you handled it all so effortlessly that it felt completely seamless. It’s so unfair that your hard work didn’t get the ending it deserved. I know how much effort you put in, and I can’t imagine how frustrating it must feel right now.

@ Red: This. Or at least closed it down with an apology and edited out the content on the main post.

Originally posted by: oh_nakhrewaali

Honestly, I was not engaging with anyone after my post in Nov results thread because I felt I had said what I wanted to say.

So thank you Shre and Vera for speaking up way better than I would ever🫡

Bee, Ghum, Mrina, Kadyn, Leena, Hinna (hey, that rhymes), MoodyMango thank you so much for the encouraging words and the solemn show of support, really made me feel seen.

If my tone (or words) offend anyone, no offense, coz I am not gonna refine my myself atp.

BTRC was always Lizzie's baby, baaki kisiki bhi koi bhi help ho, chaahe with posting, designing, graphics, it'll always be hers and it breaks my heart that I am one of the person making it a bad experience for everyone (and trust me, I have been trying my level best to do otherwise)

So Lizzie, if you ever see this, Thank you. I read a lot because of you and it reminded me of my teenage self who would go crazy for books and how much I loved doing it. My colleagues still don't belive I read a 100+ books just in 4 months and think I am some crazy person, and that's a huge compliment. (So also thank you for making me look unhinged at my work place)

The thread where Lizzie asked for volunteers clearly stated she will give us the whole control. Whatever was done previously , was between the two mods and their discussions, we weren't a part of it, and even if it was a pattern, it was their pattern, why were we expected to follow it?

I have seen tons of non mods help mods organize contests and games in forums, and mods never interferred unless there was a fight or something in the thread, so not sure what happened this time, or maybe I shouldn't have forgotten not all forums function the same.

Vera and I were coordinating with the drafts, so imagine my surprise when I was tagged. For a few seconds, I thought I might have missed something and (as always) was about to let it go, but then decide not to, coz I saw Vera work hard on the drafts and siggies and atleast needed an answer. (And no, Kadyn, I believe it wasn't your responsibility to check with anyone before making the siggies, you were just asked for help which you did, brilliantly, might I add) One text on fb or a tag on the November thread saying "Will you guys be posting the results?" Should have been enough, according to me, but that never came, and somehow we were expected to ask for permission to work on a thread we spent a month on?

Vera and Shreya already pointed out that the whole theme for December siggies will change given the specific reading theme, so not sure why she is expected to rework (even minutely) on a siggy? Heck, she and I are both captains, won't it be weird if one of our teams won and we are celebrating ourselves in the post? (Haan, maana Vera became MVP for Nov and would have had to post for herself if things had gone the way they should have, but that would have been a small glitch and not looked as hella pompous as posting for our teams. That is also a reason why we didn't become captains last month or sign up for Bingo, we wanted to ensure no one felt we were being partial to our teams in any shape or form.) And why should we post results for Dec? Dec isn't being handled by us, hum kyun last minute jaake post kare (even if we have the permission, my heart wouldn't be in it because I always feel a person's style and journey while hosting a game should reflect in all the posts, especially the results)

I am not sure why Vijay was even mentioned in the first post in response to mine. Ofcourse the badges are good, they are by Miss T. Ofcourse the thread has to be GA, this is a game for members across all IF forums. Can't a thread made by a non mod of a forum be GA? We all know the answer because Nov ki thread Vera ne banayi thi and that was GAed. And one dm/tag saying make a a new thread instead of posting in the og one would have sufficed for us to make a new thread for results.

I am not an antaryami, I can't see kaun kab kya post karega, I had a schedule with my co-host, I was given the permission to go full overdrive on MY thread by the person who started the challenge so main kaise (and kyun) pehle hi batati? (And yes, as I type this, I also am aware that people ask for permissions while hosting games and celebration threads in forums from the mods, but like i said above, the mods' responsibility is only till giving that permission and then they take the back seat)

Also, when people call out the "confusion" they are targetting the mods. Yes, they said mods, but they were asking for simple explanations and pointing out something that went wrong, which I believe is their right, and this is as a mod, I may not have fancy experience like many, but I know that more than the mods, it's the people's forums, we are just to ensure things don't go wack-a-doodle, unless even that has changed and I always lived in my own bubble of holding everyone accountable.

And yes, I could have done this in DMs, but I am done being the one who goes '"usko jaane de Nagma".

Sorry to my Gingerbreads, but I won't be continuing for Dec (or ever). It would be highly appreciated if someone takes over for me, you all are way more capable than me. You can make a new thread, use my old one, whatever the host approves.

I hope everyone here has a lovely reading time. I know this isn't some big deal for you and it's just a small hiccup, and please let it be just that.

If anyone felt targetted, I wish I could put my thoughts in a better way and I hope this ends here, or atleast this thread isn't closed anytime soon (if this escalates)

This is all from my side, I don't want any reason, or explanation or even support atp (because even your support will be thought of as a misdemeanor and I don't want that)

Peace out (for real) this time ✌🏻

First off — Shibz, you’ve put your jee-jaan into this from the day you signed up for the BTRC (even before that, with the siggies and everything). Everyone knows about your crazy Excel skills and how you made everyone’s work ten times easier. You could never ever make the BTRC a bad experience.

Thank you, Shibz. I don’t know if I ever told you personally, but I was genuinely very happy to co-host with you. I had a great experience!!

(This was meant as a reply to Mrina’s post, but since you mentioned Lizzie, I feel like I need to say this out loud.)

I’m grateful to Lizzie for a lot of things — first, the BTRC; second, the captaincy. It gave me the experience of taking up a leadership role, even though my amazing teammates were more than capable of doing everything themselves.

And then organising this November BTRC made me realise how easy Lizzie made it all look, but how much work went behind the scenes. Kudos to all organizers, truly!!

BTRC brought me back to being a voracious reader. It’s not like I wasn’t reading before — I was — but it was aimless, because I didn’t have a goal or an initiative to work toward.

BTRC gave me that initiative, that goalpost so to speak, and a curiosity to see how many books I could read at a stretch.

If someone had told me I would read 14K+ pages in a month (even 16K+ in June), I would’ve laughed. I was stunned when Shonali and Parm did it in the first month. But then I saw Shibz reading 50+ books — and when I did it too, it really felt like a personal achievement. The credit is all Lizzie’s.

I was about to tell Mrina that if BTRC stopped, I’d genuinely be sad. I’m not so sure right now, because my heart just isn’t in it. I don’t want to be a half-hearted captain — it wouldn’t be fair to my teammates, and it wouldn’t be fair to Lizzie, because it feels like I wouldn’t be doing justice to the role she trusted me with.

I don’t have anything more to say about the “confusion,” which was decidedly one-sided, because Shibz and I were very clear about what we were supposed to do. Shreya was a great help too; she even offered to help with the badge distribution.

She spoke up for us when she didn’t have to. Thank you Bee, Rado, Mrina, Leena, Hinna, Hiral, and Kadyn (for the beautiful siggies — seriously, they were better than anything I could’ve hoped to make ) for supporting us. I didn’t expect it, but I’m very thankful. That’s what IF is supposed to be about.

_______

From here on, whatever I say is my own opinion and not a response to Shibz’s post. (Disclaimer dena padta hai because I don’t want her post trashed — criticism is apparently against IF rules.)

I’m not used to mods being authoritative or controlling, to be honest. I’ve never had heated exchanges with them (or anyone much) because the situation never arose. The ones I’ve seen and known have always been fair, supportive people. I respect anyone who volunteers their time to moderate and keep things running smoothly, the way they’re supposed to.

They hear you out. And I have never seen them lock a thread mid-conversation unless things have escalated badly. That’s like shutting a door in someone’s face while they’re still talking. Sorry if that sounds rude, but it’s the truth.

Since I’m not a mod, I’m not entirely sure how “attacking a mod” is defined. But from what I understand, it means exchanging harsh or abusive words, or accusing them. Is asking for accountability considered “attacking”?
Ahh damn. Must be my poor comprehension skills again.

I could go on a long spiel, but mujhe essay nahi likhna. Waise bhi bohot lamba ho chuka hai.

Pehle laga I'll carry out my duties for this month and then step down. That is not the case now.

I would like to step down from the captaincy, and also the BTRC. (To my team members — if you need any help with the logs, just ping me personally; I’ll definitely help.) Mann maarkey cheezen karne ki na mujhe aadat hai, nor do I want to start now.

Thanks for everything so far, Ciao 👋🏻

You didn’t make BTRC a bad experience, if anything, you made it a smoother one. I don’t like you saying or feeling otherwise. Not just in November, but since the very beginning of BTRC, you’ve been a valuable asset and an integral part of it. Your goodbye will be a significant loss, but I understand and respect your decision. I’m truly grateful for everything you’ve contributed.

Damn! You too, V ! But it’s understandable ❤️

You were also an important member of the BT forum , someone who kept this graveyard lively with your presence and enthusiasm. See you around

I'm sorry to see you both go Shibz and Vera, but not surprised.

As a mod, I myself don't know what's "attacking" a mod in the posts we made, but apparently we did.

Madz FYI 2 captains are gone.