Jun 2009 Archive, part a

Just out of curiosity, did you contact Starwind about permission to use the Mystery Assassin? I'm not sure if he's been considered general use or you asked. I did enjoy the mission, though. Nice work.

...I take it we're allowed to put PPC missions up at the Pit again?  I'd heard they'd been forbidden.

Although I was under the impression that non-Gallifreyan Time Lords were possible...

More information pages are always helpful.

The more info, the better.

*laughs evilly and wanders off to sharpen her Pointy Objects*

That's about cat... people... things, right? If so, I'd assume most of the badfic is yiff... Ugh.

There are a lot of fics that need to be killed. I'm just not sure if having a list of garbage in a c2 would lower any possibly reputation I may have dragged up from the tatters of my pre-delete fanfiction life.

Have some Anti-Lustin!

Have some C4. it makes a nice fire, if you don't stomp on it. and watch out for large glass jars.

Sorry about my belated welcome, but welcome to the PPC! Here's a nice shield, courtesy of the Raven Armory!

Nice to meet you :D

I was a bit of a Suethor once upon a time... luckily the PPC never found my fics back then.

Welcome, welcome! I gift you with a weighted companion cube (it will never threaten to stab you) and a crate of Molotov cocktails!

Have an egg whisk! It's shiny, gold-plated, and whisks not only eggs, but author wraiths and spambots, too! Use it for good and not evil.

Welcome to the insanity! Enjoy your stay. ^_^

BTW, will your Agents be based in a TARDIS or a Response Center?

Welcome to the PPC! Please deposit your sanity in the provided receptacle. *holds out bucket marked "Warg Fodder"* We don't tend to have much use for things like that here. Also, have a hug and a Nova Grenade. It will be useful. Trust me on this.
-Mad Maudlin

Hey, loads of us are former Suethors, so don't feel ashamed for that.

Maybe you can even slay your own Sues - I know a couple of people who've been doing that.

As a welcome gift, here, take this bag of pebbles and a Random Shiny Object. Hope you have fun here!

Have a winged kitten, and watch out for giant glass jars.

Have a chainsword which is strangely accepting of upgrades. It even comes with a ranged weapon slot and a feature on the teeth that allows for easy upgrade attachment.

Here, have a phaser. You'll need it.

And don't worry. I'm pretty sure that everyone on this site was once a Suethor. The important thing is that we recognised this fact.

Have some Convenient Cake. :)

I see you've already been given The Links, so I won't fuss about that. And you're not alone m'love - quite a few of us, myself included, have furiously-crushed Sue-skeletons in our closet. It's what gives us the right to tell other people they're wrong. :D

Welcome!

I comes bearing links. *drags out Big Bag O' Links and digs through it*

First off is the link to the Wiki, a veritable fount of information for a newbie to read through. Especially helpful for you if you want to write missions would be the page on Permission (note the capital P).

I would advise against reading any Legendary Badfic, unless you are of strong mind and stomach. Even the summaries have been known to give those of weaker constitution nightmares.

For your reading pleasure, not knowing what you have already managed to find, I have several links for you. The Original Series (not to be confused with Star Trek) is a good place to start, as the PPC did many aeons ago. What do you mean I'm exaggerating? The Department of Geographical Aberrations is another interesting place to visit, if you have the time and inclination. Also by hS is the Tangled Webs site, which contains backstory for the PPC as an organisation. If you would rather visit the Floaters, then July's site is the place you need to be. And last, but most definitely not least, Response Centre 45 is where Trojie and Pads' missions are archived.

Hope you enjoy your stay here. Please deposit your sanity into the container offered to you by another Boarder; you won't be needing it here.

The combat can be really awkward , especially when you're doing combos. Mounted fighting is absolutely awful, because there's no fluidity to the movements and you get knocked off if an enemy so much as looks at you.

Plus, the horrific voice acting really puts me off. It sounds like the guys they got to do it didn't even make an effort.

Link please.

And I want the next mini-Tribble. :P How should [Insert name in question here] be spelt then? I've not really seen DS9 and I could have sworn you did spell [Name] that way.

*picks self up off the floor*

One of mine's been wanting a mini-Tribble for a while now. He (well, it) will be cared for, ferociously protected, and adored with the kind of fervor only /really/ obsessed Trekkies can give.

You're now chatting with a random stranger. Say hi!
Stranger: hello
You: To find knowledge, you must first seek the bagel of enlightenment
Stranger: mmm bagels
Stranger: yummy
Stranger: and moist
You: They are sweet indeed, yet beware! for the salad of temptation lies hidden
Stranger: nobody likes salad.
Stranger: silly billy
Stranger: person
Stranger: called bill
You: Who would? And yet, the diaphanous willow basks in the smoke, untroubled by the cream cheese of existance
Stranger: haha
Stranger: ok you win.
Stranger: heres a cookie.
Stranger: now get out of my internet!
You: Which is more enlightened - the cookie, or the hand that creates it?
Stranger: It depends on if the hand was washed before making the cookie.
Stranger: I DONT WANT NO SWINE FLU
You: Verily, for the grime of malfiecience pmay penetrate even the cleanest abode
Stranger: ... Yes.
Stranger: No comment.
You: There's not really much you can say to that, is there?
Stranger: NO
Stranger: NOW GET OUT OF HERE DAMN IT
Stranger: i told you already
Stranger: clogging up my tubes
You: Are the tubes clogged, or is the flow merely stemmed as the straight daffodil is stemed in the spring?
Stranger: Ask ted stevens he might know...
You: Forsooth, you are a fount of wisdom
Stranger: he looks like my grandpa
Stranger: kinda scary
Stranger: ...
Stranger: im sick of your nonsense
Stranger: BYE. :(
Your conversational partner has disconnected.

The first person I ran into was Korean. We exchanged book recommendations ^_^

I particularly like the idea of quoting Bloodninja every time someone tries to solicit some cybering. Although trolls (frequently /b/tards) sound like a big problem from what I've read. Might bother people there sometime.

*steals comeback*

a list of spelling offences, and use them in this kind of context when somebody tries to be smart with me.

That last retort is epic indeed. My psychotic and wonderful English teacher would be amused.

In this case, I feel a Cardassian trial is doubly appropriate, concerning both the content of the video in question and the fact that the Grammar Division of the Obsidian Order doesn't really tolerate leniency.

(Note that if asked, I will offer ample evidence proving that last sentence has never existed.)

For anyone who needs a refreshing break from political debate, check out the McGillicuddy Serious Party of New Zealand. Policies include:

Free dung;
Hedgehog suffrage;
Limiting the speed of light to 100 kilometres an hour;
Post-natal abortion;
Mandatory homosexuality for 33% of the population.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGillicuddy_Serious_Party

I've been planning the introduction of a fourth character, and I'd like to borrow Winston for that purpose (if only because he's going to be entering at somewhat high speed, and Winston, being a field Agent, would probably have better response time than most Staff in the same situation).

In fact, if you've got a Gmail, we could coordinate this on Gtalk.

Save me from this story! It's called The Elf Prince's Mate. No, it's not a LOTR fic. It's a Harry Potter fic. I kid you not. The canon is not even recognizable. Not even by a long shot. *whimpers*
Here is the link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2272543/1/The_Elf_Princes_Mate
*cries*

~Zoe~

Good Glod, where did hS's hair go? And is there a story behind the giant bunnies?

Huh. Does Dann know he got a huge promotion?

Or that there're that many divisions in his department?

Personally I'd go with calling it the rosebay willowherb, but then, I'm all in favour of esoteric botany jokes. Entirely up to you.

I like the sound of fireweed, and I'm pretty sure we don't have an official mode of writing--just so long as the mode you choose is executed correctly, no one should have a problem. In any case, humor is always a priority in PPC writing. {= )

~Neshomeh

Or. Whichever spelling works. Anyway! Hi! Here is a towel for you! *hands over said towel, which is most fluffy* Hope you have fun here!

If you like it, I can begin mass producing!

Nice to meet you :D

Here's a nice shield from the Raven Armory. (Sorry about the belated welcome.)

*drops a large stack of books and rushes over* HIIII! I'm PitViperOfDoom, one of the many faces of insanity here at the good ol' PPC. I hope you've disposed of your own sanity already. It won't do you much good here.

I gift you with a weighted companion cube and a sock full of rocks. I'm sure they'll prove useful.

...also known as a Transdimensional Pocket Knife.

Lovely to meet you. You are doomed. Just thought you'd like to know that. :)

Have a winged kitten, and watch out for giant glass jars.

Welcome to the insanity. For your pleasure and entertainment, I hereby present you with a bag of pebbles (good for throwing at Sues) and a Random Shiny Object.

Lovely to have you here.

Welcome to the PPC! Please deposit your sanity in the provided receptacle. *holds out bucket marked "Warg Fodder"* We don't have much use for things like that here. I also gift thee with hugs and a shiny. Use them well.
-Mad Maudlin

Have a shapeshifting plushie! It generally sticks to cute things unless you like stuffed Nightmare Fuel.

And welcome a'Board. How was the rest of your trip? And what on earth possessed you to listen to her and come over here? You realise there's no escape for you now, right?

hS

*offers you lembas*

Good to see the grand old traditions of dragging people here aren't fading away.

Here, have an egg whisk! It's shiny, gold-plated, and, hey, it whisks eggs! It's also rather useful for getting rid of author wraiths and those pesky spambots. Use it for good and not much evil.

Welcome to the insanity! Enjoy your stay. ^_^

Mine now.

*drags away to feed chocolates to, away from everyone else*

Here, have a mutated strawberry. If it grows legs, you can always keep it as a pet.

*poke*

I think I suggested something to the effect of that, not to quote me directly. If I had wanted that, I wouldn't have left that comma splice in there. {; p

Oh well. Welcome to the madhouse!

~Neshomeh

I'm not an avid fan, but I am a minor fan of the series. I just don't have the means of watching the series often. That fic was truly horrible, though. They should never mess with canon like that. Never.

*while headlocking Zuko* Yes! Yes! An Avatar fan am I! And this is my lovemuffin.

Zuko: ...uhh?

Awful, awful fic. Great mission. I see you share my taste for wacky Medical color-codes.

In my case, I was writing before I discovered fanfiction. For me, it was initially a way to bond with the small corners of fandom in which I found myself--first for the game "Creatures," and then more significantly for "Farscape." My first Farscape fic was also the first story of any significant length that I actually managed to finish. It's not great, but I did it, and I'll forever know that I can.

Furthermore, that fic led directly to joining the PPC thanks to one of the helpful people on the Friends and Defenders of Pilot message board, who pointed out in the kindest possible way that my original character in the fic was probably a Mary-Sue. Not knowing the stigma attached to the name, I readily agreed that yes, that was probably right. Later, I discovered Fanfiction.net, which led to OFUM, which led to the PPC. And I've been here since.

I still have one fanfic that I feel I ought to finish, even though it's been years since I started, but overall, as I've sporked, I've drifted away from fanfic and tried to apply my skills to my own work. I have a nice little collection of vignettes now, and a full-scale fantasy world in the making.

Fanfiction and the sporking of it also made me realize that I'm better than most people at spelling and grammar. I've worked on becoming very good at it in the hope of turning it into an editing career. That way, theoretically, I'll be able to make a living, because I know I won't be able to do it writing. I just don't have the consistency for it.

One downside of getting heavily involved with the art and craft of good writing is that it has made me realize some of my favorite writers as a young person are actually not that great. The board has also confirmed that I will never be able to love any fantasy work as much as I love "The Lord of the Rings," which for me embodies technical perfection as well as masterly world-building and story-telling. On the other hand, the PPC message board is responsible for introducing me to some of my new favorite authors, particularly Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, who have taught me that it is still possible to be original and to be damn good at it. They give me hope.

On that note, I think I've talked more than enough. ^_^; Kudos and hugs if you actually bothered to read the whole post.

~Neshomeh

despite never having read any EU novel ever. God, do we not want to go into what emerged (*shudders*). Then I got into Harry Potter badfic, hit a bout of plagiarism (*turns tomato red*) and then died on the Internet. Then I returned, deleted everything and all became good in the world as the plagiarism incident ironically made me better. If I'd never done it, I'd probably still be writing crap (though, I guess that depends on your POV) and I'd hate you all for mocking my stories. Yeesh. Sounds crazy written like that.

While most people here seem to have had the same problems I encountere when trying to write, there is a bit of a difference; they got better at it before joining the Board. Meh, I'll probably just try to deal with the irony of writing possible badfic while simultaneously condemning badfic here. If I end up writing something absolutely terrible, it's going to be donated to the PPC though.

First and foremost, the torrents of terrible spelling and grammar prompted me to start correcting things, which has turned into a nice little (very little) business.

Other than that; very similar to the others below. It gave me a chance to realise that I could write well without the need for a brilliant original idea (to date, I have never had one), it gives me great sources of humour, and it's a conduit by which I have met several lovely friends.

Fanfiction, for me, was a way to really LEARN. I mean, I started when I was thirteen, and it's been a few years. For some reason, I lacked the ability to develop my own ideas. I mean, besides the fact that my writing wasn't all that good, I honestly could not come up with an original story setup that was actually good.

Then I found fanfiction.

Of course, it wasn't an instant thing. I still wasn't a great writer, and my first few stories either crashed into the ground or staggered and twitched for a while before dying. Through fanfiction, I didn't really NEED to come up with an original idea, because I could use other people's ideas to practice my writing style and my plot-developing skills. And I found that, as time went on, my writing improved, and I actually used fanfiction to create my own original plotline. The best part was the fact that complete strangers could take an objective view on my writing, and really tell me how well I was doing.

A particular point of significance was when I discovered that Happy Tree Friends had its own section on the Pit. I don't know why, but it must have unlocked something, and I immediately spewed forth a story that, in hindsight, could probably be much better, but it was still significantly more original than the others. It was also the first multi-chapter fanfic I actually finished. In fact, I think I've had the most success in the HTF fandom.

Currently, I'm writing my own original fantasy. The plot is basically a combination of characters, plot points, and ideas from my Happy Tree Friends fanfics, as well as some issues in the Real World. I'm pretty confident about it.

It has definitely improved my writing. Mostly my approach to plotting and characterizations, combined with a healthy fear of ever writing something sporkable. It's also given me some confidence that I can write humor, thanks to the PPC.

It was also my doorway into the larger world of fandom: fanfic, icon-making, forum discussions, filk, conventions, the lot of it.

... but when I was a kid, all I could turn out was poetry. Appalling poetry, I must hasten to point out, but poetry nonetheless. And I sort of dropped the idea.

Fanfiction hit me like a ROCK at the age of seventeen, and I promptly turned out several mediocre-to-poor slashfics, and then the PPC, and then my actual writing declined in quantity as more and more of my time was spent sporking.

However, I credit sporking with teaching me what is and is not good writing practice, and showing me what I like and don't like as a reader, making it easy for me to make judgements on what and what not to write.

My long-term association with Pads started off in fandom, and now we both write and spork together. Fandom/fanfic is thus also responsible for providing me with one of my closest friends :D

Well, fanfiction's certainly improved my writing too. Case in point: never used to write anything; Trojie made me write fanfic with her; she always had to write the sex scenes; after four years she gave me a prompt that turned into porn; I realised I couldn't use the word "cock" in fiction; today I managed it for the first time. All through the beauty of fanfiction.

Congrats on the graduation wossname. What's the plan next?

Could we please stop talking about this subject and just get on with doing something else?

Many good points have been raised in this thread, and we all seem to be in agreement that all our writing could use improvement. We can't all be Jays and Acacias, after all.

But look where this thread has gone. People are actually contemplating LEAVING the PPC! I doubt that was anyone in this thread's intent. The theme of this thread was "hey, did you know your writing could be tuned up?" and not "GET OUT YOU BITCHES YOU MAKE THE PPC SUCK AND I'M A BETTER WRITER THAN YOU!" but I'm getting the feeling that some among us are getting the latter impression. This is no one's fault but the stress.

We want to write comedy? Well, this thread isn't putting anyone in the mood to write comedy. I applaud the attitude of everyone in here, but the feel of this thread gives me and probably many others the chills.

Sop, with all due respect, your honor, may we please adjourn the court?

Don't you like the Dark Lord Geranium?

No squick, no excessive gore, no genderbending. Just some agents splatting Sues with a minimum of drama and maximum of snark. Trying to keep the rating down too, as my agents developed the habit of cursing too much during the squickfic missions and I need to do some more that everyone can enjoy. (Will have to lampshade that in a future mission: "It's R-rated. Obligatory swearing is obligatory." Excuse the troping.)

While on that topic, I can promise I will NEVER EVER use rape as a punchline again. I have a very dark sense of humour and I'd been reading a lot of Something Positive around the time I wrote the missions with Drip and the Trees. I am aware it's not funny in real life, and even in fiction it's not funny if something which counts as a person is on the giving or receiving end (unless it's a Fanficrants entry about how poorly-written it is, of course). I don't personally think it has the same dynamic if the victim's a much-hated badfic character and the attacker's a tree because nobody has ever been attacked by a tree in real life and therefore nobody can really be reminded of bad experiences or anything by it, but that was funny *one* time and I'll not use it again because I am not Randal Milholland and can't push my luck with it. Besides, the agents should have learned their lesson from whatever hell FicPsych put them through. They DID get in trouble for that in-universe, I just didn't make much of it onscreen because I couldn't find a way to make it funny or interesting.

Especially Krisprolls.

Now this makes me glad I haven't gone and tried to write my own missions. Otherwise, Glod knows I would have been flamed to hell and back at some point. I'm sure that with my utter lack of writing experience, I would have ended up making some of the biggest Agent!Sues in PPC history. This is precisely the reason why I decided to never attempt PPCings before first gaining the ability to write good characters and stories. If I do end up trying, however, I'll try to keep this in mind and avoid that sort of thing.

There is a lot of rage around here.

I don't mind when people decide to add some extra things. The routine stuff gets kind of repetitive.

Having said that? Yeah. I get the feeling my characters are included in this volley. Given that I've got a pair of fragging Force-users, the PPC might be better served by my killing them off and just walking away.
But you know what? I like my characters, including their abilities, which are part of who they are. I like using them for this. I don't believe they're Sue/Stu. But what I believe probably doesn't matter terribly much. My characters have full personalities, and the few missions they have done were fairly according to the Duty.

But... I just don't know. If others feel the PPC has no place for them or for me... okay. I could just let things go back to normal for others.

I... really don't feel good now. Can't help but wonder how many people might actually loathe what I've been doing.

Before I begin, I would like to warn anyone who plans on reading this that I'm not very experienced with the PPC, since I've only been here for about two months. I also tend to ramble.
I haven't written any missions, but I really hope I can keep these things in mind for them. I'm not planning on writing any emergencies. Sheesh. I thought the point was to kill the Sues and point out the flaws of the badfics. In fact, after I read TOS, I was dismayed to find out that Makes-Things had been killed nearly a year earlier from when I found the PPC. I guess it's stuck that way now, at least for me.
Personally, I like the way TOS was set up: fairly standard with extra humor and twists added in. There was that blue unicorn deal with Lux, a vacation at the OFUM, the barbeque, a few agent changes, and a department change, among other things. Both agents had their blatant flaws and good attributes.
Hopefully, since this came up before I began any missions, I can write out the mental storyline better. I don't want my characters to become total Sues. I shudder to think of what would happen then.
Anyway, I agree on most of these views and I really hope I don't end up tripping up on one of them. I just want to write and take a whack at the badfic I loathe. Good luck to all other newbies who plan to write missions!

...agreed, agreed, agreed. The reason I haven't been around here much has nothing to do with the influx of newbies (hell, we need newbies, and I for one welcome them with open arms) as much as it does with the sheer amount of drama and random PPC-wide emergencies that have been going on for quite a while.

And frankly, I don't care for it. Makes-Things is still alive in my personal canon, and he's going to stay that way for quite a while if I have anything to say about it.

Who, me? 0_0

*flinch* *sweatdrop*

If we're indulging in a group confessional here, Boarder! Trojie and Pads will raise their hands to excessive use of unexplained in-jokes and PPC drama - we have had a non-PPC friend say she felt like she was wandering into a long-running soap opera mid-season, after reading one of our missions. This is clearly not a welcoming practice, and we will be putting up a general post on Trojie's LJ explaining background and backstory in the interests of clarifying things for newcomers.

Also we are guilty of allowing a Potterverse AU character to use Potterverse spells in other magical continua, although in our defence, this was only in continua so warped that their own laws of behavior weren't working in the fic, and the spells were used directly to counter the effects of a Suethor, for instance, giving Lucy Pevensie a sex-change. Said Potterverse AU character is also an implausible recruitment/resurrection of a canon character. Oops.

We're also very, very guilty of Not Taking Things Seriously, playing les buggeures risibles in missions and on the Board, seeking out, deliberately, the worst smutfic missions we can find and then downplaying their disgustingness, having Agents specifically tailored to suit their jobs enough that squicking them is tricky (one a biology fanatic, one from such a bloody bizarre AU with regards to sex and sexuality that a lot of things are 'normal' to her...) and a large number of adopted animals, CAFs, minis, children, and Agents in general in our repertoire.

We sound like we're taking the piss towards the end of this, and this is not technically true. What we are trying to do is admit to failings without moping, and striving towards improvement without losing our senses of humour.

We have also recently been found guilty of posting missions unbetaed. We're very, very sorry.

As I haven't really been around, the main thing I have to offer is the point of view of a (sort of) oldbie who has recently returned, and therefore is able to offer a fairly accurate perspective of what has changed.

Unfortunately, I'm going to have to agree with Sara on many of your points. As I've been desperately been trying to catch up with things via wiki, the number of "emergencies" is overwhelming. From what I can see, everybody wants to be able to say "my character was there when..." and the fact is, not everybody is going to be internetfamous all the time. I've also noticed the trend of increasingly Sueish agents, which is a problem. As Sara pointed out, these are supposed to be regular people doing a job that they care about. It's difficult, it's frustrating, the food is awful and the pay is low. We do it because we love canon.

Also, something everybody may want to keep in mind; fellow PPC'ers are not the only ones reading your missions. As I've been recently reminded, my old (not particularly good or original I realise) PPC fanfictions drew a good handful of people to the PPC who perhaps would otherwise never have heard of it. As I've been trying to catch up on what's been going on, something I've noticed is that your stories are SO full of in-jokes and PPC drama that anybody who isn't heavily involved in the PPC is probably going to very quickly lose interest.

Hopefully this thread doesn’t disintegrate into a massive, pointless flame war. I feel that Sara has brought up some very valid points which are worth looking into and discussing.

I'm pretty new here, so I don't presume to know much, but...

I dunno, I think using that same formula makes things a bit monotonous. I mean, it's often stressed that killing Sues and exorcising Wraiths and such is dangerous work, but a lot of times agents just, as you say, go in, snark a bit, kill the threat, and leave. I mean, shouldn't we spice things up a bit by actually showing that what our Agents are doing can be life-threatening as well as sanity-threatening?

And also, "Tropes are devices and conventions that a writer can reasonably rely on as being present in the audience members' minds and expectations. On the whole, tropes are not clichés." That was quoted from TVTropes. Just because it's a trope doesn't mean it's automatically a cliche. I mean, there are some tropes like the Big No and other Discredited Tropes that are considered overused, but not all of them are.

With the Emergencies and the big weapons and stuff, I agree. So far I've only seen one of the former, and I don't consider big weapons to be much fun. But I don't really see many of the SueAgents. Or maybe I just have low standards. I don't know.

Just wanted to put in my own two cents.

I think you might be over-exaggerating a bit with regards to the OMG EMERGENCIES. The only one I recall in recent memory was the 2008 Invasion, which was over a year ago. The April Fool's Day Invasion was a one-off gag, and the Macrovirus Crisis was essentially in the background.

I haven't really noticed any fixation on big weapons, to be honest. Chliever has a pretty big sword, but he's a pretty big guy and said type of sword is standard issue for his race. Maybe I've just been reading the wrong missions...

Your third point is the same as your first, incidentally.

I've made up a couple heads for Departments, but only because I was sure those Departments would otherwise never be used again. Does ANYONE remember the All-Purpose Department. I thought not.

You misjudge TVTropes, I see. Tropes are simply writing devices. They're not synonymous with cliches. If they're used too much, they become cliched. Not all tropes are cliched, as they're only cliched when they become boring. If we were boring, we'd all be cliches.

And really, I've noticed no increasing Suvianism in Agents. Perhaps you're overreacting?

Decent argument, but not without a few holes. I hope I don't come off as flamey.

Can be explained in every "repeated routine drives the focused character to madness" clip show ever included in any show or movie ever. After a while, it gets boring: that's why vacation days exist for pretty much all jobs. And certainly, it gets boring to read the same thing over and over with just the names switched around and different targets picked out.

I'm not suggesting that we up and close down HQ to turn the PPC into a traveling electric rock band-- for one thing, I doubt any of the Flowers would look good in plastic and leather. But some variance is nice: it does help make things interesting to break up or spice up the standard template of enter-bitch-snark-kill-leave. After all, "Strictly Formula" is a Trope, too.


And also, while I'm hardly the most pleased about Makes-Things' death, it really did open up a chance to put more focus on the DoSAT as a whole rather than just the one man. The DoSAT isn't supposed to be just Makes-Things, but as long as he was alive that's how it was treated.


I must admit, I'm fully expecting to get stomped on for saying some of this stuff. But it is what I think.

Maybe actually, you know, write things more than occasionally. {= P

My own confession is that I find myself drawn over and over toward psychological drama and, though I shudder to say it, angst. The fact of dealing with insane people in insane situations makes me want to know what makes them the way they are, and to explore the effects badfic has on them physically and psychologically. This fascinates me, but it leads me away from humor at times. I have to fight that tendency when it comes to my own agents and, perhaps, develop it into writing about the canon characters in FicPsych instead. In that case, I also have to get over my fear of writing canon characters. If they're in FicPsych it's a given that they aren't quite themselves, right? So if I get some things off I'd be forgiven, right? ^_^;

Hopefully my next story will set some things right.

~Neshomeh

And as quite possibly the original offender in the OMG THAR IS AN EMERGENCY category, I certainly should. (I can tell by how many times I've wanted to right "However..." so far)

... right, no more excuses; I'm going to sit down and write a normal, standard mission with no drama other than, y'know, the sort that normally comes from a pair of insane people wandering around in a bad fanfiction.

hS

Decent argument, I must say. I admit I'm guilty of name-dropping a few new Flowers, but only for Departments I was fairly sure would just be forgotten if I didn't do that.

Nevertheless, good Argument. One thing I disagree with, though, was your assessment of the death of M-T. Why can't the status quo be shaken up once in a while?

Also, in before wank.

... agents dealing with some everyday non-mission-related problems. More character interaction. Nothing huge and world-threatening, just how they deal with life and the problems that naturally come along with being a PPC agent. Or, heck, what happens when missions go horribly wrong? Not necessarily involving the agents being captured and nearly tortured to death, but it'd be more fun if occasionally they screwed up.

Reminds me, I need to come up with something horrible to happen to Agent Foxglove - Laburnum's already been through a nasty near-failed mission thanks to her own inability to think things through.

"Cool, your Agent is a taller-than-average man who can't be beat at fights physical or magical"

Mine's a woman who can do that (except the magical thing). Is that original? :P

In all seriousness, though, I think I agree with you. I've actually become more and more hesitant about joining the PPC as I discover more and more of the crazy history behind it. Fortunately, Pads is helping me draft my character profiles. So if I screw them up, it's all her fault. *scampers away*

*returns* As for Sue/Stu Agents, are we allowed to have missions where we kill them? *scampers away again*

All these recent dramas haven't even come close to catching my interest, and I have no interest in reading missions that are predictable and more concerned with "great" new things than the agents and the awfulness of the badfic - because that's what the PPC is about: Badfic.

If I recall correctly, in the notes of one of their early missions, Jay made a comment about how she and Acacia were finding that their agents were getting a lot of screentime, and was concerned that the readers weren't interested in the agents. They were, thankfully, and that's why most of us are here, but the point is that the PPC's own founders did not start this wonderful place in order to write about themselves - the intention was always to deal with badfic.

Let's keep it that way, 'kay?

The overdrama, overacting, overkill has been stifling lately. We need to tone down, slow down, and think before we do things. Is it gratuitous? Is it self-serving? Is it funny? Is it in keeping with the spirit of being the hard-working, everyday Agent just doing their job? If the answers are anything but no, no, yes and yes, then why are we doing it?

Go on, make my day. I've been missing the humor around here.

Only minor apologies for the snark.

This and anything by this author.  Also, this author.  I'm sure there's more, but I can't really think of much at the moment.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3486089/1/The_Man_With_No_Name

The Doctor is completely IC for once, the story has that NuWho feel despite taking place in Firefly, there are some nice Continuity Nods, and the Firefly canons and locations fit according to PPCers who watch the show.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2048837/1/Reminiscence

Calvin and Hobbes.

http://destron.blogspot.com/2007/10/introduction.html

This Warcraft fic, about a Forsaken traveler on a journey throughout Azeroth and Outland, is one of the reasons that I love the fandom.

PS: I wasn't there, since I lost internet acsess for several days. Is it over?

Elves, Hobbits, & Mary-Sues, Oh My Rather liked this one, despite it being a Mary Sue Girl-falls-into-ME Legomance. Also proves even more that, as Trojie and Pads stated, there is no such thing as a bad genre. Bast herself liked the fic, as shown in her reviews and her old FFN account's favorites list. I found it through there, and was not disappointed.

There's a most likely not dead sequel here. Seems the author is determined to prove that almost every single one of the PPC's most kill-worthy offenses can be written well, as this is a HP/LoTR crossover that doesn't have my blood boiling. I'm beginning to wonder if she'll try turning the Prophesied Hero OC or Woeful Angsty Past plot points into something readable next.

...Which is saying something, since it's not really a fandom of mine. XD

Wedding Night by PlayerPiano
It's Victor and Victoria's first night as a married couple...And they're both nervous enough to faint. Completed.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2623751/1/Wedding_Night

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FanFicRecommendations

Got goodfic requests, add them to the list for all (who browse TvTropes) to find! And you can find other recommendations there as well if you're searching.

Apple and Kiwi. Some of the best stuff I've ever read. Here's a link to their bio page: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/789781/

Not sure if this classifies as fanfic but it is good. Hstaphath's Monty Python and the Lord of the Rings and Monty Python and the Hobbit. XenoCorp's websit is here: http://www.xenocorp.net/H_bardCorner/xcbard.htm

~Zoe~

But will only post my favorites.

Doctor Who
Belonging: http://never-more-fics.livejournal.com/2428.html
One of my favorites, great plot, great sex, great drama, great...everything.
Rude & Ginger: The Movie, by nostalgia
http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=29677
"Donna meets the wrong Doctor. Or is it the *right* Doctor, boom-chikka?"
Fantastic Four, by Tungsten Monk
http://www.whofic.com/viewstory.php?sid=11289
"Rose has met her universe's Doctor, and she loves his scarf. His wife's not bad either. Together on the edge of space (once every Friday, anyway) they've formed their own little cozy brand of domestic. But when her Doctor comes looking for her, the one she knows now has got a few things to say to him."
Harry Potter
A Little More Time, By Jess Pallas
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3688609/1/A_Little_More_Time
"DH Spoilers Was it possible to save two lives without altering history? Was it possible to given them a future twenty years after they had supposedly died? Teddy Lupin thought so..."
LOVE-a DH AU done right.
When Are We?, by Ramzes
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4071526/1/When_Are_We
"Don't touch it!" Teddy shouted, but since when had James started obeying commands? He turned the hourglass and the world around them started spinning... and spinning... and spinning."
Teddy Lupin and The Untouchables, by Wildfungusgrows
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3716810/1/Teddy_Lupin_and_The_Untouchables
"Teddy Lupin is one of three famous orphans to have graced the halls of Hogwarts. He thinks he knows what he wants in life. But will he go the way of Tom Riddle or Harry Potter? Post DH, TL & VW, first ever fanfic! please read"
It really is better then it looks- a different take on Teddy then most fanfics.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/1965410/1/Vengeance_Quest
Insanely gory, creepy, mindscrewy fun. With cute little fluffy animals. Who die in horrible ways. What's not to love?

Also "Mary Mordor Sue": http://www.fanfiction.net/s/953329/1/Mary_Mordor_Sue
Even more insanely gory, creepy, and mindscrewy. I've been tossing around the idea for a Redwall fic loosely based on this for ages but never got round to it.

Any fics written by these people are good:
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/237238/H_J_Bender
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/331210/samvimes
http://dreya-uberwald.livejournal.com/

I recommend anything (particularly Redwall) written by QuinlanOfRedwall: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/614754/QuinlanofRedwall

Seriously, his stories are incredibly well thought-out. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was BJ himself writing that stuff.

Most NSFW, but all *wonderfully* written.

http://franticsga.livejournal.com/20240.html#cutid1
- brilliant Merlin AU, set in Iraq - eventual Merlin/Arthur slash.

and also, a fic that proves, really well, that there's no such thing as a bad genre - Merlin Real Person Slash Mpreg (yes, you read that right). It's hilarious. - http://ifyouweremine.livejournal.com/139767.html#cutid1

Some new Star Trek fic:

http://ladyrogueevie.livejournal.com/66897.html - Kirk/Spock, asphyxiation kink.

http://raphaela667.livejournal.com/37366.html - Kirk/Spock, Sulu the king of gossip overhears something ...

http://mithrigil.livejournal.com/441538.html - Kirk/Spock, clinical porn.

http://irisbleufic.livejournal.com/147832.html - not much pairing but much hilarity; the Enterprise crew find some Nintendo gear to play with.

Narnia:

http://ineptshieldmaid.livejournal.com/110194.html - Susan/Caspian, angsty, gorgeous writing.

Doctor Who:

http://community.livejournal.com/shaggydogstales/3672.html - the Doctor repeatedly trying to propose to the Master and the Master repeatedly committing suicide rather than accept, also hilarious.

http://googlebrat.livejournal.com/505772.html - Jack Harkness and the end of the universe ...

You don't know me, I'm afraid. I only just recently joined a couple of months ago. Here's a nice helm from the Raven Armory, anyway.

Welcome to the PPC! Please depsit your sanity in the provided receptacle. *provides bucket marked "Warg Fodder"* You won't have much use for it here.

I just returned too :3

Might be because I only joined late last year, but I don't recognize that username. Anyway, have a welcome-back shapeshifting plushie. If you like Eldritch Abominations and the like, it can turn into a long list of High Octane Nightmare Fuel, including cute stuffed Cthulhu. If you aren't into that sort of thing, however, it will refrain from transforming into Lovecraftian horrors.

If only the good pennies were like the bad pennies. ^_~

What have you missed... that depends on how long you've been gone. My sense of time, particularly on the internet, is awful, so I need landmarks. What's the last thing you remember?

Anyhow, welcome back!

~Neshomeh

Lots of people have been joining up, including me. There was one day when everyone switched genders, but mostly it's been The Duty as usual.

On the condition that you quit describing things as their trope names. Similes and metaphors are much more fun.

Also, I'd rather you didn't say they're recruits from badfic unless they're actual recruits from actual badfic. They're allowed to be from a story you wrote ages and ages ago, given a new life and purpose in the PPC. As to how they got to HQ, that's what random plotholes are good for. And HQ is made of the things. {= )

~Neshomeh

Does anyone know the best way to download entire webpages from geocities? I have some hosting space, so I'm trying to back up the PPC Handbook: http://www.geocities.com/thequendi/handbook.html before geocities dies, but simply going 'File -> Save As' gives a very broken webpage when loaded :/

Also: Agents *can* work across multiple fandoms, right?

Normally I don't bother making the distinction, but "you two", "you lot", "us two", "us lot", or even "you three", "you four" etc don't sound odd to my ears.

I'll say "You two" sometimes, but only if the lack of context requires it. I might also say "the two of us", but I can't recall myself ever saying "us two", though it is possible. Usually I jut say "we".

Unless context alone wouldn't make it clear, "you" or "we" suffices here in the midwestern United States. If it is necessary to make a distinction, we'd probably say "the two of us/you" or "we/you all." Occasionally "we two" might occur, but not often in spoken form--too easy to confuse that with "we, too."

"Us" in place of "we" does happen, but in the subject, it's informal if not outright wrong usage.

"Lot" in that sense isn't in the dialect. A lot is either a number more than "some" or somewhere you park things.

Incidentally, I just had one of those moments where I notice how ridiculous a word is. Park. Honestly. What's up with that?

~Neshomeh

In addition to that (and Neshomeh's comments), I'd like address a paragraphing issue. This:

"Richi! You've got to help me, she's a madwoman!" Richi looked from the rather beaten-up Dakku, to Maxie, and back again, then barely stifled a giggle.

"I have no doubt that whatever it was your new partner just did to you, it was deserved," Dakku stared incredulously at Richi for a moment or two, then gave his head a rueful shake.

"What's the PPC come to, when you can't even rely on your ex-partner to back you up?"

is kind of confusing. The first paragraph looks like it's Richi talking to Richi. Would look better like this:

"Richi! You've got to help me, she's a madwoman!"

Richi looked from the rather beaten-up Dakku, to Maxie, and back again, then barely stifled a giggle. "I have no doubt that whatever it was your new partner just did to you, it was deserved."

Dakku stared incredulously at Richi for a moment or two, then gave his head a rueful shake. "What's the PPC come to, when you can't even rely on your ex-partner to back you up?"

If you have people acting and talking in the same paragraph, make sure it's the same person doing both the talking and the acting.

One, there's no need to go over the same scene in its entirety twice. If you really want to include the other person's POV, you can still skip the dialogue.

Two, if you still want a beta, there are some punctuation issues I'd be happy to fix. I don't know anything about the continuum in question, but the commas need work, especially at the ends of lines of dialogue. My e-mail is exswyzie14 (AT) yahoo (DOT) com, with appropriate substitutions. A Word document works as long as it isn't .docx.

In all other regards, it looks to be a successful first mission. Good work.

~Neshomeh

(got into it thanks to BioWare games :P). I can roleplay men, women, aliens, Pokémon (want to try a Vulcan one day). But I don't even know what IRC stands for. Besides, if I have to install anything, I can't due to no private computer with internet access. *sulks* I want internet at home. Want in.

Duh.

Link.

Giving the place a look-over now, and it looks pretty solid, albeit small at the moment. But there's great potential.

For reference: most of the background info as well as applications forms are found on the forums. You can get a link to there from said IRC.

Due to my lack of IRC know-how, it took me a little while to track the actual site down, but I found it in the end.

I'm going to check it out, see if it's my kind of place. So far, I'm liking the looks of things.

Oh, and would it be possibly for someone else to remove "Why Mione Hates Ron" from the Unclaimed Badfic page on the wiki and put it on the Claimed Badfic one? I don't trust myself to do it without screwing something up.

As of today's Momentous Decision, if all goes well I'll actually be living in Leeds in September. It's a wait and see for now, but if all goes to plan, we could go with September rather than August, and then if anyone's coming from a fair distance away (or even if not) I'd likely be able to provide sofa/floor for an overnight stay if anyone needs it.

Also I have a friend who loves karaoke, who would love to crash this thing, if no one objects.

...you get fish and chips.

Right now, I ain't got much going on. Doubt my summer will be all that busy, so I can be there when required. Dates aren't to important to me, and the whole "round of public embarrassment" sounds like my idea of a good time, even if I'm the one likely to be doing most of the embarrassing. :P I luuuuurve karaoke.

I'm on the other side of the Atlantic, so it's not going to happen. If it was in July, there would be a possibility, but only that.

I will be in that part of the world then and I would dearly love to go to one of the gatherings.

Leto

But unfortunately, I have very large ocean (the Pacific, to be exact) and an economic recession barring me from joining such a gathering.

I love how much faith you have in me having tuppence to rub together.

If I can rig the train fare though (likely - my dad is a soft touch when confronted with appropriate puppy eyes and pathetic daughterly "Have I told you how much I love you recently, Daddy darling?") I'll probably be up for staying late - I know a million people in Leeds and could stay overnight.

So, count me in, unless a miracle happens and I actually find gainful employment that interferes.

Oh, and... the 9th, I think, of August is my cousin's wedding, and my sister plus husband and kids will be up here for a week either before or after - I won't be available when they're here.

Honestly, I doubt there's any way for me to get there, and I highly doubt my presence would be at all welcome (:P), but it seems interesting enough that I could try for it. It's gonna fall through, but I'll see if I can manage it.

... At least, from a distance. Preferably the next universe over.

Though knowing Orkz and Feegles, even that might not be safe enough.

...is what we call "crack" - as in, "the author must have been smoking". Situation can be enough for a short fic, if done humorously enough, that you don't need much by way of plot. Good luck with it!

Okay, no caps this time, I promise.


Alright, facts first off:

1) KGarrett was the one who was deleting links from TVTropes and had put a 'new members need not apply' type message there and I was the one who took that bit out and put the message on the discussion page.

2) Yes, some of us are quite disgruntled with those newbies which are of TvTropian origins.

3) Anyone who wants to put KG through the pisser for this gets to go through me first. Yes, he screwed up bigtime with this. Doubtless they're be more times. And his ass has already been flamed in regards to what a stupid waste of life he is by himself, and also by Pads apparently.

4) Drama. Over. Now. Everyone get over yourselves. KG, that means you especially. You're not an idiot and you're not worthless, you're just in the negatives when it comes to self esteem. Everyone lay off, now. I'm glad we all had that little ranting and getting the fury out earlier this week, time to go back to peacetime and all that.

That said, everyone shut up. I don't care who you are, this subject is over. Closed.

At least, as best I can give without naming names. It'd be longer and more elaborate otherwise.

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/posts.php?discussion=w7b9ndng55th3uk4qdo232y7&page=1#6

Didn't it recently come up in conversation that we were getting a lot of people joining the Board after seeing the links on TVTropes? I remember thinking that it might be easier for our little community if there weren't any links over there, but I don't think I ever said it and I'm not sure anyone else did.

To be honest, I'm not sure this is a bad thing, but that's me with my let's-keep-our-community-small preferences. *shrug*