May 2010 Archive, part a

I like the conversation in part one. The flow of the dialogue seems to speed up and get more fluid as Teek starts to get more comfortable talking to the Raiders. It really put me into the story!

As someone who has constructed my own site, I like the flexibility and control that gives me. I know of a few places that have a free site-builder feature that doesn't require any HTML on your part, but you'll have to compare what they offer for yourself, since I DO use HTML. These are them:

http://www.tripod.com (My first choice.)

http://www.webs.com (Used to be Freewebs. Lots of other people's first choice.)

http://www.bravenet.com (They also have a lot of cool free stuff you can use anywhere.)

~Neshomeh

Well, there's Livejournal, which I know a lot of people use for PPC-related stuff (including myself!). It's simple and easy, and there shouldn't be an age-restriction problem - and even on the free accounts there's a great number of good-looking layouts.

Ditto Webs.com - they have an easy page editor and pretty layouts that number in the hundreds.

Good luck, and I can't wait to see what missions you'll do!

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I'm staying. I need to stop giving up, and finish what I've started. No longer is this about venting my anger and disguising it as something else, it's about telling a story, and getting that story out no matter what.

I don't need to change, nor does my writing need to. What I do need to do is control myself more, and find a comfortable middle ground for me to write on. Looking back at it, all that hate and negativity was drowning out the actual intent in my writing...

Thank you all for the positive support, and thank you all for such a wonderful community with such variety, but most importantly (and perhaps ironically), thank you all for making me see that I am not a perfect writer, and denying me permission back then. It was a necessary step in my development not just as a writer, but as a better person.

But enough of that, We've got stories to write, and those sues aren't going to kill themselves!

I don't know much about this, admittedly, as I've not written any missions myself; but I don't think humor has to be silly. It can be cynical and sarcastic, if you like; there's lots of precedent for that; or it can be part of a more serious story. (Ever read the Dresden Files series? It's a prime example.) I don't know if you want to keep trying; but I do think that a big world like this takes all kinds of styles. There's a lot of room for drama between agents and in the various continua themselves without ever touching HQ or pulling other people's characters in.

As for me, if I start writing missions, I will probably make them at least somewhat serious--though the potential for poking fun at bad writing is still my main motivation. I couldn't write if it weren't at least somewhat serious; but think about this: If there weren't any humor in a serious piece, don't you risk making the drama seem over-the-top angsty? And if there isn't any seriousness to a humorous piece, doesn't it just get fluffy and inconsequential? I really think you can find a way to fit your style in.

If you don't want to do what we're doing, that's fine, no hard feelings. As others have said, if you actually enjoy the community, you're welcome to be a part of it without writing PPC stuff, since that isn't what you want.

However, I get the sense that you're blaming your unhappiness on us, for being what we are and for not changing to accommodate you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but if that is the case, your expectations are unreasonable. You can't expect others to be accountable for your happiness, here or anywhere. That's your responsibility. Whether you decide to leave or to stay, please keep that in mind. It can only help.

~Neshomeh

As others have said, you don't have to write PPC works to hang around here - I've been around for five years and only got around to finishing missions a couple of months ago, and some never write missions at all.

I don't think we're looking for someone who's going to write exactly the same way as everyone else, cause that would be boring!

Neither do I think that PPC'ing and dramatic writing are mutually incompatible - hS's Reorginisation and Crashing Down are prime examples of dramatic PPC writing.

But I think as a whole, we're comedy first, leavened with smatterings of drama, rather than the other way round.

We're probably still a little bit cautious of drama after the proceedings of the last couple of years with the overdose of Emergencies, but I think it'd be possible to write a dramatic PPC story without having Daleks invade HQ or anything like that, by focusing on character drama rather than "Mary Sue Invasion" drama.

Anyway, this is just my $0.02 - the last thing I want to do is tell you how to write, or force you to change your writing style- but hopefully food for thought?

Whether you write PPC missions or not, hope you'll stick around the board, but if not, farewell, and go with our well-wishes for your every endeavour.

Elcalion

It is better to have met for a short time, than to never have met at all.

Many of you probably won't even recognize my name because I've been gone from the boards so long, but once I was quite active in the PPC and I'm currently a long-time lurker.

To tell the truth, I can relate with you 100%, MAXinsanity. You don't see me around the boards much anymore because I'm not really sure where I fit in- I've doubted myself just like you.

I love the PPC community. I was drawn in immediately because of a mutual love for pure Lord of the Rings canon. I love this group for that, and I love missions as an idea, but I could never get myself to do it in actuality. I'm too much of a softy to pass such harsh judgement. I admire young people who are trying to express themselves in fanfiction writing. Sure, some fall flat, but they're /trying/ (and that sure counts as a lot in my book)!

Anyways, I think there is a lighter side to the PPC underneath all the "cold criticism". You guys make me smile still every now and then. I've decided to politely refrain from posting any typical missions. I'm okay with that decision, and I'm sure the PPC would be okay with that decision too.

Point is, ultimately it is your choice to go or stay. But the PPC is full of a bunch of lovelies whether or not we can always see that in ourselves. I don't think anyone wants to make you think badly about yourself or your writing.

So I offer you a nice big *e-hug* and I hope you're happy in whatever decision you make.

In fact, e-hugs all around!

-A Random Boo

My writing tends to skew dark and grim as well, but I joined the PPC hoping to branch out. However, if you don't want to do that (and that's fine - if everyone wrote the same kind of thing, all of us would be very, very bored) then definitely don't force yourself. I'm just curious as to why you think you'd have to "throw away" your work. Maybe I'm misinterpreting, but it seems you feel that once you write PPC missions, that's all you can write. I'm no expert on the rules, traditions and regulations, but I'm pretty sure that's top quality bovine sewage.
(As a side note, isn't there precedent for PPC deconstructions?)
However, all of that notwithstanding:
If you do leave, I wish that the best of everything comes your way.

T'aint a popular opinion, matey, but I'll tip any manner of headgear to you for sticking to your guns. That's the important thing, in any case.

That said, I want to ask you if you've really thought this through. There are many writing communities on the web, and they aren't mutually exclusive. You want to write something funny, go to the PPC, want to write somehting serious, you go somewhere else. Just a thought...

Fare thee well, sir, wherever the nine winds may carry thee. We're all behind you and your excellent username 100%.

You're welcome to continue reading here, even if you don't write anything with us.

You shouldn't try to force your writing to conform to anyone's standards-- not ours, not anyone's. It's alright if you don't want to write lighthearted comedy, it's alright if you're not into parody, it's alright if you don't like satire. Seriously! There is nothing wrong with drama, angst, emotional writing. Fiction, even fanfiction, is an art-- and like every other art, what it means is up to the artist. It's like John Barth's Funhouse-- if a silly mirror to you is morbid and freakish, and you don't get why everyone's laughing, that's okay. (I've always been a bit freaked out by those things myself.)

But this community isn't just for people who write crazy satire. And don't feel like if you never write a mission, you haven't accomplished anything! Please! I've been here five years or so, and I've never written a mission or an MST or, really, anything in canon except my agents' introduction drabble. At this point, I don't even really intend to. I just hang out because it's an interesting place, an interesting canon, and I happen to like the people here the conversations are eye-opening.

And I am sorry that the response to your writing was painful, Max-- I know it hurts to have something you wrote and cared about ripped up. Don't take it too much to heart-- I mean, definitely listen and absorb what you think will make you a better WRITER. If you don't want to be a PPCer, then don't worry about the PPC-centric advice. You can always ask us for concrit (on the chat, if not here), and there are plenty of us who would greatly enjoy a drama/angst/emotional fanfic in another fandom.

So, I guess my point is, don't feel like you have to leave just because you don't think your style works with the community. If you do feel like you have to leave, as Sedri said, we won't stop you. But don't think that just because you got turned down, or you don't want to write humor, we don't want you around.

Good luck, though, in whatever you choose to do.

No one should change themselves to be what other people want. If you feel you'll be happier elsewhere, believe me when I say we won't stop you from leaving. It's a shame, but it's your life, and you ought to do what makes you happy.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do next. :)

http://wizkit.livejournal.com/1276.html

>.>

First, they're a division of the Department of Operations, not a department. They may or may not be the same people as Building Maintenance, which is pretty much what it says on the tin. Of course, considering that the building in question is actually a series of tunnels spanning perhaps hundreds of dimensions, all hooked together by invisible, stabilized plot holes--and considering that PPC Agents live in said building--I'm sure you can imagine the kinds of things they have to deal with.

Even if they're not the same people, simply cleaning up after agents is bound to make for the occasional interesting story. I'd be interested to see what you come up with, if you're thinking of writing such a one. {= )

~Neshomeh

The person who introduced me to this Board was a former Janitor!

...she's one of Boosette's supporters now, so I don't know how much she'd want to drop info.

They do after-mission clean-up, I know that.

I have to ask "why Riddick?" but other than that the characters look good.

There are minor errors throughout the mission (missing words, misplaced apostrophes), but nothing too egregious. Be careful with your semi-colons, though, and don't use them where you really need a colon. That seems to be a Thing in British English, but to judge by your spelling, you don't have that excuse. {= P

One guideline I've found quite helpful with semi-colons is that they work best when used in place of a comma and a conjunction (and, but, or, because, etc.). But don't use a semi-colon when one of those would work better, of course. And if what it's standing in place of is "therefore," "and so," or something like that, you probably want a colon. It's to do with the direction of causality.

A couple of specific pointers:

- "black hair cut chin-height" should be "chin-length." The hair isn't growing up from the ground. {= )

- "I sighed, and muttered something rude about yaoi fangirls as I poured some food into Hattie’s bowl. She punched the appropriate information ..." This sounds like Hattie is punching in the information.

- Lily is spelled with two Ls (Lily), not three (Lilly). If you need to double-check this sort of thing, I recommend the Harry Potter Lexicon. They have just about everything you could ever want to know and then some.

- How exactly did the author misspell Grimmauld Place? That's something that should probably be quoted for the reader's benefit rather than just mentioned.

- I'd have thought Julius wouldn't be too keen on the kraken after the incident with the Watcher in the Water. You might want to mention flashbacks or something.

Overall, though, a good read. Good job!

~Neshomeh

1. From what I've seen, it's considered polite to ask first, but not essential. Also, don't be concerned if they don't friend you back; usually it just means they don't care to have your entries come up in the same interface as their preferred set, or else they don't want you to see their locked posts.
   
   2. It is entirely normal and permissible. I know of more rec-and-link communities for fanfic than for original fic, but that's probably because I look more for the former.
   
   3. Unless you become particularly incoherent or rude, odds are you won't be actually asked to shut up. That said, it's preferred to have entries beyond "a certain length", or containing several images, behind a cut. That certain length is fairly ill-defined; as a rule of thumb, I'd place the cutoff at two decent-sized paragraphs, or an equivalent length of shorter ones.
   
   4. This is where I pimp Milliways, right?
   
   5. Ansela's already answered this one, so I'll just reinforce a couple of points. Remember the quotation marks. Remember the dash ("" as opposed to ""). Conversely, if you want to insert the username of another user or a community, leave out the dash.

Friending: my usual rule is 'ask first', especially if the person in question also posts personal/RL stuff to the same journal as their fics. A lot of people don't like being randomly friended, especially if they have deeply personal stuff in their journal. If it's fandom stuff you want an alert on, see if they post to a comm and join that to get updates.

There's no rule against posting original fic to LJ. It's not exclusively a fanfic archive a la ffn after all. There are many, many things on LJ that aren't in any way connected to fandom. The only problem would be if you tried to post original fic to a fandom comm, as people wouldn't appreciate that.

As for the LJ-cut... Do Not Use The Rich Text Editor. Seriously, it's more trouble than it's worth and it's a lot easier to hand-code everything than rely on the RTE to not eff up. The code for an lj-cut is [lj-cut text="Blah blah blah"]Hidden text goes here[/lj-cut], replacing the [] with . The speech/quotation marks are *essential* for cut text of longer than one word. The amount of times I've messed up and forgot to close them and not been able to figure out why things weren't working the way I wanted them...

... that you watch your dialogue tags and put line breaks between paragraphs and lines of dialogue from now on. For example, this:

The S.O. was sitting behind a desk, staring at them. Well, Silikat assumed it was staring at them, as it had no eyes and therefore no expressions. Apparently, it came with being a Flower. The sight of a Sunflower in a business suit made the Sue behind her gasp, but just made Silikat think about how bizarre her job was.
Silikat, what do you want? And is that a Sue? The Sunflower demanded, pointing a leaf at the pair.
“Brought this into HQ. Don’t really know what she is. She fell through a plothole.” The Jellicle explained, still aware that the Sue was staring at them slack jawed. Irate as she was, Silikat just wanted to get rid of her, sadistic as she was.
Did you think of asking it? The Flower sounded sarcastic, and Sili gulped. No, she hadn’t thought of that, but since when was an Agent capable of logical thought?

Should look like this:

The S.O. was sitting behind a desk, staring at them. Well, Silikat assumed it was staring at them, as it had no eyes and therefore no expressions. Apparently, it came with being a Flower. The sight of a Sunflower in a business suit made the Sue behind her gasp, but just made Silikat think about how bizarre her job was.

Silikat, what do you want? And is that a Sue? [t]he Sunflower demanded, pointing a leaf at the pair.

“Brought this into HQ. Don’t really know what she is. She fell through a plothole[,]” [t]he Jellicle explained, still aware that the Sue was staring at them slack[-]jawed. Irate as she was, Silikat just wanted to get rid of her, sadistic as she was.

Did you think of asking it? The Flower sounded sarcastic, and Sili gulped. No, she hadn’t thought of that, but since when was an Agent capable of logical thought?

I used square brackets to highlight changes, and the red bit is repetitive language, which you also want to watch out for. {= )

Otherwise, I like the agents, I like the story (is it based on one you wrote?), and I'm interested to see what you do now. Go! Be free! {X D

~Neshomeh

For you too a link on how to make lj-cuts: http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=75

I read that one. Sort of. Don't remember if I ever made it past the first "chapter." Good job killing it! And the format was interesting, but well used.

Random question: if the mission itself is written in 1st person, do the agents still need to use crash dummies?

Congrats on this first mission!
--anamia

It was fun to read a mission written in first person; I don't think I've ever seen one done that way before. I'm curious to see whether they'll all be like that, and also if Leila ends up narrating some.

Man oh man, I cannot believe the level of grammar in that fic! Most of it should have been auto-corrected by a spell check, which makes me wonder if it really was a trollfic or parody. There were enough mini-Aragogs coming out of that thing to take down one of those giant insects from a 50's horror movie!

Just here to tell you about the wonderful world of lj-cuts. Or rather, just supply you with the link to the page that will explain: http://www.livejournal.com/support/faqbrowse.bml?faqid=75

Using an lj-cut on posts on livejournal is like not putting your entire story in the summary field.

Off to reading now.

You've got quite the odd couple going there with your chirpy fangirl partnered with the seen-it-all (semi-)veteran. At first I expected her to get on his nerves, but it looks as though he's getting paternal instead. All in all, nice. He almost reminds me of one of those film noir detectives--you know, the kind of guy you hear in a voice-over going, "It was a dark and stormy night..." Matches with your first-person perspective, too.

My editor sense is tingling a bit. I see a few overused words, some minor grammar errors, and a few instances of awkward wording--nothing bad, though, and nowhere near the level where it distracts from the story. I suggest a beta reader.

Don't see that too often: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4644157/4/A_New_Way

Dannflor Reguba is shagging a male stoat, and his father is demonised for being the only one to think there's anything remotely odd or questionable about it. While we obviously don't know what the Abbeydwellers' response to homosexuality would be, I have my doubts that it'd be as much of a complete non-issue as it's portrayed here, and the fact that the Stu is a stoat would definitely be a really, really huge deal.

"I'd like to claim this one, but the problem is I'm on a couple of LJ communities which used to be frequented by this writer and I don't know if they're still there. I don't want to risk having them follow the link back to my journal and possibly find this."


Do it anyways. It's not that different from having a fanfiction.net account, having a link to your PPC and MST stuff on that, and being in the same fandom.

If anything going about it by asking someone else do it seems more duplicitous than otherwise. Unless you straight out wave it in their face going "NEENER NEENER NEENER HEY YOU SUCK" it's not being cruel or mean or otherwise.

But otherwise, I know a passing amount about Gorillaz from watching all of their videos and spelunking on their wikipedia page. I probably shouldn't commit to this what with all the other things I'm doing though, so...

...so just pretend I was never here. >.>

I just read Ficbitches' Chocobo Nights review. *shudders* I feel unclean...

With the MST'ing, that is. I have very little knowledge of Gorillaz canon, but do have the ability to snark on cue. If you prefer someone more canon-savvy or in a better time zone for collaborative writing, though, I understand.

Elcalion, Antipodean

And by explaining, I mean confessing and apologizing.

"Nitset" isn't real. She's my - I think the term is sockpuppet. That whole fiasco regarding Boosette got to me more than it should have; specifically, what she said about bullying. It ate at me, because I was worried that she might be correct about the "bullying culture", and if she was I didn't want to be a part of it. So I decided to create "Nitset" and post like I did in order to have positive proof about whether the PPC seeks to hurt people or just to have fun and encourage good writing.

Pulling a stunt like this was incredibly stupid and wrong of me, and I'm truly sorry.

I should have realized that I would get a response like this. I should have showed you guys more respect. I should not under any circumstances have contemplated taking the word of some person I'd never met over my own observations of your kindness and welcoming spirit. Anyone with sense would have realized that the accusations of a "bullying culture" were ludicrous, given the friendliness of everyone. I also had no right to deceive you guys the way I did.

I'm really disappointed in myself, both for the foolishness in this and for betraying my principles by assuming the worst without good reason. I'm also saddened that I've jeopardized my standing in a community I admire and respect, especially since that respect and admiration for you guys has increased exponentially. I hope I haven't done anything that will change the response to any real Nitsets who come along. I also hope you can forgive what I did here.

Fair winds!

Welome to the Board. Have a Star Destroyer replica!

Welcome to the Board! Please deposit your sanity in the provided receptacle. *indicates bucket marked "Warg Fodder"* You shan't need it here. Also, here's a deck of cards with half the Diamonds missing.

It's great to see a sporked author actually deciding to ask for help instead of attempting to burn the board down. :D Welcome welcome!

*glompz*

As many others have said, kudos for being genuinely interested in improving as a writer. I can't think of anything insightful to add that others haven't already said, so I shall skip directly to the newbie welcoming.

Have a platter of chocolate-covered profiteroles and a pet mongoose, and hope you enjoy your time a'Board.

Elcalion

As a lot of others have said, it's great that you've come to us asking for help rather than flaming the Board. I haven't read your fic myself, but it looks like your problems can be sorted by getting a beta - any of these Boarders would be happy to help you! After all, we'd be hypocrites if we weren't.
Good luck in improving your writing! I'll see you 'round the Board.

As the others have said, it's awesome to see someone brave enough to admit this sort of stuff, so kudos and hugs to you for doing so. And not to worry, if you want help improving, there are plenty of people here who'll be more than happy to help (myself included).

As a welcome gift, I present you with a bag of pebbles and a Random Shiny Object. Use them well. XD

It's lovely to meet you. Others have already said everything I would say here - we've all started out writing terribly, always enjoy what you're doing, and beware sea tutles - so I'll just present you with your very own Newbie Gift - a horseradish - and repeat myself:

Welcome, welcome, welcome!

I have absolutely nothing new to say, but I'm going to say it anyway. {= )

First of all, it's so awesome that you came to us asking for help. As you can see, that makes us very happy, and we're willing to do anything we can. We know criticism sucks, but the fact that you were able get over it and make the decision to improve puts you head and shoulders above most other amateur writers out there. I salute you.

Unfortunately, I don't know anything about Beka Cooper, either. It's still a good idea to post a link to the story so someone who does know something can have a look at it.

I agree with Barid that it might not have been one of us saying they were going to spork your story, though. We don't generally tell fanwriters if we write missions to their stories.

Finally, I guess this is new: is English not your first language? I'm just curious. Either way, I know a couple of really good online resources for improving your mechanics, and these are them:

A Writer's Reference by Diana Hacker. Contains instructional and interactive material. Play around with it and see what you find. {= ) She also has a book by the same title, if you care to find it. I had it as a textbook in college.

Common Errors in English by Paul Brians. Also comes in book form, which is how I know about the website. Entries are alphabetical. What's really nice is that he includes differences in American and British usage when they appear.

One important thing to remember is: if you're not sure about something, double-check it. {= )

Again, welcome to the Board.

~Neshomeh

This is the sort of post we like, because it means we're not just scary monsters who eat amateur writers; we're actually trusted to help.

Commas need to be a bit more frequent, but grammatically, in this post at least, you're doing fine.

Sounds like your best bet in this case would be to find someone who's willing to work with you closely on this particular story you've written, and go over all the issues and help you iron them out. I'd offer to help myself, but my Writing Brain is Dead. But best of luck finding someone for it, and gratz on having the balls to come here and ask about it. :)

Like what has been said before, everyone starts out poorly at the start.


That said, there's two very important things about writing.

1) Enjoy it. If you enjoy writing, everyone else can just stuff it. Even us.

2) Accept constructive criticism. When you're able to do that, you're able to improve loads more than you would be able to otherwise, and if you actually get anything out of the concrit to improve yourself, it leads to enjoying your work even more.

Everybody writes badfic when they're starting out*. That you wrote something spork-worthy just means that you have stuff to learn if you want to get better. We, as you can probably tell, have nothing against you as a person. We've written badfic too, and sometimes we spork fic that we wrote when we were younger.

That said, welcome!

*Speaking of the Tortall fandom, I used to roleplay what would've been the most ridiculously blatant mage/wildmage/Queen's Rider Mary Sue if the board I RP'd on would've allowed it. As it was, she was still pretty horrible.

Congratulations on taking the first step towards improved writing! Most authors never get this far, so give yourself a pat on the back for doing so.

And welcome to the PPC Board!

First of all, I am glad that you are trying to become a better writer. It is something that all of us here are striving for and we will help you out as much as we can.

Now, I have a couple of questions for you:

1) Can you provide a link to your story? It will help us make better suggestions if we can see the work in question.

2) Are you sure someone in the PPC said they were going to spork your story? There are many groups that do sporkings, and they all have different ways of going about them. The situation you've described does not sound like our MO, so it may have been someone else.

That said, we welcome you to the Board. Feel free to stick around and get to know everyone and ask questions.

~Barid

Having not read the story in question, I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that made one of us choose it. Do you know who it was who said they were going to spork it?

Italian for Grandma has given a very in-depth explanation of grammar problems that might be of use. If you could give us some information about your story, it could help us tell you what someone thought was worthy of sporking. Just hooking up with a canon character wouldn't be enough.

Well, compared to a few trainwrecks I've seen, you're actually pretty good. From what I can tell in your post, you seem to have spelling pretty much down, and that's good. You also said you want to write "well," not "good," and you used the correct "to" instead of "too" or "two." Yup, from a grammatical standpoint, you're not half bad. You're not *completely* there yet, but you're not half bad.

I do have a few tips for you, though. Number one: words like "don't," "couldn't," and whatnot need an apostrophe. That serves to indicate that two words have been merged together. So, it's "don't," not "dont." (By the way, once you have that down, it can help you with other problems like the difference between "there" and "they're." If the meaning you're looking for is "they are," i.e. has two words, then the word you're looking for is the one with the apostrophe. That's how I mastered that particular problem.)

Second. I'd recommend you review your period, and comma rules. To illustrate my point, I'll use one particular sentence from your post.

"I read a lot of the mission things and they were funny but it kind of hurt to realize that you guys thought my story was that bad but I got over it and now I'm hoping you guys can help me write better because I dont want that to happen again."

This is a run-on sentence; that means it goes on for too long without the proper punctuation. To fix it, you'll need to cut it up into smaller sentences and add the right punctuation. Let's start at the beginning.

"I read a lot of the mission things and they were funny..."

For starters, I'd put a period right after "things." You've said what you needed, so don't go overboard. That sentence stands on its own. Eliminate the "and," and you get:

"I read a lot of the mission things. They were funny..."

Doesn't that look better? Now for the next sentence:

"They were funny but it kind of hurt to realize you thought my story was that bad but I got over it..."

This requires a bit more work. Put a comma between "funny" and "but," because "They were funny" and "but it kind of hurt..." are completely different ideas in the sentence, and you need to separate them. Put a period after "bad," because the sentence is pretty much complete after two ideas are introduced. So:

"They were funny, but it kind of hurt to realize that you guys thought my story was that bad. But I got over it..."

Next: "But I got over it and now I'm hoping you guys can help me write better because I don't want that to happen again."

Put a comma between "it" and "and," to separate those two ideas. Then, put a comma between "better" and "because." Once that is out of the way, say "I don't want to get sporked again" instead of "I don't want that to happen again." That eliminates the need for the next sentence, which makes things a lot simpler. A general rule of thumb: the simpler things are, the better.

"But I got over it, and now I'm hoping you guys can help me write better, because I don't want to get sporked again."

And the final complete product: "I read a lot of the mission things. They werefunny, but it kind of hurt to realize that you guys thought my story was that bad. But I got over it, and now I'm hoping you guys can help me write better, because I don't want to get sporked again."

There! That's much better. Incidentally, this is how *I* would revise this sentence. Others on the board may tell you differently, because there are many different ways you could fix this and still be correct.

So, there you have it, you need to work mostly on your punctuation and sentence structure.

Now, I didn't give you any advice on subtler problems, like characterization and plot plausibility. To do that, I'd need to read your actual story...but I wouldn't recommend you talk to me about that. I'm not familiar with Beka Cooper, so I wouldn't be much help there. However, I'm sure that someone here is, and you can link them to your story and have them give you some advice.

All in all, I'm glad you've continued writing after having some hurt feelings. You're doing a good job so far. Keep it up, and take help whenever it's offered, and you'll be writing like a pro.

Good luck.

Woah, you found us all by yourself...

Anyways. I can see that you're being honest. You want to be a better writer, as do I, and I respect that. I'm not exactly the best writer either, to tell you the truth, and I'm not the one who was going to spork your story.

You don't seem too bad, to tell you the truth. You wrote that story because you were angry, and I've written some not so great stuff while feeling rather emotional. Though what we do has some negative connotations to it, we aren't actually about mocking writers (Even if they really deserve it, like whoever the heck wrote My Immortal). I'm here because I want to tell a story inside the PPC setting, for example, and most people are here to have fun and enjoy themselves.

There I go, ranting on again... Anyways, welcome.

You're a repentant Suethor? My god, you have no idea how happy this makes all of us!

First of all, we're happy you came to us rather than start madly flaming us, like most people do. I'm pretty sure I speak for everybody when I say we would absolutely love to help you with this. Happy to have you here!

Okaaay...I'll admit right off the bat that I have no idea what Beka Cooper is, but I'm pretty sure someone else here does. However, it sounds as if you're main problems are with spelling, grammar, and the like, so if you would post a link to your story I'm sure I, or someone else, could help you.

As for the spelling and grammar of this message...Spelling is mainly fine, and I don't think I see any grammar errors except for lack of punctuation. Commas are your friends!

Mapping the Suvian genome... that's ambitious!

Now I'm wondering about heritability. Most Sues don't reproduce, so it would be hard to track, but it would be interesting to see which Sue traits are dominant, which are recessive, which show co-dominance, which are autosomal vs. sex-based, etc. And there would have to be mitigating factors that humans don't have, of course, since we all know how cooperative Sues are with the rules of biology. Possibly related to glitter saturation? Is there glitter in the actual chromosomes? O.o

If the next lab report you do involves Punnett squares, I will be thrilled to death. ^_^

~Neshomeh, who should have studied this stuff more; then she could do it herself.

It's always great to finish something, and though I didn't have time to read it slowly, I enjoyed it.

Your agents remind me of bickering five-year-olds, but they're charming, in their own way. The contrast between the bickering and the precision of the lab reports is also amusing, in a PPCish style.

(Also, your sulking consoles made me think - what if the sentient consoles talk to each other? What would a story be like from their point of view? Actually, one could make the same case for all equipment, like the CADs and the semi-sentient scanners - that was very funny, by the way. Hmmm...)

I only have a few criticisms. Ons is that you have numbers written as numerals instead of words, like here - “Right. So we need 9 categories.” Also, in the paragraph beginning, "When she had finished her initial observations", you start far too many sentences with the word "she"; try to vary it a little.

Last - Mr Mistoffelees! Ah, what a good song to sing. I like that song. Just had to mention it ;)

I haven't read a DoMSEaR (not necessarily the correct formatting—I just like how that method looks) story before. Yours is wonderful. Can I claim the male agent that Cocoa almost ran into? It might be a while until I write the scene in, but I enjoy interlinked stories.

I noticed a few things that you might want to change. As your agents are walking to the table, the word habit seems overused. In the same paragraph, I think the phrase ...falling into step out with her sister of habit... should be ...falling into step with her sister out of habit.... After Cocoa writes the first part of the report, 9 should be spelled out. In the third paragraph of Analysis and Conclusion of Results, you say that Suethors have little to know actual grasp of biology. That know should probably be a no. Finally, watch your spaces. They seemed to double (   instead of  ) a couple times.

If the strange table formatting is the content extending to the borders, change the cellpadding CSS variable (eg. <table cellpadding="2px">). You might want to work with the width variable as well, both in the main table tag and in at least one td tag per column. Also in the coding, yet otherwise unrelated to the table, your footnote links should be switched—they currently point to themselves.

Sorry about that. I occasionally get into a listing mood. I actually enjoyed your work a lot!

I also have a quick beta request for anyone interested. Earlier, being in a strange mood, I went over to DeviantArt to find a picture to help me become inspired. I found one, and proceeded to write this piece (found here, since I'm failing at coding today: http://anamiascorner.webs.com/loyalty.htm), and I would be delighted to get someone's opinion. Mostly, what I would like to know is whether it's worth going over some more and polishing, or, in other words, whether it makes any kind of sense to anyone else. Pointing out any grammatical and/or spelling errors would also be lovely.

Thank you in advance,
--anamia

I thought I posted this already, but either my memory is playing tricks on me or Firefox is malfunctioning, because I don't see it and I've refreshed the page a dozen times.

agent (underscore) tomato5 (at) yahoo (dot) com

If I don't need Permission for it, I would be happy to be a beta-reader. What's your email address?

Er, well, it sort of depends on what you want the information for. It doesn't come up that often in missions except as passing mentions, and as far as writing things set there I'm pretty sure Neshomeh's claimed it as her preserve, so I think you'd want to take queries up with her.*

Other than that, you're probably good with what's already out there.

*If I'm wrong, anyone who knows so is free to thwap me with a herring and point it out.

The minis for Metal Gear Solid would probably be mini-Gekkos, or perhaps more hilariously, mini-cardboard boxes that move around when nobody's looking at them.

Just my thoughts on the subject.

The first time a name is misspelled for a given universe in a mission, the writer of that mission gets to decide what form the resulting Minis take. According to the list of killed badfic on the Wiki, no one has done a Metal Gear mission yet, so I assume the Mini is still up in the air.

I have no idea about whether MG has an OFU yet. Try checking the list at the bottom of this page:
http://www.misssandman.com/LOTR/ofum.html

Yeah. These questions are a bit more sinister in terms of what they're asking. Nasty stuff.

4. Is HQ affected by the words, much like other continua? (heheheh)

5. If someone's badfic was PPC'd and they were aware of it (yet not angry enough to baaaawwww about it) could they potentially write something to reverse the mission, or god forbid, kill the agents? (Yeah, this one's kinda nasty...)

6. Is there any real explanation to why when agents die, they can't be resurrected? (My guess is that their "words" are rendered inert or almost inert after their death. Perhaps a disadvantage to being somewhat independent/seperate from their creator?)


7. Related to the above, is it possible that they just might be able to be ressurrected, given the right circumstances, like the kind of death mentioned in question 5? (As in a death without their creator's permission. This kind of makes sense, as sues come back sometimes after agents kill them)

8. Someone (Sedri, I believe) answered one of the questions in one of my older question threads implying that agents are more independent than the normal word construct. Just how much of this idea has been explored in-universe? (Ooh, might not want to ask this one... Opening up a whole can of worms with this one)

I needed to ask these ones before I started using the general concepts and such involving them in my writing. Expect more later.

From the patterns I've seen (and remember I'm new, though unfortunately prone to lectures):

In any given continuum, things will follow the default rules of that continuum unless those rules are directly twisted by a 'Sue.

When the rules do get twisted, the continuum attempts to follow them as directly and literally as possible--which results in some rather odd effects, such as Mini creation.

When someone crosses from one continuum to another, he will generally still behave as though the new continuum were a part of his home continuum: Someone from the Harry Potter verse could still cast spells; a Vulcan could still perform a mind-meld. I can only assume that this means characters retain a connection to their home continuum. It doesn't make characters invulnerable to things that would hurt them in their home continua, though: A vampire from "Dracula" would still be vulnerable to a stake through the heart even in a place where vampires do not exist or are not vulnerable to stakes.

Those rules seem to hold true for characters from Sue-twisted continua. A Sue that enters HQ from her own world will still retain her Sue powers. Sue weaponry and magical artifacts still retain their qualities. (Most of the time, though, friendly resident ex-Sues and any Sueish possessions are deliberately depowered to avoid influencing agents.)

Characters from worlds that have been influenced by Sues seem to retain the Suefluence-related characteristics even after they travel to another world. That holds true even if the Sue is killed or the major aberration repaired, and their home continuum reverts to its original state. When the home continuum reverts, all canon characters still in the original continuum tend towards reverting to canon as well, though those who have had the most contact with the Sue will probably have to be neuralyzed. However, any characters on a different world at the time do not revert along with their home canon.

It is probably possible to transfer some of the effects of one's home continuum to someone else. Learning magic from a character recruited from the Harry Potter 'verse seems to be possible, for example; as is becoming a vampire if bitten by a vampire from any one of many places where vampires bite and turn people.

How does this apply to biology (other than my loving long lectures)? Well, basically, biology is just one more rule that a Mary Sue has the ability to alter. The rules of a home continuum--even one that has been altered by a Mary Sue--will imprint on anyone leaving that continuum, and work the same way for them afterward. That means that bad biology would most likely still work for anyone who traveled to World One--even for things that were obviously impossible, such as flying with wings much too small, or being an impossible hybrid with three parents.

Exceptions:
*There are reports of Agents assimilating into continua that aren't their original ones. They are no longer cloaked by the canon (as active Agents would be), but tend to retain some effects from their home worlds. Theoretically, if someone with biology impossible on one world were to move to another and stay there, it might eventually become either dangerous or deadly to stay, or simply become impossible to use whatever powers their original biology granted. (Possibly both, depending on the exact nature of the difference between the two biologies.)

*Some things tend to either blow up in your face, or at least stop working, if you question them too hard (I shan't mention bleeprin). Bad biology in a world that doesn't support it may be one of those things. While there are no recorded instances (that I've found), pointing out the illogical nature of someone's biology, while in a world that does not support said biology, may be enough to cause the current world's rules to assert themselves... possibly in a very messy and satisfying manner. Think of it as a more scientific version of "I don't believe in fairies."

...I recall seeing a pair like that once upon a time, I think. I could be imagining things, but I'm pretty sure there's precedent. I'll do some looking.

As to question one, my personal take is that since Agents function fine in other continua, and Agents recruited from fic function just fine in different continua, that unless there's something explicitly very wrong with the biology, i.e. incompatible atmospheres, everyone should be fine.

And, uh, as to two, it's not that bad. Most of 'em find a place and cope. The others get shuffled off home quickly. Again, my take is that usually totally unsuitable, closed-minded people don't usually find the plotholes because they don't have the conception that such thing could exist.

I don't know much more than you do, but here is what I think for each of your questions.

1. It depends on the continua involved. Assuming similar atmospheres, the character should only suffer minor discomfort when moving to a different Word World. In World One, anyone who can pass through the Reality Room should be fine. I imagine that, just as long as the writer doesn't actually describe bad biology, the character still defaults to functionally accurate. I hope so, anyway. I intend on having one of my agents repeatedly break the disguise generator.


2. Like you said, it depends on the temperament of the traveler. Randall (one of my agents) comes from a world where magic is common, and maybe a year or so before he fell into HQ, a lot of his perceptions of his world were broken (story coming eventually). For him, the PPC wasn't too strange of an adjustment, but it could definitely be bad for other people.


3. That sounds like it has a lot of great potential! I don't see why it wouldn't be allowed—repentant Suethors are not uncommon, and a large portion of the other agents are recruited from badfic. I can see the author getting confused a lot (“But you aren't supposed to like doing that!”, “You should be doing this a different way!”).

1. A lot of Agents (most self-inserts, for example) would be from World One or a similar world. I'd expect that as long as the atmosphere of World One is similar enough to the Agent's home continuum they'd be able to survive. Different gravities may make it hard for them (or cause some long-term bone problems), and there's always the potential for a War of the Worlds style "oh no, the bacteria, they kill me!", but I guess Medical would be able to immunise against that.
   Bad biology is bad biology, though. If the Agent could only exist in a highly-magical environment, or in very low gravity, entering World One may prove fatal, but YMMV.
   
   2. Shock, insanity and craziness, one would assume. Whatever is the funniest (keeping in mind that the Laws of Comedy are more-or-less pre-eminent in HQ).
   
   3. Agents can be recruited from basically any continuum, so I see no reason why you couldn't recruit and author AND a character from one of their fics. In a slightly-less canonical example, PPC Boarders and Agents have been known to socialise together (usually in the Shipfest or so on). I agree that this definitely has a lot of potential for hilarity to ensue.
   
   Elcalion

1. Depends on the person, I believe. A lot of agents *come* from World 1, so that's no problem. And, personally, I work under the assumption that biology is correct until proven otherwise. It's when you get blatant biological aberrations that you have problems. For non-World 1 natives, it would depend on the species. If the original Canon has them visit World 1 (I'm thinking Animorphs and such here), then I would think they'd be fine. And most canons are at least partially based in World 1, since authors tend to be human. It would be harder, I think, for people to function in places other than World 1, but, again, I imagine it's more of a case-by-case thing.
   
   2. Speaking for my own agents, they accepted it more or less easily because, a) they were recruited by an agent who sort of explained it, b) they wanted to be there anyway, or c) they're bonkers anyway. I can't speak for anyone else, but I assume one of the qualities you want in an agent is the ability not to break.
   
   3. Ooh, that sounds really fun. Especially if the character is mad at the author for putting him/her/it through some kind of hell. -evil laugh- If you don't end up doing so, I think I might.
   
   --anamia

I believe I have, inadvertently, created a new starship, one named after a giant, golden stag.

Can someone please direct me to the Headquarters dry-docks and inform me of proper procedure with a Mini-ship?

Actually, am not sure what to call it myself. It's very heavily flavored with AU-ness. I'm more than slightly confuzzled by it.

*blinks*

What the hell? This is the sort of thing that makes me glad that Tammy (Tamora Pierce) doesn't read fanfic.

I was kinda thinking of a thread like the one just above this one. I'm guessing everyone has assumed you're just someone they personally haven't seen before. ^_^;

And, again, a Mary-Sue subtype should be a type, not a single instance.

~Neshomeh

We need every able-bodied soldier out there, right NOW! There's a war goin' on, or were you too busy slacking to notice?! There ain't time for basic training. Here's a lasgun, a flak vest, and a standard-issue supply of awesome. Now get out there, grab some cover, and bag me a daemon or two!

HOO-RAH

Hahah, I, Mad Maudlin, am the only M&M here. But that's okay, musicmage4114. Welcome to the Board! Please deposit your sanity in the provided receptacle. *indicates bucket marked "Warg Fodder"* You shan't need it here. Also, here's a slice of sausage.

Have some nicely sharpened pencils. Good for defense or writing. I love TVTropes. That's also how I found the PPC.

*waves exuberantly* Hello MM! You've gotten your fair share of welcomes already (and interesting arsenal items), but I like to jump on the newbie-glomping bandwagon. So...

*looks if Maudlin Hart has been here before her*

*FIRST glomp!*

Now off you trot till your month is up. Here's a spork patch! It's a defective spork patch, as one of the tines looks bent, but it'll do for now. Hope to see a ruthless and entertaining bad slasher out of you!

If you need more things to feed your panic mode, visit the PPC Wiki -- http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/PPC_Wiki.

Because I don't think anyone has given the traditional Newbie Poke yet.

Very nice to meet you!
- Sedri

I will probably shorten your name. However, it will likely not go beyond “musicmage”. I'm strange that way. Anyway, take a bladed yo-yo.

Hey, I'm new here too!
Hello.
I seem to be starting out kind of lurker-ish. (Maybe 'seem' is an understatement...)
Yes, there is lots of entertaining reading here!

Have some cufflinx! (Not cufflinks, though. The difference is that cufflinx explode occasionally)

Have 199 gil and a Rod of Spell-Check (It grants spell-check +5 and defense +2).

I'll call you Musicmage, probably, come to that. I see we found the PPC the same way.

Video game fanfics? Found any good ones for Final Fantasy XIII, by any chance?

Anyway, have a Bag of Infinite Capacity and a plover, just so Tawaki saying first stops being redundant.

Have a panda that eats, shoots and leaves.

Don't worry, he won't bite.

I forgot to close my url tag, and now clicking anything (including reply and back to messages) sends you off to the sparkly rock. -sigh- Terribly sorry.

--anamia

I offer you a sparkly rock (pickax not included). You may use it as a paperweight or throwing weapon, whichever you choose.

--anamia

p.s. Ooh, a Bad Slasher! Welcome welcome welcome! We need more of them around here.

Fair winds!

Hello! Have a seventeen foot long, multi-colored, wool, knit scarf (curly wig not included), and a bag of jelly babies.

Please use them IRresponsibly!

Oh, TVTropes...that site is just a time-eater, isn't it? But it's great!

I hope you enjoy your time here! And have fun reading! There's enough material to keep you busy for a good while. :)

Welcome to the PPC Posting Board! Here, have some chocolate, and enjoy your stay!

Please enjoy this Phoenix Down as a welcoming gift with my compliments.

Have a green scarf and a slightly bloodstained longsword. Use them wisely.
(And which video games? *is interested*)

Welcome, MM! I give you...a coxcomb! It's a sort of silly hat with Shakespearean lineage.

Chocolate with pink icing.

Oh.. for a fellow TvTropes afficiando...

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/WMG/FriendsAndTheHighCouncil

Prepare your brain for rottage.

Hello from a fellow newbie.

Have a random infodump.

PPC board constitution:
http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/PPC_Board_Constitution
Board FAQ:
http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/FAQ:_The_Board
Newbie Guide:
http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/Guide_to_the_PPC

As you can see, those also link to the wiki, which is a rather useful resource because most things, eventually, link back to it.

As the others have said, these sorts of posts are never going to be frowned upon.

I wish I could help you - I wish I could give you optimistic statistics and heartwarming stories of victory, but I don't know any. All I can say is, indeed - spend time with your friend, and make it happy times; enjoy every moment you have, because even if he lives out a long life, you're not going to get these minutes back, and it's better to spend them smiling than crying.

More hugs for you - *hugs*

You poor thing, it is horrible dealing with the illness of someone you are close to.

As the other posters have said, the best thing you can do is to be there, for him, and for your parents. Little things, like going to see someone when they are feeling unwell help enormously.

It sounds to me like this is affecting you quite deeply, make sure you talk to people about it. Keeping stuff bottled up will do you no good at all.

Cancer is an odd disease, every cancer is a little bit different, and what works to cure one person may have no effect on another. Sadly there is no magical cure, especially for Pancreatic Cancer which has a high mortality and a low 5 year survival rate. I know that this is not what you want to hear, but never give up hope, there are people who beat the disease, and live for many years after being told that they only have a short time to live.

My heart goes out to you!

Being in the hospital is one of the most tedious and unfamiliar things that can ever happen to somebody. If your friend is in the hospital (and most likely he will repeatedly be in the hospital), he's most likely going to be bored out of his skull, feeling more than a bit helpless, and generally uncomfortable.

I've been in the hospital (my longest time was only ten days, though), and I can tell you that when that happens, if you're even awake to see they're there, visitors are simply a lifesaver. They bring a bit of normality with them that seems to relieve the artificial environment of a hospital. The most annoying part of the whole experience is that you feel like you've lost control of your own life. Even the little things--like having your own comforter from your own bed--can make it a little more bearable. The most encouraging thing, I found, was to have people who simply treated me as a human being rather than a collection of symptoms (as the medical people so often did).

Most likely your friend will have times when he feels better, and times when he's able to come home and live pretty much normally (though probably he'll become tired a lot more easily). That's part of the point of cancer treatment--to increase quality of life, so that he can go about his business as unhindered by his illness as possible. Many people who live with cancer don't particularly want to put their lives on hold for it; so they learn that they can adjust things, get some help or get more creative (or both), and find ways to do what they want to do. People, in general, are rather resilient that way. An older lady in my church has been dealing with cancer for maybe five years; and she's pretty much the same as she's always been, except that she uses one of those powered scooters now so she won't get too exhausted.

Unfortunately, pancreatic cancer is one of the toughest types for modern medicine to deal with. Most likely your friend knows this already. But yes, people do occasionally recover even when doctors say they won't; and it's almost routine to hear of someone who gets five or even ten years when the doctors said he had only one. The human body is an amazingly complex system that we don't know everything about; and it's surprisingly good at returning to normal functioning even after something throws it way out of balance. I guess the bottom line is--it's a serious disease, so try not to fall into denial; but totally giving up hope isn't that logical either.

to post this, that is. We try to be about more than just badfic sporking around here, after all.

It's really hard dealing when friends and relatives are sick, and it's perfectly normal to be upset about it.

I'm not a doctor or anything like that, but it's not unknown for cancers to go into remission, sometimes for reasons which baffle doctors. You can definitely keep on hoping for that, and who knows? Sometimes people survive much longer than the doctors predict - the human body is still full of many mysteries that science and medicine can't completely understand.

But equally, I think you should be prepared for the prospect of losing your friend. Sometimes the doctors are right, and there is simply nothing more that they can do. Be hopeful, but recognise that sometimes it is time for a person to go, and as truly heartbreaking as that is, it is a part of this messed-up world.

If my experiences are anything to go by, I'd recommend spending lots of time with your friend, and try to just be grateful/happy for having known him and all the things that he means to you, and let him know how loved and appreciated he is.

Being there, talking and listening to him, remembering the good things about their life - it could be really comforting for your friend to be able to talk to you and to have someone interesting in hearing his life stories, and being there to talk about those big questions - like what's the meaning of life, and whether there's anything beyond death.

And I'd really, really urge you to say anything you have to say sooner rather than later. Don't put off things to later, cause you may never get another chance to say them - when my grandfather and grandmother died recently, I was so grateful that I was able to see both of them in their final few days and basically say goodbye, and be able to sit there and remember all the good times and all that they'd meant to me, rather than regretting that I'd never had the chance to say goodbye one last time.

Don't be afraid to ask questions here on the Board, or just talk or vent or rant if you need to. Behind all the silliness, we're a community, and I'm sure if you need to talk some more there'll be heaps of people here to listen, and that we'll be thinking of you.

Elcalion

A lot depends on the type of cancer, at what stage it was discovered, how well a patient responds to treatment, etc. A prognosis of a year, I don't know, but that actually sounds pretty good. Sometimes I think cancer prognosises are like the weather: the further into the future the more uncertain the prediction is (perhaps one year turns out to be five?)

I'm not an expert on cancer. Not being an oncologist. On a personal level, about half the people I know who had cancer survived. My aunt had pancreatic cancer; she was actually doing quite well, until she was also diagnosed with lung cancer.

That story is probably not very encouraging for you, but I also don't want to give you false hope; despite continuing progress in medicine still a lot of people die of cancer.

I think you can help your friend by asking him what you can do for him. And keep being his friend. Apart from the illness most people with cancer (or other serious illnesses or disabilities) suffer most from the fact that their friends stop visiting them.

Ah yes... I remember that fic... it's quite amusing, actually.

Wow. I mean, just...wow. Parody-parody can be difficult, but when it gets pulled of right, like this...wow.

I am dying of laughter here.

I wish they taught Truthiness at my school...

I thought they would be like the pitfall traps from animal crossing/SSBB, but your descriptions sound more like L-space.

Obviously, the inside of a plothole contains things that cannot be described with feeble human words.

Many of the plot holes I've heard talked about didn't have any volume to speak of--they simply led from one place to another, connecting those two places without actually creating any extra space for the plothole itself.

It could be that plot holes which "contain" things may simply be plot holes that link to a space that does contain those things (and which may or may not be created along with the plot hole). There's lots of precedent for various places and objects being created out of nothing; a plot hole leading to a space that's been created by a fic probably wouldn't be out of the realm of the possible.

So plot holes may not be "holes" like the kind you might dig in the ground at all; they may be more like portals.

Some of them are like conduits--they allow for characters to have things they shouldn't have, or get to places they shouldn't be. This is the type that HQ has adapted and stabilized to connect the various parts of itself and to make portals

Others, like the ones canon characters end up inside when they get replaced, are just random pockets of misplaced space-time. This type is occasionally harnessed, as in the case of hammer-space/mace-space, Bags of Holding, etc. Generally I would think there's nothing inside except what someone puts there. There might not even be breathable air unless there's an open way in--but then again, there might be.

That's my two cents.

~Neshomeh

Given that most badly-described or inconsistent things in badfic default to Generic whatever.

Plus HQ harnesses plotholes as part of its architecture, so perhaps the Generic Surface is the result of the plotholes?

That said, they're plotholes, and governed by the Laws of Comedy and so if you need a plothole to be something for the purposes of a joke, I think that would be fine.

From what I understand, plotholes are basically roughly torn holes in reality, so I guess that there could be just about anything in one....

Just my thoughts on the matter.