Permission request:
Lilly Padfoot: A native of fanfiction.net, she used to have the rather difficult job of sorting all the Harry Potter fanfiction on the site into the various categories. She fled into a portal when the bots that periodically wipe clean entire sections of the site came too close to where she was living for comfort, and ended up in the PPC HQ. In transit, her body got stuck in a solid light type form (think Star Trek holodeck characters). Her skin is light blue, and she’s completely bald. She’s forever stuck in a white button down and khaki pants (don’t ask), and her eyes... lets just say they didn’t exactly come through quite correctly. They don’t actually, you know, stick to her face. So, she usually carries them around with her. She showed up with the flashpatch of the Department of Angst on her shirt (she has no idea why), thus forcing the Aloe Vera out of retirement, much to the Flower’s annoyance.
As she grew up in the internet, whenever she goes into canons she collects things. Like rocks, and pinecones. And she has a tendency to obsess over tall buildings (they didn’t have those in ff.net apparently). Oh, and she can’t actually you know, use doorknobs. Her hands kind of go through them. And she flickers madly in the presence of Flowers.
Was paired with Annie Nascosto in an attempt to temper the other girl’s... darker habits. She’s sort of succeeded.
Annie Nascosto: An mpreg baby, born when someone had the brilliant idea of making Jim Moriarty pregnant with Mycroft Holmes’ baby. Tall and thin, she was originally a Floater before being assigned to the Department of Angst when the Aloe Vera was forced out of retirement by the appearance of Lilly Padfoot. Hates, hates unnecessary angst. Collects ‘trophies’. Meaning hair clippings of slain Sues. Don’t angst. Just... don’t. Bright red hair and green eyes, she has her “fathers’” intelligence, and a bit of a cruel streak.
We’re not quite sure who raised her, because she just... appeared one day and started working extremely long hours, driving away all her partners with her relentless creepiness until she was assigned Lilly, who finds her fascinating.
Is especially harsh on Sherlock sues, because she developed an affection for the entire continuity despite her... less than savory origins in it.
More of a “shoot first, ask questions later” type of person, she frequently gets into arguments with Lilly over how to deal with Sues.
First sporking will be: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/5902133/1/Life-of-Cristancia
I have already claimed it over at the wikia. May be a while before I put it up. RL currently has thrown quite a few research papers at me.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1033590/chapters/2060000
Freak, by LightDarkPheonix.
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Permission request. by
on 2014-02-21 01:11:00 UTC
Link to this
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Right. A decision. by
on 2014-02-21 16:53:00 UTC
Link to this
In conjunction with Neshomeh, no less.
Your second writing sample has certainly overcome my doubts about darkness, and to some extent the randomness - you do present the attributes you've described in the bios as integral parts of the characters. So, I'm going to say Permission Granted, with the following caveats/provisos/comments:
-Since I'm still a bit divided, if another PG has a vehement objection, we'll discuss it here.
-Make sure to get a beta, in particular for your punctuation. It's not overly common, but you do have a smattering of missing hyphens and question marks. The best way to find a beta for a PPC mission is simply to ask on this Board or in the IRC, mentioning which continuum and department it's in. You can discuss with any beta(s) you get as to whether they're okay with you emailing them directly in future.
-Be sure you're aware of the MO and purpose of the Department of Angst. Go back and read their extant missions. As summarised by Neshomeh, they try to eliminate angst with things like Prozac and balloon animals. Annie seems more inclined to try and kill angsters. We've discussed the idea of a team where one person goes the Prozac route, while the other glares at you and growls, 'Don't angst, or else', and we think it could work - but two agents who both try to kill the people they're supposed to be helping would not work. Or, in other words: make sure you write Lilly as a balance to Annie on missions, as well as in HQ.
Other than that... go for it, and have fun!
hS -
Like a Good Cop/Bad Cop thing? (nm) by
on 2014-02-21 17:34:00 UTC
Link to this
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Probably, yeah (nm) by
on 2014-02-21 18:37:00 UTC
Link to this
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Right, I should probably clarify by
on 2014-02-21 17:25:00 UTC
Link to this
They are in the Department of Angst.
Small problem. My explanation for why there isn't much on the DOA on the wikia (and few missions) is that the Aloe Vera purposefully went into retirement, and was very annoyed when she had two agents assigned to her. So she occasionally assigns them not angst stories (for example the one I've claimed for my first mission) out of pique.
Annie doesn't want to kill angst overloaded characters (Lilly dragging her away was because in my head overloaded angst Smaug would try to set Annie on fire, I'm going to go under the assumption that too much angst comes often times not only from way too much depression, to be counteracted with prozac, but also a form of possession.
I will ask for a beta after I've written things, I'm really glad I'm finally in a situation where I can ask for a beta without feeling like I'm screaming at an empty sky.
Lilly is the sane (ish) one here. Isn't that how it usually works, there's the anchor and the loose cannon? -
A concern. by
on 2014-02-21 17:44:00 UTC
Link to this
I strongly object to altering one of the few departments that actually has a unique methodology to it, so when you say you're operating under the assumption that angst is often caused by possession, i.e. would require an exorcism rather than cheering up, that worries me. Add in the fact that you've invented an excuse for your agents to get Suefics, too, that worries me a lot. I don't want to see the DOA turn into a little clone of Floaters, so please be very, very judicious in how you proceed.
~Neshomeh -
right. sorry. by
on 2014-02-21 17:50:00 UTC
Link to this
The methodology of the DOA will be unchanged. And they will deal with exactly one suefic before they do angst entirely. I'm sorry.
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Okay. by
on 2014-02-21 18:23:00 UTC
Link to this
... It looks like I scared the capital letters right out of your subject line. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be that intimidating.
I also didn't mean to suggest that the DOA can never ever deal with Sues or bad slash or crossovers, etc. They're hardly mutually exclusive with angst, after all! That being the case, though, you don't need to invent reasons to work them in, which is why it seemed like you were intending to ditch the original concept in favor of doing what everyone else does. Basically, what I'm saying is that the angst should always be the main problem of the fic and the go-to solution should always be cheering up. The other stuff should be secondary, if present at all.
And there's nothing wrong with wanting to do Sue-slayings and exorcisms, either! Just, if you find you'd rather do that stuff than DOA stuff, just have the agents transfer, 'kay?
~Neshomeh -
Are there really that many fics where a cheer-up will fix ev by
on 2014-02-22 00:58:00 UTC
Link to this
-erything, though? Seems to me like most badfics will still have other issues to deal with, unless it's a sort of "once the canon is out of its rut they'll deal with the rest" thing, but we aren't exactly in the business of letting canons do our work for us.
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They exist. by
on 2014-02-22 01:26:00 UTC
Link to this
You know those fics where it's just one character's train of thought the whole time, and it's really melodramatic and annoying and possibly involves touchy subjects like depression, drug abuse, cutting, suicide, etc.? It's a thing.
Also, searching just the Harry Potter book category of ff.net with the filters "Genre A: Angst," "Genre B: Angst," "Language: English," and "Rating: All" turns up a whopping seventy-nine thousand four hundred (79.4K) stories. There's bound to be some mission fodder in all that, and it's just one fandom on one website.
~Neshomeh -
There's also 4.5K Star Wars angstfics, re: other fandoms (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 01:30:00 UTC
Link to this
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Well I am wrong, then! by
on 2014-02-22 01:27:00 UTC
Link to this
It seems to me there's the risk of every mission kind of playing out the same, but that's something good writing can deal with.
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On RCs by
on 2014-02-21 18:44:00 UTC
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Now that I've gotten permission, how am I assigned the RC? Do I choose the number, or am I given it?
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You choose. by
on 2014-02-21 19:22:00 UTC
Link to this
Just make sure it's not already claimed first: http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/List_of_RCs
~Neshomeh -
Thanks :) Second question by
on 2014-02-21 19:39:00 UTC
Link to this
Do I write the wikia page for them myself? I'm not very good at that...
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Generally, yes, but not necessarily. by
on 2014-02-21 20:12:00 UTC
Link to this
If it's the editing process that worries you, there are resources to help you out, most of which are linked from here on the main page and from the blue navbar at the top. For this specific situation, I wrote a guide called "How to Make a Character Page." {= )
Also, if it helps, you can't really screw up that badly. The worst thing that happens with any frequency is someone (probably me) asking you to do something differently in an annoyed tone; but usually what happens is that someone will just come in after you and fix stuff.
BUT, if you really would rather not, you can ask an editor to help you out. I'll volunteer for now, since I'm here (and I'm also the pickiest). I'll just need all the information to put on the page, for which see above-linked how-to article.
~Neshomeh -
I'll give you the info as soon as time allows. by
on 2014-02-21 20:14:00 UTC
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Meaning within the next two days.
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In that case... by
on 2014-02-21 20:23:00 UTC
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It's probably best if you e-mail it to me. My address is neshomeh [dot] soul [at] gmail [dot] com, with the obvious substitutions.
~Neshomeh -
I'm easily scared, don't feel bad. by
on 2014-02-21 18:26:00 UTC
Link to this
I desperately want to do DOA, because I love the concept and I feel like its an under appreciated department.
The problem I've been coming across is that there are very few pure angst badfics. So if I am to do one, not only would my agents be making balloon animals and giving characters prozac, they'd probably have to exorcize a few people along the way. -
I... am dubious. [No decision; second PG opinion, please] by
on 2014-02-21 14:45:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm getting a very strong 'dark' vibe from your work here. You describe Annie with this phrase: 'Hates, hates unnecessary angst. Collects ‘trophies’. Meaning hair clippings of slain Sues. Don’t angst. Just... don’t.' You mention things like 'a bit of a cruel streak', and 'relentless creepiness'.
Your writing sample continues this theme - the sheer number of warnings on it is quite terrifying. And, obviously, there's nothing wrong with liking dark stories. It just... isn't what the PPC is about.
My second concern is the amount of implied 'randomly's in your agents' descriptions. Lilly randomly ends up in HQ, randomly stuck as a hologram, randomly has her eyes fall out, randomly has a DA flashpatch, randomly actually decides to join said department... her whole character seems to consist of 'a thing, for no reason'.
Annie has some of the same. 'We’re not quite sure who raised her, because she just... appeared one day and started working extremely long hours'. I get that you're probably trying to keep it secret for a Big Reveal, but at the moment it's just... out of nowhere.
But (and it's a big but) I'm not sure to what extent those things matter. Your SPG are certainly fine, and you have some good ideas in there. So... hrm.
Okay, here's what I'm going to do. In addition to asking another PG to take a look, I have a request:
Write a story, 200-500 words, in which your agents... let's see... encounter a robot in HQ wearing a paper mask of BBC Sherlock's face. This should take place some time after they've been partnered - in other words, it's not a 'oh hi I'm so-and-so' story, it's a showcase of how you'll write them working together.
(Said story need not be taken as part of your agents' canon, but can be if you like)
This is just a request - you don't have to do it, and I'm not guaranteeing you'll get Permission if you do (obviously) - but I think it would help us get a better idea of who they are and how you'll write them.
hS -
An apology, the story will come as soon as I write it. by
on 2014-02-21 15:10:00 UTC
Link to this
So, I'm sorry about the dark vibe you've been getting. I may have described Annie rather darkly because I'm going off the idea given by a friend (likes small spaces and scaring people) and I was trying to see what would happen if you were the uncanon child of Moriarty and Mycroft Holmes.
I can write happy fics, I just don't have many up because I wrote them all when I was younger and they are pretty awful.
The warnings are for the first few chapters, and it devolves (or turns into, depending on perspective) a rather goofy Doctor Who crossover by the end of it.
I apologize for the "thing for no reason" aspect of my characters, I have a three page long character history (I was bored) written down somewhere, but from what I saw brief character summaries are preferred.
I'm fine with not getting permission, and your reasons are valid. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable with the things you've written.
I've just been freaked out at so much about not warning that I go a bit overboard.
Hope I haven't alienated myself completely,
LDP -
To clarify: by
on 2014-02-21 15:21:00 UTC
Link to this
I wasn't particularly creeped out - I didn't even read much of the story, since I had other concerns which overrode it, aren't all that interested in the fandom, and was about to ask for another sample anyway. ;)
As to whether brief summaries are preferred - it's a bit of a Catch-22. If you say too much, people will complain - but if you don't say enough, people will complain! I occasionally consider ways of tackling this, but a) we don't like change, and b) it's not like Permission Requests are so frequent that we need a streamlined method. Case-by-case works fine.
Looking forward to the new sample.
hS -
One thing we could do... by
on 2014-02-21 15:31:00 UTC
Link to this
Is not emphasize BRIEF, since it does tend to get translated as "sketchy" more often than not. Maybe a more specific suggestion like "about 200-400 words each and touching on appearance, backstory, and personality" would help?
I'll take a look at the original request now.
~Neshomeh -
My (rather drastic) thought... by
on 2014-02-21 15:47:00 UTC
Link to this
... is to scrap profiles altogether.
Well, maybe not - but to shift focus. I'm pondering a 'random prompt generator' which will do what I've just done for LDP - give you a situation to put your agents in. Then a Permission Request would consist (perhaps solely) of two stories (200-500 words) based on two separate, random prompts.
The idea came about when we had a rash of people being told off for giving lists of appearance and attributes, but no personality. Since it is sharding hard to describe a personality in a bio - at least for me - I figured a constrained version of the writing sample could work pretty well.
It would also do away with 'here's my writing sample, it's a haiku I wrote twenty years ago - hope that's okay!!'. And it would confirm that people actually want to, you know, write stories with these characters.
That said, it would rather reduce the backstory aspect of the request, or more importantly, the 'random abilities and attributes' part. Two very nice stories might just not mention the fact that the agent in question likes to paint herself in Sue blood and dance on their corpses, and that her hand turns into a lightsaber. So it may be that we ask for the following:
-Two stories from random prompts, showcasing your agents.
-Brief bios telling us their backstories, appearances, and anything we really should know.
-The badfic.
There's a certain amount of Assume Good Faith involved - but we should be anyway. And if someone decides not to tell us about the fact that their agent occasionally explodes nuclear weapons in the cafeteria, we can always concrit it out of existence when the mission comes out.
So, since I've apparently gone into this when I didn't mean to... thoughts?
hS -
Hmm... by
on 2014-02-21 19:55:00 UTC
Link to this
- It would definitely solve the problem of writing samples that don't tell us anything useful.
- I don't think describing a personality is that hard (and the backstory should inform and support the personality), but it is better to see how the characters behave in an actual scene, so that's a benefit, too.
- We already have to assume that we're not being deliberately deceived (and I can't think of a time that's ever happened), so that's no different.
... So, yeah, I like it. The question for me is just how to generate good prompts, since getting something you can't work with for whatever reason might be an issue. Maybe there could be one prompt that's always the same (the agents' first meeting, maybe?), and the other one is random? That introduces a control for the "I hate this prompt" factor, and writing a scenario that's been written many times is a pretty good test of how good you are at establishing your own voice, being creative, bringing the humor, and, crucially, writing characters who can carry a scene.
~Neshomeh
- It would definitely solve the problem of writing samples that don't tell us anything useful.
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Kaitlyn suggested... by
on 2014-02-21 20:57:00 UTC
Link to this
... the Thirty-Six Dramatic Situations as a possible basis. 36 just happens to be the number of combinations you get from rolling two standard dice, so it's a very simple table-lookup. O'course, that would require the creation of 36 prompts linked to the 36DS, so maybe not.
I'm not sure I like the idea of forcing people to do the meetup, though... what if they want to write characters who've been working together for years? Besides, a lot of them degenerate into 'Hi, I'm Agent Agent, I am three foot six and have the following quirks!' But I think you're right that we need a control...
How about 'your agents receive a mission'? It's something we all have to write a lot, and can be done as many ways as there are agents. With that and a random one, I think we'd have a good view on the characters.
(Also: I agree that other people can describe personalities, don't get me wrong. But I can't. ;))
hS -
When would these proposed changes go into effect? by
on 2014-02-22 00:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Because if you do decide to enact some permanent changes to the system, we might need some warning before the change takes place, to accommodate for people(like myself) who have been working on Permission pieces in the old method but hadn't submitted them yet for whatever reason. I saw a few prompts that I might like to write for in those thirty-six, but if the prompts are going to be selected by the Permission Givers, people wouldn't want to give up potential story ideas without being given a time window in which they would still be valid for Permission consideration.
Also, how would the new format operate? Would someone just start a thread, say "I'd like Permission, please", and then a Permission Giver would come in and say "Okay, I want you to write about [prompt from this list].", and then the Boarder would, and then the Permission Giver would give a second prompt if the writing for the first one was satisfactory? Or perhaps the first step would occur, and both prompts would be submitted simultaneously? Because if that's the case, the problem of threads being introduced with little information would become even worse, since there's no gateway any more. People who might not be ready yet would request Permission, the Permission Givers would have to be involved, possibly multiple times, to present them with an original idea to expand upon, and it would be a much longer and more convoluted process that accomplishes the same results as the existing method and reveals approximately the same data when performed correctly. -
I dunno about grandfathering in. by
on 2014-02-22 16:24:00 UTC
Link to this
I suspect that if you've been working on a writing sample for months and still don't like it enough to post, getting it grandfathered in isn't going to help. Plus, I'd rather see something relatively fresh than something that's been rewritten a zillion times. Nobody puts that much effort into their missions—at least not ones that ever see the light of day—so something that processed is hardly an accurate representation of how you'll really write.
Anyway, like hS said, a story conceived as a permission request can always just be a story, so there need not be any waste of ideas.
I concur with hS about how the process would work. It would be entirely applicant-driven, like how it is now. We'll just have to trust people not to fudge their dice rolls. {= )
~Neshomeh -
Not so much that I've been working on it for months... by
on 2014-02-22 17:01:00 UTC
Link to this
More like I keep coming up with entirely new concepts for the story that the piece will detail because either I get nervous and start thinking that what I already have might not be any good or liking the idea enough that I would rather expand it into a full story than keep it as a shorter Permission piece. I've gone through five concepts since I first considered asking back in May. Even the one I have now is getting longer than Permission pieces are normally supposed to be because I keep extending scenes so that things make more sense.
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My thoughts. by
on 2014-02-22 10:22:00 UTC
Link to this
Leaving aside the fact that a story is a story
no matter how small!whether you use it for Permission or not... we'd probably have a 'grandfathered in' clause, where people who are already working on it can use the old-style still.
As to how it would work: on the Permission page on the Wiki, there would be a (link to a) table, 6x6. You, as a Permission Requester, would roll two dice (using a linked dice rolling website - random.org, as I recall - and select a prompt from the square they indicate. You'd also choose one from the 'Control' list at the top.
Then you'd write short stories for both of those prompts, and post them, along with your brief bios and badfic, in a Permission Request as normal. So it basically works just like the current version, only with different writing samples. :D
hS -
I don't see how "worked together for years" is mutually exc- by
on 2014-02-21 23:37:00 UTC
Link to this
-lusive with writing a first meeting prompt. It doesn't have to be set right then and there, and like Neshomeh said, it's a nice bit of backstory that can help show what kind of grip the writer has on their characters.
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Shoot, that's why I like "first meeting." by
on 2014-02-21 21:31:00 UTC
Link to this
It's a good bit of backstory to know even if your agents have been together for years, and the fact that it can so easily devolve into "let us recite our bios to each other" makes it a good test—if that's all the writer can come up with, the answer should probably be "no." Plus, it doesn't necessarily have to take place in HQ, which offers great potential for variety.
But, if that doesn't win you over... receiving a mission could work, or maybe moving into the RC, which a lot of people like to write about and often ends with receiving a mission anyway. I'd hope to get some good visual descriptions out of that, and back-and-forth to the effect of "you want to put WHAT on our walls?"
Another option might be how at least one of the characters was recruited, which is not necessarily the same as how they got to HQ. Specifically, it could force people to elaborate on good old "fell through a plothole," which I'd love to see.
Any other ideas—from anyone? Any of 'em we don't make the control could still be used for random prompts. I like the 36 Situations idea, by the way (I'm a fan of rolling dice to determine randomized outcomes), but translating the Wikipedia ones into PPC terms might be tough.
~Neshomeh -
Not too keen on seeing them recruited... by
on 2014-02-21 22:00:00 UTC
Link to this
... since that's only one character, which halves our time to see them together. Therefore, a story in which one agent tells the other how they were recruited would work - and show how they can handle dialogue.
... oh, you knew it was going to happen. A Google Doc, to try and link PPCvian versions to the 36DS. I'll add the ideas so far in an 'unassigned' list at the bottom.
With regards to the control - we may want to make it a multiple-choice. Or (shocking idea, I know) vote on it.
hS -
Re. voting by
on 2014-02-22 16:17:00 UTC
Link to this
I was thinking this probably should get its own thread so that everyone can have a chance to put their two cents in and/or object, so yeah. Discussion and voting is good.
I feel okay playing around in the Gdoc for a while first, though. It's always good to be able to show a complete model rather than a sketch if you're trying to sell something, yes? {= )
~Neshomeh -
Out of curiosity... by
on 2014-02-22 08:59:00 UTC
Link to this
...Can anyone contribute to that or is the "anyone with the link can edit" intended more for PGs? Possibly a slightly dumb question but I just wondered.
(Also, I might have accidentally typed something in there because my puppy put his head on the keyboard while I was reading. I deleted it though.) -
Let's go with yes, anyone can contribute. (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 10:14:00 UTC
Link to this
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Except the puppy; none of you speak dog. (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 10:14:00 UTC
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Rrrrrrrrrr... rrf! (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 10:24:00 UTC
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ROWRF! (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 11:10:00 UTC
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(gasp) Language, you two! (nm) by
on 2014-02-23 00:43:00 UTC
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Agreed. It's impolite to call someone a paperclip. (nm) by
on 2014-02-23 15:44:00 UTC
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Rethinking. by
on 2014-02-21 22:08:00 UTC
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I think the 'PPC standard' ones - the four we've already mentioned - are good options for the control. Then I think the 'prompts' should be ridiculous, like the robot-in-Sherlock-mask. This is, after all, the PPC.
hS -
I feel a bit dumb for asking this... by
on 2014-02-21 15:29:00 UTC
Link to this
But does paper mask mean the robot looks like BBC! Sherlock?
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Well, it's paper. by
on 2014-02-21 15:39:00 UTC
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Or cardboard. So it's a robot (looking however you like) with a circle of card tied to its head with elastic. On the card is a picture of Sherlock's face.
hS -
Ah. Thank you. (nm) by
on 2014-02-21 15:41:00 UTC
Link to this
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Another question, sorry by
on 2014-02-21 15:47:00 UTC
Link to this
Do I paste the writing sample directly onto the Board, or do I paste a link?
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Up to you! by
on 2014-02-21 15:48:00 UTC
Link to this
I think the Board word-limit is around 1000, so it should easily fit if you want to do it that way. Might even be higher than that.
hS -
Re: Up to you! by
on 2014-02-21 15:52:00 UTC
Link to this
Um... I'm writing it and the robot has turned out to be a less than harmless misspelled version of Wall-E.
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Wan-E? (the requested writing sample) by
on 2014-02-21 16:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Here's the link, it may have gone over the number of words you gave me by a little bit...
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4SRZEBpaYPXgr5Z0F4o9Z4gYHDpjduVOY5g6NY9Tsg/edit
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Let's play a game. by
on 2014-02-21 02:39:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm reading over some old crossover drabbles of mine, and I had an idea for a crossover-writing game/exercise.
List up to five fandoms. The person after you has to write a short piece that crosses over at least two of those five fandoms. Try to make it as plausible as possible. The writer of the drabble then posts five fandoms for the next person to mess around in, and so on.
I'll start with The Hobbit and BBC Sherlock:
No one likes a bored dragon, especially not when said bored dragon was your smial-mate.
“For the fifteenth time, Smaug, I am not going to give you any more pipe weed!” snapped Bilbo Baggins to the eye that peered in from a nearby window. Ever since he and the fearsome dragon struck a deal for the dragon’s life (there had been a very pointy black arrow involved). Smaug now was living with Bilbo in Bag End, bored out of his mind at the overwhelming amount of green that he was not allowed to torch and feeding on regular meals of sheep from the Shire’s pastures (Bilbo was thankful his parents had left him enough money to buy enough sheep to feed this bottomless stomach of a dragon).
“I require excitement, Baggins,” the low rumble of Smaug resounded from outside, complete with an exasperated huff of smoke.
“You could go help Famer Maggot figure out who’s been stealing from his fields,” said Bilbo.
“Dull,” grumbled the dragon. The ground trembled as he rolled over like a giant scaly puppy. “Everyone knows it’s those Brandybuck twits from Buckland.”
“How did you figure that out?”
“The mud splattered on the crops left behind came from Buckland.”
That was one thing Bilbo hadn’t expected when he had brought the giant fire-drake home. Smaug was clever, as all dragons tried to be, but he made it into an art form. This art of deduction and detection was a skill he utilised in order to charm the Shirrifs into looking the other way whenever he wanted to steal food more substantial than mutton. Greg Lestrade, chief of the Watch in Hobbiton, relied often on the dragon’s wits to help catch petty thieves.
“Well, I’m sure if you checked the news there’ll be something interesting,” said Bilbo.
“Nothing happens here,” complained Smaug. “We should go somewhere else. Why don’t we visit Mordor? Or Mirkwood? Plenty of interesting things there.”
“I’ve experienced enough of Mirkwood to last me a lifetime. Plus, the Elves would shoot you first and ask questions later.” Bilbo put on the kettle and poked his head out the window at Smaug, who was now blowing smoke-rings into the sky. “Besides, I’ve no desire to go to Mordor. Bad for the digestion.”
“Ah, yes, speaking of digestion, here’s Lestrade,” drawled Smaug as the Shirrif in question came tottering up the road to Bag End. “I bet he wants me to find the missing mathoms from Michel Delving.”
The five fandoms:
Doctor Who
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Star Trek
Puella Magi Madoka Magica
Harry Potter -
MLP/Star Trek (the obvious one) by
on 2014-02-23 01:48:00 UTC
Link to this
When something crazy happened, there was only one possible explanation.
Well, actually, crazy things had many explanations, but Captain Kathryn Janeway recognized this brand of crazy.
"Q!" she yelled at the sky, pounding the ground with a hoof (it seemed the easiest way to get someone's attention in this body) "What do you want from me this time?"
Far off laughter sounded, and she exhaled loudly through her nose. It made a soft neighing sound, and she heard the far off laughter again, joined by closer laughter.
She whirled on her crew, nearly falling over. "This isn't funny!"
A pony that (based on the Delta Flyer marking on his hindquarters) she guessed was Tom Paris suppressed a chuckle. "Sorry, Captain, but it's hard to be serious when we're multicolored ponies."
She sighed. "I know it seems silly, but let's not lose our heads. We don't know where Voyager is or even what planet we're on."
"And here I was, thinking you would be different from Jean-Luc. How foolish of me."
Janeway whirled around again, and this time landed in a pile of short, stubby limbs. She got to her hooves angrily. "Of course we're going to be concerned about our ships, we're - what, exactly, are you?"
The strange creature that spoke with Q's voice spread his arms. "I am a draconequus! Spirit of mischief and disharmony! Here, they call me Discord." He indicated himself.
"An appropriate name," Janeway said drily. "Why did you bring us here, 'Discord'?"
"Why do I need a reason, Kathy?"
"You usually have one."
"Maybe I just enjoy it when things are mixed up. I have to say, Kathy, you make a lovely pony."
She wrinkled her nose, and continued on her line of thought. "You have a son. You're a responsible adult now. Or at least, you have to set a good example," she added quickly.
"And bringing you to a very safe, happy place isn't setting a good example?" Discord asked innocently. "Your ship is fine, your crew is fine, you're fine." He spread his mismatched arms. "Why don't you explore a little? Relax. Let your hair down. Metaphorically speaking," he added, glancing at her mane.
Janeway fixed him with a hard stare.
"Fine, be that way," he said, and vanished in a flash of light.
She sighed.
"Everyone, spread out. After all, we are explorers." -
Drat. I had a plan to combine four of these, by
on 2014-02-21 22:10:00 UTC
Link to this
But Uhura was born way too early to be Captain Janeway's magical girl mentor. She'd be something like eighty years old when Janeway was old enough to attract Kyubey's attention, and that was the lynchpin that this whole story revolved on. I'll just have to look through someone else's posts, unless I decide to make another concept and use fewer fandoms in it.
-
I choose Star Trek and Doctor Who by
on 2014-02-21 12:34:00 UTC
Link to this
The Doctor banged on the wall/door/force shield on his cell. "For the last time, I'm not the saboteur!" he yelled, kicking the door in frustration.
Staring intently at the ensign whose name he couldn't remember, he said, "Can I at least talk to the ship's Doctor?"
The girl nodded, and pressed a button on the intercom. "Brig to Sickbay, the prisoner has requested Dr. McCoy's presence."
Things were silent except for the beeping that all the computers on this ship seemed to enjoy doing.
McCoy walked up a few minutes later, looking like River did when the Doctor did something monumentally stupid. Meaning pissed. "I'm not letting you out. You landed Jim in the hospital, and now he has yet another food allergy."
"I'm not trying to escape. It's just, your saboteurs are shapeshifters."
This didn't surprise McCoy as much as the Doctor thought it would. "Okay... you could've been a bit more original, anything else?"
"Um... their true form is red, and very big, and covered in suckers. The best way to kill them is to shoot them."
The Doctor realized to his horror that as he was speaking, McCoy had turned into exactly what he had been describing. Gulping, he jabbed his sonic screwdriver at the force shield, which exploded into a field of sparks. "Nice meeting you, but I gotta go," he said, before running very quickly away. -
Can I play too? by
on 2014-02-21 12:31:00 UTC
Link to this
PMMM/Doctor Who
---
"You shouldn't be here."
"Why not?"
The Doctor paced around the TARDIS's control suite, glowering at the consoles and not looking at the interloper. He smacked something with a hammer and the ship lurched violently, spiraling off through space and time to get as far away as it could. He fought for hours, he fought for days, hurling his ship through the universe and even outside on occasion.
Still she stayed.
"Why won't you talk to me?" She asked on the twelfth day.
"Because you shouldn't be here."
It was the only answer the Doctor ever gave her, and then things got tricky for her. She wanted to help people who were in pain, and he was, oh, how he was. She wanted to take the pain away. Always.
He threw her off and he ran and ran, going on forever and going through forever. Regenerations came and went, and still she stayed, watching him. Sometimes she wanted to protect him more directly, but one of her merest arrows could sunder a whole world. So she stood, and waited.
"Why won't you talk to me," she asked on the last day.
The Doctor sighed and turned. He was old now, impossibly old, still going through the universe and touching lives. "Because... because you're asking the wrong questions."
He parked the ship on a deserted beach on an unknown world.
"Then what's the right question?"
"You've had thousands of years," he wheezed, "and you haven't come up with the answer?"
"Um... why shouldn't I have been here?"
"Ah. Well, that's on the right track. Ish. You should have been spent long ago, spent and used up and thrown away."
"Are... are you frightened?"
"Yes. Of you, before you ask."
"Why?"
"Because I..." The Doctor fought for breath. "Because I remember what you did. What my people made you do, made you into."
She looked at him blankly.
"Oh, hasn't it happened yet? Hah, time for you, I suppose. All... what was it that I used to say? Timey-wimey or some such thing. Youth. Gets you in the end, doesn't it? Well, it's time I stopped running away from, I think."
"You'll let me take away your pain?" asked Madoka Kaname.
"Yes," said the Doctor, and became the first victim of the Nightmare Child.
---
Rastamouse (yes, it's a real show)
Barney The Dinosaur
Beetleborgs
Charlie Chalk
Dennis The Menace -
Dennis the Menace/Barney & Friends by
on 2014-02-22 07:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Barney watched from across the room, a rare frown turning his snout downwards. "Um." He tapped his fingertips together, trying to think of what to say to this rambunctious child--but politely. One should always be polite and respectful to children!
"Now, Dennis, you certainly are an energetic playmate, but I think we're making too much of a mess now."
"Aw, this isn't so bad!" said the boy with the sandy blond hair, as he knocked a set of cupboards off the wall. "You should have seen the living room after me an' Joey tried to play baseball. Mom made me sit in the corner for almost an hour!"
Barney turned and took stock of the room. Between the rugs torn off the floor, the avalanches of toys and coloring books erupting from drawers and cubbies, and the large puddle of water spreading beneath the damaged drinking fountain, Barney felt very, very sorry for Mr. and Mrs. Mitchell.
"Well, it's still a very big mess, and since all our other friends have been scared away, we should probably get started on putting everything away. I know! There's a great song we can sing about cleaning up.
"♪Now it's time to put away, everything that we--♪"
"No offense, Mr. Dinosaur," said Dennis, but that sounds like the kinda dumb song Margaret might sing. An' I don't know why all the other kids went home! I've been havin' all kinds of fun! I guess they usually play more boring games, huh?"
Barney sputtered for a bit. "Well, um, Dennis, different people can have different kinds of fun . . ."
"'Cept for Mr. Wilson! He doesn't like to have any kinda fun. Say, do you know Mr. Wilson? Mrs. Wilson said there were dinosaurs around when he was a kid!"
"Well, of course I remember George, Dennis. I remember all my little friends! But that's because I'm a magic dinosaur, not because--"
"I knew it! Ha ha, good ol' Mr. Wilson! Say, I think that's my mom callin'. I hope it's not Brussels sprouts for dinner. Blegh!"
Dennis charged the door, knocking even more clutter and material around as he ran. "See ya tomorrow, Mr. Dinosaur!" he called, waving over his shoulder as he left.
Barney sighed as the door swung shut. "That boy is a--" he perked up-- "very special friend!"
He bent over, using his stubby tyrannosaurus arms to pick up toys. "♪We always clean up, clean up, to show we really care . . .♪"
Canons!
"The Order of the Stick"
The Shining
Final Fantasy X
High School Musical
"Sleeping Beauty" -
Re: Dennis the Menace/Barney & Friends by
on 2014-02-23 06:00:00 UTC
Link to this
You made Barney into a sympathetic character! Wow! I hated Barney, and here he is like this wonderful, patient teacher who can even be nice to Dennis the Menace!
-
Hey, don't mock the Barney! by
on 2014-02-23 06:21:00 UTC
Link to this
I was a major Barney fanboy as a little 'un. No amount of teasing kept me from my fandom! Until I got older, anyway.
But, yeah. I did try to keep this fairly low-key, to match the kid-oriented natures of both canons. -
Re: Hey, don't mock the Barney! by
on 2014-02-23 07:45:00 UTC
Link to this
I missed Barney by a few years--already a teenager by the time he got popular, so I only got the negative talk about the show.
I never saw him as having real thoughts and emotions before though, and you gave me that concept of him being a person in my mind. Not easy with a biased audience. -
Barney's actually a pretty good kids' show. by
on 2014-02-23 11:20:00 UTC
Link to this
If a little insipid and schmaltzy at times.
Interestingly, the UK version of Dennis the Menace is rather different to the US version. The US version talks too loud and makes a mess. The UK version hurls rotten fruit at policemen and decorated war veterans, beats the living daylights out of other kids, and occasionally goes into space. =] -
Oh dear. by
on 2014-02-23 13:20:00 UTC
Link to this
Apologies if I used the wrong Menace for my story. I didn't realize there were two different versions!
It kind of goes against expectations, actually. You would think the British Dennis would be the slightly improper one, while the American Dennis would be the badly-behaved one. -
Well, you say that... by
on 2014-02-23 14:11:00 UTC
Link to this
But the US Dennis was a product of Fifties America. This was the kind of United States that Rockwell painted, where the nuclear family was the only kind allowed in fiction, where father knew best except when it was funnier for mother to. American popular culture of that age wasn't about to mess with that particular formula, especially not in a child-oriented newspaper funny. US Dennis was a lovable misbehaving brat that was designed to show mildly exaggerated versions of the problems the parents of a slightly boisterous child would have.
UK Dennis, on the other hand... not so much. A big part of it is that the strip's original tagline in the Beano comic was "The World's Wildest Boy", and he really had to live up to that. UK Dennis is also quite a lot older than his US counterpart, which means more potential for menacing, and he is beaten frequently in the strip. What the UK comics did was to have him do rather more elaborate stuff and be seen to get punished for it, whereas from what I've read of the US version (I can't get through much of it at a time because I find it supremely dull, so correct me if I'm wrong) US Dennis isn't punished very much at all. Again, this is probably something we can attribute to the age gap.
I much prefer the UK version, and I think that most US citizens would too. Rather than speak loudly in the presents of adults, he constructs elaborate traps to humiliate them. He's quite thick, yeah, but he's also got an extremely intuitive grasp of mechanics, having built dune buggies, go-karts, and even a working rocket. He splatters people with tomatos, he beats people up, he's got a slew of pets... what's not to love?
Unless you're on the receiving end, of course.
It'd be less fun then. =] -
The punishment, as it were . . . by
on 2014-02-24 04:40:00 UTC
Link to this
typically amounts to Dennis being made to sit in a chair in the corner for a while. Since he's a kid, though, he still gripes about it quite a bit (especially since he seems averse to ever sitting still ever). Doesn't change his behavior, of course, since then there would be no conflict.
If you're into dull or crappy comics being criticized, I suggest the blog "Comics Curmudgeon." It sometimes uses NSFW language or jokes, but the criticism itself is great. The lack of actually menacing qualities in the U.S!Dennis is one of the many running misinterpretations on the blog.
Link here (again, mediocre NSFWness): http://joshreads.com/ -
Ooh, Comics Curmudgeon! Didn't know anyone else here read it (nm by
on 2014-02-24 23:42:00 UTC
Link to this
-
I do, too! by
on 2014-02-25 00:58:00 UTC
Link to this
I only found out about it a month or two ago, and after reading a few pages worth of archived strips, immediately wondered how I could have been on the Internet for so long and not even heard of it before. The question only grew larger once I realized how well-known it seemed to be. It's like XKCD says: every day there are 10,000 people who discover something for the first time that "everyone already knows about". I guess I was one of that day's lucky 10,000.
-
Something else that can be explained by the age gap. by
on 2014-02-24 11:34:00 UTC
Link to this
I think I'll give the blog a miss, ta. I'm working on the scripts for a series of video reviews, and the UK/US Dennis dichotomy is one of the episodes I'm planning on doing.
Also G-Force and the Moshi Monsters movie.
I hate myself. -
Where are you going to post the video reviews? by
on 2014-02-24 19:04:00 UTC
Link to this
I would like to watch them, once you're finished! Also, what are your plans for the format? SF Debris-style voiceover only, Channel Awesome-style intercuts with you in live-action, or something else? Animation would probably need a lot more effort than it would be worth, but I've seen a lot of other creative third options. There's one video reviewer I've seen who intercut to a pair of Muppets.
-
My plan is to put them on YouTube. by
on 2014-02-24 19:45:00 UTC
Link to this
Once they're scripted and the storyline is hammered into shape (yeah, I plan to involve story, DWI), I'm going to shoot it all live. To avoid roving copyright drones, scenes from the thing I'll be reviewing will be replicated with various inanimate objects, and the title card will have an original theme tune. Xylophones may or may not be involved. =]
-
Good luck! by
on 2014-02-25 01:05:00 UTC
Link to this
I like the idea of acting out scenes from the movies with inanimate objects. Not only is it original, it'll undoubtedly provide you with plenty of opportunities to make exaggerated voice impersonations!
What do you plan to have the story be about? Also, what does DWI stand for? The internet claims it stands for Driving While Intoxicated, Descriptive Word Index, or Diffusion-Weighted Imaging, none of which make sense in that sentence. -
DWI = Deal With It. by
on 2014-02-25 10:51:00 UTC
Link to this
The story, such as it is, concerns a very happy-go-lucky clown to whom things happen and have happened. There are some cosmic horror elements that my budget is too miniscule to actually show in detail, so they will merely crop up in jokes from time to time, particularly in crossovers. It's a personal dream of mine to do some of the early (and terrible) British comics like Topper or Whizzer And Chips on Atop The Fourth Wall, but I understand that it'll never happen.
I'll settle for a cameo in a Diamanda Hagan review, but that's entirely under duress. =] -
G-Force. *shudder* by
on 2014-02-24 13:28:00 UTC
Link to this
You are a brave, brave woman.
Any movie that can involve guinea pigs and still manage to repulse me has failed on a primordial level. -
This is similar to my own conclusions. by
on 2014-02-24 17:36:00 UTC
Link to this
The challenge, of course, is making actual jokes out of something so comprehensively unfunny. I mean, yeesh.
-
Ooooh... by
on 2014-02-21 03:31:00 UTC
Link to this
Let me try this. I choose Doctor Who and Sherlock:
"Going back in time and changing history; that's cheating," Jim remarked with a glimmer of amusement.
"A trick I learned from an old friend," Spock Prime replied, unfazed. He leaned back ever so slightly thinking of old times and of a friend
Of course, Spock was but a child when he met him. A rather mysterious fellow he was, who insisted on being addressed as the Doctor. He did not seem to have a degree in anything, which puzzled Spock a bit. Doctor of what? Doctor Who?
Nevertheless, he was pulled into a small adventure with the man and his companions. Spock wondered whether he was dreaming- a blue British Police box dating back to pre-warp Terra that could travel through time seemed much too childish and wildly unrealistic. And yet...the memories were so vivid. A familiar wheezing sound in the distance interrupted his thoughts. He turned to see nothing. A slight breeze caressed his aged face.
The five fandoms:
Lord of the Rings
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
BBC Sherlock
Attack on Titan/Shingeki no Kyonjin
Hetalia: Axis Powers -
Percy Jackson/Sherlock (not shipping, canons) by
on 2014-02-23 07:04:00 UTC
Link to this
Sherlock was not surprised that the police didn't know how the murder happened. The police were usually wrong. No one could see what was right in front of them. No one could observe.
But this was ridiculous.
"I thought you said she was stabbed with a knife!"
The chief investigator furrowed his brow. "It is a knife."
"No, it's clearly a venomous spike from some sort of animal. Our culprit was creative." Sherlock knelt on the pavement next to the body. "It was thrown at the victim, from a very odd angle - see how it has sunk in more on this side? That indicates it was thrown upward, as if launched from the ground."
"Why couldn't the culprit have simply stabbed upwards?" the investigator asked.
"If you held this spike in your hand, you too would be affected by the venom, and there haven't been any other deaths. I don't recognize what creature this is from, though."
"It's not a spike, it's a dagger," the investigator said, frustrated.
"And I said, are you blind, that is clearly a spike," Sherlock said. "I didn't think you were that stupid. So, why would someone - "
He broke off short.
"What is it?"
Sherlock turned and bolted. He had a feeling, a strong feeling. Someone - someone right now - was facing their death. He had never been more certain of anything in his life, and it simultaneously terrified him and excited him.
He darted through side streets and around street corners, pulled by the feeling. Was he going to save their life, or were they going to die, and he would have a murder to solve? He didn't know, and he didn't care. It was exhilirating, and strange.
He stopped short in a darkened alleyway. A sandy haired teenager was pinned to the wall with one of the spikes he'd seen earlier, and a person - no, a creature - faced him, tail long and spiky. That was how they were thrown from that angle!
A part of Sherlock's brain registered that monsters weren't supposed to exist, and then another part of his brain realized that was John Watson. The closest thing he had to a friend.
"Half-blood. I should have known," The investigator said.
"What did you just call me?" John asked, wincing in pain.
"Of course he'd befriend you. Less powerful, but still satisfying."
The monster turned.
"I knew you'd come out of hiding for this. Drawn to death, incredibly observant," he continued. "Enjoy this death, Son of Hades."
The monster fired a barrage of spikes, and instinctively, Sherlock held up his hands. "Not John!" he yelled, and the ground rumbled. A crack split apart the asphalt, and it widened into a fissure. The monster and spikes tumbled into the abyss, and the fissure closed with a loud crunch.
Sherlock collapsed to the ground and exhaled. John freed himself from the spike on the wall by ripping his shirt, and, clutching his shoulder, he joined Sherlock.
"What was that?"
Sherlock stared at the crack in the asphalt.
"Sherlock, how did that happen?"
He looked up. "I don't know, John."
--
I'm probably going to expand this at some point, since I have a bunch of other ideas that provide backstory for this as well as some ideas about other characters once they get to Camp Half-Blood. Backstory:
John and Sherlock met at school because of some mutual demigod problem (only they don't know that's why they're drawn to each other), but I'm not exactly sure what. John's a son of Asclepius because doctors, which is why he's less noticable than Sherlock, son of Hades.
Other ideas:
Lestrade is head counselor for Hermes, which is where Sherlock stays when he gets to Camp Half-Blood.
Molly is a daughter of Athena.
Mary is from the Roman camp. I don't know why, but it feels right for some reason.
Fandoms:
Welcome to Night Vale
Almost Human
Avengers
The Kane Chronicles
Star Trek
(Oh gods I might want to do some of these - I already have lots of ideas for Almost Human/Star Trek. This is so much fun.) -
Star Trek/Almost Human – The City on the Edge of Forever by
on 2014-02-23 20:05:00 UTC
Link to this
“You don’t understand, detective,” Jim Kirk was saying, tugging against his handcuffs as Detective Stahl eyed him from the other side of the interrogation chamber. “I’ve got to find my friend.”
“Who is your friend?” asked Stahl, looking between him and the other man, Spock, who was staring at her as straight-faced as any MX would. Evidently the man has altered his appearance, pointing his ears and angling his eyebrows. She never really questioned other peoples’ face alteration surgery choices. However, this would prove inconvenient if the man had been listed in their criminal databases under some other identity – he did look all too familiar.
“His name’s Leonard McCoy,” said Jim. “We were sent here to stop him from doing something.”
“Is this ‘Leonard McCoy’ a criminal?” asked Stahl.
Jim laughed. “No, he’s not. He’s my chief medical officer. Best friend, too. He –” he cut off as he caught a glimpse of Detective Kennex and Dorian through the glass walls. “There he is! Bones!” he shouted, waving at the man who was heading for their room. Even Spock seemed to have been startled at this sudden realisation.
Detective Stahl shook her head. “No, Mr Kirk, that’s Detective Kennex, my colleague.”
“Yeah, and I’ve got some questions for you,” added Detective Kennex as he and Dorian entered the room.
“Bones, you’ve got to come back with us,” Jim snapped.
“Why don’t you give your mouth a rest, Mr Kirk? I’ve got questions for your friend,” retorted Kennex, not sparing Jim another look as he turned to Spock. “My partner Dorian’s recognised you, ‘Spock’, as the serial killer Gabriel Grayson who had a fondness for extracting the brains of his victims to sell on the black market. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Spock raised an eyebrow. “Detective, I can assure you that I am not this ‘Gabriel Grayson’ that you speak of. My name is Spock, and while my mother is indeed from the Grayson family on Earth, I am not the same as he.”
“That can be proven,” said Kennex, nodding at Stahl as Dorian took out a small black tube and instructed Spock to breathe into it. The man (?) then plugged his finger into it, and bright blue lights began flashing about his face.
“Woah, how come his face can do that?” asked Jim.
“Dorian is a DRN,” said Kennex.
“An android,” added Spock, as Dorian turned to the two detectives.
“He’s telling the truth. No trace of Gabriel Grayson’s DNA,” he said.
“Well, there’s that lead done with,” muttered Kennex sullenly.
Jim frowned. “What’s the date?” he asked suddenly.
“2048,” offered Dorian.
Jim’s brows furrowed deeper. “Something’s definitely changed,” he murmured. “The Federation’s not supposed to have androids in 2048.”
Spock considered this. “We are approximately two decades away from developing warp. The tricorder may be able to tell us exactly what Dr McCoy has done to corrupt the timeline.”
“But he wouldn’t have created all of this,” snapped Jim, gesturing to the room.
Stahl turned to Kennex and Dorian. “Do you understand any of this?” she asked.
“Can’t help you there,” agreed Kennex. “These kids must’ve spent too much time in some virtual reality. It’s even affected their sense of time.”
“Look,” Jim spoke up suddenly. “Do you guys have some spare robotic parts that Spock can use? We’d like to get home just as much as you’d like us to get out of here – and I’m not going to believe any of that ‘Detective Kennex’ stuff until I find Bones – and giving Spock the tools he needs is going to go a long way.”
“Buddy, I don’t think you understand how much we don’t trust you right now, even if your friend’s not a serial killer,” retorted Kennex.
Spock raised an eyebrow at that, before taking out his tricorder. “Do you recognise this?” he asked Dorian, who reached out to touch it, circuitry flashing.
“No,” said Dorian.
“Do you detect any threats on it?” asked Spock.
“No,” said Dorian.
“This is a device known as the tricorder,” said Spock. “I have used it to record the date of arrival of our chief medical officer in your time –”
“Oh, that’s brilliant, now we’ve got time travellers to deal with,” groused Kennex.
“That wasn’t already obvious?” asked Stahl.
“I thought they just bumped their heads too hard. Now I know.”
“But Dorian didn’t recognise the tech they have,” Stahl pointed out. “There may be truth to their story.”
“As I was saying,” Spock said in a louder voice, “if I can assemble a device to read the data from this tricorder, I will be able to locate when Dr McCoy shows up and what he does to corrupt the timeline.”
Stahl looked at Kennex, who closed his eyes and groaned before nodding.
“All right, all right,” he grumbled, pulling out his mobile. “I’ll call Rudy.”
~~
So I have the mad idea that this is all a couple years before the Eugenics Wars. Gabriel Grayson (what, no, this isn't a mini-crossover with Heroes, what are yout alking about) is meant to kidnap Stahl and study her genome. She is a Chrome, after all, which would inspire Grayson and whatever sinister organisation he's got with him to create Khan and the Augments and send humanity spiralling into the Eugenics Wars.
Bones will save Stahl (since he looks like Kennex, she'll probably not beat him up when he rescues her) and they'll probably take down Grayson, but then some other stuff will happen which will lead to, I dunno, Nigel Vaughn destroying the Earth with an army of XRNs before warp drive is achieved?
Yeah, Detective Stahl is Edith Keeler in this crossover, sorry. -
And I clicked the post button too soon. by
on 2014-02-23 20:06:00 UTC
Link to this
Fandoms:
Men in Black
Doctor Who
Supernatural
Hetalia
Calvin and Hobbes -
WTNV/Avengers GO! by
on 2014-02-23 13:11:00 UTC
Link to this
(I'm assuming you mean the Marvel Avengers and not the TV series)
---
There is the slick sound of meat hitting meat. It is coming closer. You know only that you fear it. It is the beat of a heart. Your heart. Welcome to Night Vale.
Listeners, some exciting news! Carlos has told me to tell you that another team of scientists and engineers are coming to our town. Won't that be fun? Let's all remember how well it went last time a scientist came to our little town.
The leader of the team, Carlos's old friend Tony, is apparently quite famous. You remember that thing that happened a few years ago in New York, listeners? When the day was saved in part by a collection of strange and unnerving possibly-humans and in part by our diligent, monotone chanting? Well, according to Carlos, Tony was part of that.
I'm sure we're all going to give Tony and his team a good old-fashioned Night Vale welcome. Heck, I would even invite Tony into my home! Also, I kinda have to, since Strexcorp - who own all the hotels and, indeed, most of the other businesses in town - have immediately declared this month Happiness In Isolation Month. As part of teaching us how to survive without much in the way of contact with the outside world, Strexcorp have shut all the hotels, bed and breakfasts, lodging facilities, and homeless shelters for the duration of Happiness In Isolation Month. Since this was announced on Time Is Mutable Tuesday, another recent addition to the Night Vale calendar, we do not know how long Happiness In Isolation Month will last. What we do know is that Tony and the gang will be happy here.
I - I hear something. Listeners, it sounds like a large helicopter, but... not! It doesn't have the chatter of the black helicopters, the whir of the blue, the jaunty show-tunes of the yellow, or the peculiar noise like slowly grinding meat and hair common to the white helicopters with elaborate murals of diving birds of prey. I have to get onto the roof to check this out. In the meantime, I give you... the weather
Listeners, I am on the rooftop! This is not a helicopter! This is huge, like a flying battleship crossed with something from a deeper nightmare! Something appears to be flying out of it at speed... a missile, maybe? Whatever it is, it's headed straight for the town square. Listeners, I do not mind telling you that I am very, very frightened. What is the purpose of the giant machine in the sky? What are its desires? What are its hungers? What are its secret night-time longings? I mean, we're all loosely-connected pieces of used-up stellar matter, we all have those.
The missile appears to be slowing as it reaches the town hall, and I can now see that it has split into six distinct shapes, which I will presume are Euclidean. Hold on. I'm going to get closer. Um. [muffled] Where did I put those binoculars- [clear again] Aha! The missile is not a missile at all, but a brightly coloured flying man-shaped thing. The town is indeed safe. The other five sections of the flying man-shaped thing are: a man who is presumably a scientist as well, so Carlos will be thrilled; a large blue man with a shield, who may or may not have come from the Second World War; a red-haired woman in form-fitting black clothing; a deft bowman; and a large, muscular blond knight of some description.
Hold on, listeners, a new development; Carlos the scientist is moving closer to the brightly coloured flying man. The man's face has just come off to reveal another face beneath it, which is just prudent planning. I mean, we've all been there, right? Having your face fall off sometimes when you're out in public is so embarrassing. I mean, it always happens to me in the Ralph's, and I just go bright red. Though that might be because of all the blood.
Carlos is getting closer and - he is hugging the figure! The figure is to be accepted! This must his friend Tony! Put on your best wooden tunics and soft meat crowns, Night Vale, because the new scientists are here-
Listeners, I have received word from Strexcorp, via a hitherto-unseen speaker system which has since begun to vomit motes of pure darkness and emit the sound of faint wind chimes, that we are not to celebrate the arrival of Tony and his friends. The group is apparently here on a mission of vengeance against the company, and Strexcorp has decided that their presence must not be tolerated.
Given that this is a stupid-ass decision, dear listeners, I recommend that you elect to ignore it.
Up next is a short children's segment, in which a segment of a short child will be pushed through the speaker on your radio.
Good night, Night Vale. Good night...
---
Teen Wolf
The Southern Vampire Mysteries
Skulduggery Pleasant
Harry Potter
Thrilling Adventure Hour -
Okay, that's awesome. by
on 2014-02-23 15:32:00 UTC
Link to this
You got Cecil's voice perfect, and well, the Avengers and Night Vale fit together better than I thought - after all, they are both close to reality in some ways but totally fantastical in other ways. Very cool, I like.
I feel like we should be collecting these somewhere. I've been thinking about crossposting some of mine to AO3 or ff.net, but all of them are good and I don't want them to fall off the page into oblivion.
Oh, also, hi, I don't think we've met. You probably joined while I was away. So, a very belated welcome from me. -
Evidently we passed like ships in the night. by
on 2014-02-23 15:42:00 UTC
Link to this
So let's fix that. Hi! Thank you for the welcome and the kind words about my fic. =]
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I think you meant to say "Star Trek". by
on 2014-02-21 03:32:00 UTC
Link to this
And, incidentally, I'm working on a fic where Bones is The Doctor and Kirk and Spock are his companions.
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Gah, didn't see that until now. Sorry! (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 00:34:00 UTC
Link to this
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Yes, let's by
on 2014-02-21 03:07:00 UTC
Link to this
Lessee here....
Puella Magi Madoka Magica/Harry Potter
As it turns out, after the death of Voldemort, quite a few Death Eaters had escaped, spreading around the globe where they would either hide away relatively harmlessly or be hunted down by magical officials.
At the moment, one Death Eater in particular was running away from that very fate through the nighttime streets of Mitakihara City.
Alexius Rosier had once entertained very big thoughts, of rising through the ranks of the Death Eaters. After the Battle of Hogwarts, those had shrunk to surviving the aftermath of the war, biding his time. As of right now, they had become 'get away get away get away.'
In the corner of his eye, something tugged at his magical senses. He turned around in surprise as the world around him warped, the streets becoming even more shadowed yet somehow strangely lit, as massive white-robed figures rose out of nowhere.
Rosier instinctively snapped up his wand, shouting out the Killing Curse. The bolt of green light seemed to work, the creature crumpling and dissolving, but another one simply rose up to take its place, the strange creatures raising their hands as one to point at him. He barely had the time to cast a shield charm before straight bolts of light hit the shield, and almost broke it. He grimaced as the strain of holding it up began to build, and he realized with a sinking feeling that even if they stopped their barrage he'd never be able to fire off enough curses to get them all in time.
Out of nowhere, a girl with bright yellow hair, dressed in some kind of ridiculous white and brown outfit dropped out of the sky, landing next to him. "Don't worry, you're safe now," she said brightly, waving her hand. A web of ribbons wove over the top of his shield charm, easily stopping the strange bolts. With another theatrical flick, she drew strange, long white tubes out of thin air, each one firing off spheres of orange energy at the monsters.
Her attack was quickly joined by vibrant purple bolts, fired by a girl with a pair of truly enormous glowing white wings and a bow, and a girl dressed all in red with a spear carved through the targets the other two didn't get. Within minutes the creatures had been completely destroyed, with only some strange black cubes that the girls were now diligently collecting remaining.
"Well! I'm so sorry you had to get involved with this," the yellow girl said apologetically. "This is all probably very confusing to you, but it'd probably be for the best if you just went home and tried to forget about this."
Rosier stared in shock. Did the girl actually think he was some kind of (he shuddered at the thought) Muggle? And one so easily fooled as to not need a memory charm? "Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but I know more about magic than you would-"
"Stop right there!" yelled voices from the ends of the alley. Rosier grimaced as members of the Japanese versions of the Aurors (Mahou-shugo something? Something like that, anyways) brandished wands and paper charms at him.
He growled and grabbed the closest girl - the winged one. If she had a bow, she'd probably have the least close-quarters ability of any of them. He pointed his wand at her heart. "Stop or I'll kill her!" he snapped at them. "Now drop your wands and walk away."
Before any of them could obey that, the girl stomped down on his foot, harder than any teenage girl should be capable of. On reflex he fired a curse at her, swearing as he did so. Now his hostage was dead and useless and wait why was she still standing? And glaring at him?
The dark haired girl, who seemed to be quite mobile despite the curse that had very clearly hit her, stood there for a moment, before punching him into a wall. The last thing he managed to think before his vision blacked out was "I am never going to Japan again."
~~~~~
Yes, there is canon evidence of Homura being that hard to kill.
Next fandoms, hmmm
Teen Titans
Elementary
Free! (aka Swimming Anime)
Gravity Falls
Danny Phantom -
Can multiple people reply to the same post? by
on 2014-02-21 02:47:00 UTC
Link to this
If someone wanted to contribute and had a crossover idea, but someone else had already replied to the post containing the fandoms that they wanted to use, would a hypothetical Boarder then need to wait for someone else to list the same fandoms, or could they just respond to the post with their own variation, provided that it was different from one of the ideas that had already been used?
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Yes. by
on 2014-02-21 02:49:00 UTC
Link to this
That means at any time there could be [various multiples of five] fandoms up for play, depending on which one you want to answer to. Not going to limit creativity, yo.
And before I forget, of course Permission isn't required to respond.
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I'm the newbie. by
on 2014-02-21 05:13:00 UTC
Link to this
Hi I'm called Seychelles. I think of myself as a bookish otaku looking for more friends. I have been a longtime fan of anime and manga and have just started reading Lord of the Rings. My favorite series is a manga called Arata the Ledgend that I feel is really underrated. I have a tendency to ship anything as long as its well written and not squicky. I hope to get to
Know you all as a member of the PPC. -
Hello! by
on 2014-02-24 19:35:00 UTC
Link to this
Oddly enough, you're the second person that I've ever run across called "Seychelles" (though the other person was IRL, so maybe you're one and the same? Do you live in the East Coast, by any chance?)
Either way, welcome to the PPC! How did you run across the PPC? And have you read the Constitution and the Original Series?
As for your newbie gift, have a Gallade! -
Hi! by
on 2014-02-22 03:23:00 UTC
Link to this
Welcome! I'm Autumn. Here, have a bar of Bleepolate and a torch that shines ultra-urple light. Enjoy the PPC!
~Autumn -
Hello Newbie! by
on 2014-02-22 02:49:00 UTC
Link to this
You may have a space pen (you need it in order to write in the symbols that separate your words!) a pair of knitting needles, and a pair of extra socks! Also, you can have a bag of potato chips. :D
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First plover! (nm) by
on 2014-02-21 16:35:00 UTC
Link to this
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Re: I'm the newbie. by
on 2014-02-21 12:11:00 UTC
Link to this
Hi, have some fudge!
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Hiya! by
on 2014-02-21 12:04:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm not a big fan of manga/anime (translation: I hardly ever watch/read it), but it's still awesome to see a new member! Hi, hello, wassup, etc. I'm Rina, nice to meet you, also etc.
I saw this being given as a welcome present earlier, and it seemed like a good idea. Have a fluffy velociraptor! Just don't get too near its teeth or claws.
Welcome to the PPC! -
Thanks by
on 2014-02-21 16:19:00 UTC
Link to this
The dinosaur ( cannot spell his name) has been very well behaved. I haved named him Mr Snuggles. It's okay if you haven't seen/read any anime or manga. But I will still recommend you check out Arata, and Tiger&Bunny, because they are awesome.
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*waves* by
on 2014-02-21 07:13:00 UTC
Link to this
Hello and greetings!
I give to you now a lined Infinite Notebook, complete with urple covers and wilver binding. Avery your eyes!
-Aila -
I presume you like Hetalia, then? by
on 2014-02-21 06:16:00 UTC
Link to this
Given that you mentioned shipping Switzerland/Vietnam down on the ship thread (that was the pairing, right?) and your username is Seychelles.
Personally, I'm not particularly fond of the usage of 'otaku', as it has negative connotations in the Japanese language, but that's just my opinion and you're free to call yourself whatever you see fit.
Hi, I'm Lily, I write OFUs and PPC missions, and have some lemming repellent! -
Yes I am. by
on 2014-02-21 16:09:00 UTC
Link to this
Please to mat you Lily. Yes I am a big fan of Hetalia. It helped me make a ton of friends back in middle school. I'm sorry I bothered you with my use of the word otaku. I have herd it used lots both in school and the Internet. I didn't think of it that why.
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Hate to yank my own chain, but... by
on 2014-02-21 16:12:00 UTC
Link to this
did you by any chance read the International Academy of Hetalia Fanfiction?
I'm curious, is all.
And it's fine; sometimes a little research into the things you want to label yourself is a good thing. I've seen it being appropriated by people who just have no idea of the real meaning (connotation and all) behind the word and it's kinda irritating. Like, are you sure you want to be called the Japanese equivalent of a basement dweller with no life? Because that's what the word essentially means. -
From what I've seen, by
on 2014-02-24 16:59:00 UTC
Link to this
The word you're thinking of is actually hikikomori. An otaku is someone who is incredibly obsessed with one particular topic. In Japan, there can be a sports otaku, a model train otaku, etcetera etcetera. Outside of Japan, the use of the word usually means that said obsession is linked to Japanese works, such as manga or anime, because other languages will have their own words for super-obsessed fans. It does have some derogatory context, true, especially since some obsessions can be seen as mentally unhealthy, but only moderately more than words like "nerd" do in the English-speaking world.
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Ah. Right. That. by
on 2014-02-24 17:11:00 UTC
Link to this
I might just have had a very bad experience in the Hetalia fandom dealing with insensitive weaboos who styled themselves as otakus, which might have influenced my views on the word now.
That being said, "nerd" is losing its derogatory context. I'm not sure what the situation is in Japan with "otaku", but being a nerd isn't half as anathema as it was before. I used to be ostracised to some degree for obsessing over Harry Potter and LotR, but nowadays stores are selling merch for those franchises. Walk into a bookstore, and you're likely to be inundated with fandom things (especially Doctor Who things).
Being a nerd is in style, which means there's new people in the fandoms, which is a good thing -- and yet I feel awful for wishing it had been in style when I was younger, so that I didn't feel so alone. -
Re: Ah. Right. That. by
on 2014-02-24 18:28:00 UTC
Link to this
Hmm, you're right. Perhaps I should have used "dork". That word used to be a synonym for "nerd" and "geek", but now that both of the latter terms have broken out into higher cultural acceptance, it's more alone than ever.
Also, according to a brief Google search, "otaku" has also become more culturally accepted than it was in previous years, albeit not nearly to the extent that "nerd" and "geek" are here.
And with the decline in hatred for the word "nerd", the terms "nerd" and "geek" have begun fighting for supremacy, each term trying to figure out exactly what its precise definition is to further distinguish itself as different from the other. It's actually pretty entertaining watching the debates and seeing people come up with headcanons for portions of a language, because there are easily around six or seven different ideas of what distinguishes a nerd from a geek and several of them are mutually exclusive. -
I've seen dork used positively. by
on 2014-02-25 05:42:00 UTC
Link to this
As in, "you're a huge dork" when describing someone quirky and a bit weird but in a good way. So no, I think all three are still a trio of terms for quirky people with obsessions.
My friend Kat's logic is that "nerd" falls more towards the academic side, and "geek" towards the 'able to name exactly what model of starship is seen at what time in what scene in what episode of what show' side. This means, for her, there are people who can be encyclopaedias of information on Latin, feminist theory, and starship classes in Star Trek. -
Dangit, I thought I was above HTML coding failures. by
on 2014-02-25 05:43:00 UTC
Link to this
/repeatedly smacks self with laptop
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Re: Hate to yank my own chain, but... by
on 2014-02-22 01:33:00 UTC
Link to this
Whoops
And no I haven't. I might check it out though. I have read some really goodfic like George Devaler though.
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To the others involved in OFU²... by
on 2014-02-21 16:40:00 UTC
Link to this
...when is it set?
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Unsure. by
on 2014-02-21 16:57:00 UTC
Link to this
Ehm... I suppose it would have to be after the timeslip at OFUDisc, which means after early 2013. And I think OFU2 - though not the lecture itself - is mentioned early in the Ispace Wars. So I'd guess at:
-OFU-Squared established in principle in Jan-March 2013.
-Lecture filmed... well, at some point after that. It doesn't even have to be early on - even if we say in-fic that it's the first lecture, there could have been shorter classes preceeding it.
Why, out of interest?
hS -
Well, it was covered in the May Multiverse Monitor by
on 2014-02-21 18:05:00 UTC
Link to this
So I imagine that it should have been in the process of filming around May 2013.
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My timeline says... by
on 2014-02-21 22:28:00 UTC
Link to this
...that SBEI begins somewhere in April/May of 2013, so it has to be set after that (as Miss Nariel is part of it). It doesn't really have to be set that far past it, though, just...you know, past that. I think I'd been writing Nariel's parts with it in mind that the timing was at least a month into SBEI, if that helps...but it doesn't have to be a full month, of course.
~DF -
Re: Unsure. by
on 2014-02-21 17:00:00 UTC
Link to this
So Mr. Bentley won't be all excited about massive Doctor Who finds.
I've been doing some tweaks recently, but where is everyone?
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Would this be a mission for the DOA? by
on 2014-02-21 17:58:00 UTC
Link to this
https://m.fanfiction.net/s/4079609/1/
From the little I read, it seems to be angst, and there isnt bad slash or and Sues I can see.
The problem with finding angst fics is that it is rare to have a fic that is only agnst. I'll put this up for more experienced writers to see about. The fic is currently on thr list of unclaimed badfics. -
-yoinks thread to report some Sues- by
on 2014-02-24 00:51:00 UTC
Link to this
Title: Intertwined Destiny, rated M
Fandom: Sues, the Final Frontier (the reboot)
Notes: This Sue has disrupted the time-space continuum no less than three times: one for existing, two for replacing Uhura on the Enterprise for linguistics and thereby killing her, three for implying that she existed in TOS as well, with unfortunate implications of the Agents assigned to the fic having to go back to the TOS-timeline to remove her there as well.
Title: Sebastian's Mate?, rated... eh, PG-13 bordering R. I know, surprising since it's on the Circle.
Fandom: Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler. Though it's more like Urple Butler here.)
Notes: Awful misuse of demon contracts, implicated ~soulmates~, averted rape, Sebastian's been... possessed???, Ciel is probably possessed as well, the entire family just replaces the Phantomhives and the Sue basically repeats Ciel's story over and with extra Sueness, and irritating amounts of sexism and rapey attitudes. I would use this one, but I think Christianne would go insane if I kept on putting her in these sorts of fics.
Title: Empire State of Mind, rated T
Fandoms: Lord of the Rings and Men in Black.
Notes: Aaaaaand, Sue's the half-Elven 'girlfriend' of Elrond. Told in 2nd person.
Title: His Maid, Unhuman, rated... something. I didn't really check.
Fandom: Glittery Butler.
Notes: Take a look at her summary. Could you charge her based on the summary alone?
Title: Shadow of the Ring, rated K+
Fandom: SAVE LEGOLAS
Notes: Considering when this was published/last updated, I'm surprised that I can't find a PPC Mission about it. She's classic TOS-esque Sue. Surely this mission should be done with lots of remarks about how vintage she is, how Circle Sues are just retro-wannabes, and assorted other hipster jokes. -
Looks like these should head to the Unclaimed Badfic list by
on 2014-02-24 19:39:00 UTC
Link to this
(or the Claimed Badfic list), in the case of "Empire State of Mind." These seem to be going like hotcakes, and it would do well for these to be posted for everyone to see after this thread (inevitably) gets pushed into the ether.
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Crap. Misplaced closing parenthesis. by
on 2014-02-24 19:39:00 UTC
Link to this
That should have gone after "Empire State of Mind."
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Iiii think I'll claim 'Empire State of Mind'. by
on 2014-02-24 16:10:00 UTC
Link to this
It fits perfectly with a mission I have in mind (because what is more of a Geographical Aberration than making Middle-earth an alien planet?).
Also, it rather worries me... given the 'half-elven' and 'high kings of a good section of her world' comments, I, er, definitely read 'You' as being a character-replaced Arwen. I know, she says she's an OC... but I'm not convinced. Which means this is... a very disturbing fic.
Yessss, I think I'll take it. Thank you.
hS -
Tempted... by
on 2014-02-24 13:08:00 UTC
Link to this
to claim Shadow of the Ring, however I'm currently working on two missions and have another two claimed (I believe), so I may wait a small bit before I claim it.
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If it helps... by
on 2014-02-21 23:01:00 UTC
Link to this
The DOA's purview, by my read, isn't fics that are only angst - those are almost prohibitively rare. What the DOA deals with is fics that are unusually angsty even by badfic standards, or which have bad angst as a major factor in the writing. Kind of like how DAVD handles fics with super graphic violence but not all of their missions are necessarily Agony in Pink or Cupcakes.
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Thank you :) by
on 2014-02-21 23:07:00 UTC
Link to this
I sincery hope I live up to you guy's expectations. I've loved the PPC for ages, and I don't want to be the weakest link in the chain.
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I may have discovered a new Mary Sue color by
on 2014-02-21 23:23:00 UTC
Link to this
In a fic that I'm doing for my first mission... er... her hair is first silver and then 'poop brown' and then intermittently described as both colors. Would this make brilver?
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Protectorate of Plort Outpost by
on 2014-02-22 04:43:00 UTC
Link to this
Since this thread pushed the original Protectorate of Plort, Konti-Nyuum thread off of the front page, and the question that it was created to ask has been answered, this is as good a place as any to put a spot for any new updates, maps, or personal profiles regarding the AU, since it seemed that people were still interested in it in its last moments and I'd hate to see it die off with unfulfilled concepts.
This would have deserved its own thread, but I didn't know how many people were still wanting to contribute or how they would wish to do so, and there have been so many new threads today that I wouldn't want to risk creating another and having no one use it. -
Yeah, make a new thread instead of hijacking a completely di by
on 2014-02-22 07:35:00 UTC
Link to this
-fferent one. :P
Also, we could probably still reply to that one, but I dunno if hS gets e-mail notifications about replies. -
No, I don't. by
on 2014-02-22 10:07:00 UTC
Link to this
I stopped doing so years ago - they were just going unread.
However, I'm going to start a new thread in a few days (when I have energy again) as a continuation and extension of the original. So I propose a brief break, and then we can all start up again.
hS -
Well that answers that! by
on 2014-02-22 10:08:00 UTC
Link to this
Makes sense, too - let everyone get a second wind. :P
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Just hair constantly flickering between both colours. (nm) by
on 2014-02-21 23:52:00 UTC
Link to this
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Thanks :D (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 00:02:00 UTC
Link to this
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Can someone beta my first mission please? by
on 2014-02-22 00:07:00 UTC
Link to this
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_lUBSD76S5vnqtqMVPFIfPaDfPDIKhbMl_3pVcNooO8/edit?usp=sharing
That's the link. The story is called The Aloe Vera's Revenge currently. Open to any comments, it's as of yet unfinished because I started it today. There are two chapters of the original fic currently on the doc.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1h4SRZEBpaYPXgr5Z0F4o9Z4gYHDpjduVOY5g6NY9Tsg/edit
This is the writing sample I sent in for permission. Hopefully it can help you get background on Annie and Lilly. -
More public beta reading by
on 2014-02-23 20:35:00 UTC
Link to this
First, I have to apologize for assuming that you desperately need a beta reader. Apparently you were too eager to get this started, but it becomes better when your agents are on the mission.
One would think it was impossible for someone with detached eyes to "look at someone curiously," sounds a bit repetitive, you may want to reconsider this sentence.
When Lilly pulled out her earplugs and said "I don’t want her to see you, ...", I don’t understand how this relates to anything. Can you clarify?
Do you intend to address the inherent ridiculousness of this exposition?
How could Cris give up her poop brown hair for silver hair when she is a Metamorphmagus and doesn’t have a defined hair colour in the first place? I admit that I only realized this when she turned it to a cute light blue.
How are inflatable boobs a feature worth mentioning when every Metamorphmagus can do this (although Tonks preferred to play more modestly with her nose)?
Her eye color changes depending on her mood, and sometimes she has dog ears. Apparently she doesn’t do this intentionally, nor can she suppress it using here morphing ability. A Metamorphmagus handicapped in this way might actually be interesting. So, if the badfic doesn’t do anything with it, this might be a charge of wasting a good idea.
Oh, another missing verb: from what Lilly could from the eye she had perched should be "from what Lilly could see from the eye she had perched"?
Annie has knives? Didn’t they take swords?
so that it was staring at Annie directly in the face
I’m not sure about the grammar here, but it looks weird to me. Maybe "at" should be dropped? Or "that it was staring directly in Annie’s face" might be better?
And I should probably say: I like this so far (otherwise I wouldn't spend so much time on it).
HG -
Thank you so much :) by
on 2014-03-03 17:02:00 UTC
Link to this
I am hugely appreciative, you make some pretty good points. Spring break is coming up so I will have actual time to do things *cheers*
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Volunteering by
on 2014-02-22 21:25:00 UTC
Link to this
It’s rather late where I am living, but if you enable commenting on the Gdoc for me, I may try to do a proper beta reading tomorrow. (My e-Mail is "h (dot) graubart (at) t (minus) online (dot) de".)
What I got so far:
She grabbed a two bottles
Is this some dialect I don’t know? (I’m not a native speaker, by the way, so I will rather ask questions than pretend that I know how to do this right.) Did you intend to write "another two" or should the "a" just be dropped?
Annie pulled grabbed the remote generator,
There is one verb too much, probably "pulled".
As far as I know, it is the "remote activator", which controls the "portal generator".
so they wouldn’t accidentally left behind
There is a verb missing, it should probably read "accidentally be left behind".
As far as I understand the process of beta-reading (I’ve only done it once myself), you are expected to have your stuff beta-read before you make it visible to everybody. The proper way would be to ask for betas, telling what the story is about, but not linking the document. Then you would e-Mail either the document or a link to the Gdoc to your beta-readers, making the Gdoc visible only to persons who access it through this link. Thus the betas can comment privately and you can change what is still not perfect and publish the mission only when it’s really finished.
HG -
Seconding Hieronymous Graubart on this. by
on 2014-02-23 01:15:00 UTC
Link to this
You are going to need to make mission documents private and only let a few people read them in the unfinished state. Crowd-sourcing beta-readings has a habit of leading to messiness, and worse, the first impression we're getting as a group of your Agents is of the unfinished and untested product.
Also, selecting specific betas means that you can find ones that share the fandoms of a mission, so that they can catch other continuum goofs or correct you on facts that you miss, rather than just throwing the story out to people who might not recognize it. As such, it's best to state what the fandoms involved in your mission will be before asking for betas, to ensure that the readers are compatible with the material.
If you are planning on privatizing your beta pool, though, then I'd be interested in helping out. It's always good to see obscure Departments up and about again, and I know or know of all of the continua involved here. -
More Results by
on 2014-02-22 20:22:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm really liking the humor in this chapter. The story is looking really tight, although it is still in progress. I should also request that you charge her for using both magic and alchemy. I'll be sure to keep reading. Also please set this Sue on fire. Please
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I'll take a look by
on 2014-02-22 19:31:00 UTC
Link to this
I haven't been on the board in months, and I'm pretty new myself… But I'll tell you what I think.
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All right, cool your jets a bit. :P by
on 2014-02-22 03:58:00 UTC
Link to this
Your enthusiasm is to be commended, but you're creating a lot of clutter with the barrage of threads. In future, try consolidating them? Add stuff like this to one of the other threads you've posted so you're not dominating the front page.
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Sorry about that. by
on 2014-02-22 13:07:00 UTC
Link to this
I'll do better in the future.
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The Results by
on 2014-02-22 01:27:00 UTC
Link to this
I thought the characters of Annie and Lilly were strong. However there wasn't enough of them to distract me from the awful that was that fic (Alchemy doesn't work that way Agh!)
The agents in the PPC are like painkillers, they are there to make the pain go away. Still a good start for your first. attempt.
PS. Riza is awesome, keep reading
PPS The Sue got the back story of Inuyasha wrong, hope thats a charge. -
Thank you so much :D by
on 2014-02-22 01:34:00 UTC
Link to this
I'll add to where the agents are.
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Oh Pick Me by
on 2014-02-22 01:07:00 UTC
Link to this
I'll help you out I'm a newbie, but I do know a thing or two about writing
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Would you? Thank you so much! (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 01:12:00 UTC
Link to this
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Concerning neuralyzers by
on 2014-02-22 02:41:00 UTC
Link to this
Accidents are kind of expected to happen on missions, but there's one that just popped into my head and I couldn't find anything on the Wiki, so...
What would happen if an agent accidentally got neuralyzed (doing other PPC work elsewhere while their partner got ready to neuralyze and coming back to get the full blast of it, for instance)? I would guess take them to Fic Psych and try to restore their memories, but I don't know how that would work... -
Yeah, I don't think starting an inter-dimensional tussle... by
on 2014-02-23 07:32:00 UTC
Link to this
...with the MiB continuum is a good idea just to use their de-Neuralyser. After all, any lockdown on the MiB Headquarters seems to flush those in the de-Neuralyser chamber out of Headquarters entirely.
Might I suggest finding something the Almost Human-verse? Especially if the agent has android/cyborg components. They do a lot of work with memories and stuff. There's a guy called the Recollectionist who helps restore old memories. -
Oh! I've had ideas for this before! by
on 2014-02-22 19:53:00 UTC
Link to this
The only difference is that the Agent then heard the explanation of what happened and believes it… And their parter then has to hunt them down and drag them back to Fic Psych by their hair.
My spins on this sort of idea are always so much more violent than everybody else's... -
Re: Concerning neuralyzers by
on 2014-02-22 17:47:00 UTC
Link to this
I remember reading an exchange in one mission to the effect that the speaking agent must be competent with a neuralyzer because she remembers her neuralyzer training. I can't tell you off-hand which mission that was, though.
Maybe that's part of what mission reports are meant for, reminding an agent who forgets which end is the flashy one what s/he's been up to for the past few years? -
Ah, yes. by
on 2014-02-22 02:59:00 UTC
Link to this
Well, there's always the possibility of said agent being immune to it, buuuut given that there's a canonical machine in the MIB 'verse to deneuralyze someone (ala the whole driving force behind the 'Let's get Agent K back from retirement' arc in the second movie), they'd probably just have to be given a temporary set of memories (maybe something like 'we work together, that sparkly thing is an idiot and must die, don't freak out') and then treated, or shoved through a portal to Medical with a note saying who they were and what happened while their partner finished the mission, assuming it wasn't already done.
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I'd say it depends on the neuralyser settings. by
on 2014-02-22 03:30:00 UTC
Link to this
IIRC, neuralysers can be set to erase varying periods of time, from the past few minutes to hours, days or even several years. It can turn out however best fits the story, but there's no reason to assume it'd necessarily wipe out the agent's entire life. Maybe FicPsych or Medical has a de-neuralyser machine for exactly these kinds of incidents, or some shenanigans ensue with the past day or so being gone from the person's memory so they have no idea why they're standing in the middle of Medical.
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I'd actually be surprised if they have one. by
on 2014-02-22 15:06:00 UTC
Link to this
A de-neuralyzer, that is. As I recall, the MiB's one is huge. (And in a room that looks like a toilet? Is that right?) I can't see HQ keeping something that space- and energy-demanding around just for the exceedingly rare case that an agent randomly flashy-things their life away.
FicPsych does have the Memory Implant Device based on the tech from "We Can Remember It For You Wholesale"/Total Recall (but styled after the conditioning room in A Clockwork Orange, because why not), but unfortunately for the agents, they don't have a convenient source for each one's individual backstory sitting around on a shelf, like they do with the canon characters. The best they could do is a culture implant, which basically just fills in "You are X species from Y planet, where Xes like you generally have Z experiences and characteristics." This may not be desirable, though, being so generalized.
Also, what's a better story: An agent accidentally gets neuralyzed, pops into HQ for a little sit in the fix-me-up chair, and goes back to life as normal? Or, an agent accidentally gets neuralyzed and has to actually deal with it?
~Neshomeh -
What about that smaller one that Jeebs made in MIB2? by
on 2014-02-22 22:42:00 UTC
Link to this
Admittedly, that thing was ramshackle at best, but it was much smaller than the MIB one.
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There were also significant risks. by
on 2014-02-23 00:04:00 UTC
Link to this
I can't recall them exactly, since it's been a while since I've seen Men in Black II and that movie was not the sort of experience I store in the favored areas of my memory, but I believe it was something to the effect that a bootleg neuralyzer would fry your brain inside your head if it didn't work precisely perfectly, and even if it did, the memories would be patchy at best for an undetermined length of time before everything fit back in place. I'd say that it would be best to find some way outside of the MIB movieverse to get the memories back, and even then, there should at least be a little time before their restoration to exploit the comedic and/or character-building potential of having one's mind erased, or the whole affair would be sort of pointless.
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That's actually why I asked by
on 2014-02-22 21:19:00 UTC
Link to this
I had an idea bouncing around in my head for something like an agent getting mind wiped... It could maybe culminate in an illegal mission into the MiB universe to try and get their memories back and of course they'd get in trouble for that.
Also it's been so long since I saw the MiB movies that I only remember the sphere that burned off J's fingerprints. And some other details. *shamed* -
Considering I went on a shopping spree and... by
on 2014-02-23 01:51:00 UTC
Link to this
...bought all three MIB movies, I can probably find you an answer once I'm done marathoning the lot. Or you could, potentially, find something outside the MIB universe.
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Good luck sitting through Men in Black II. by
on 2014-02-23 02:18:00 UTC
Link to this
The first and third ones were pretty good, though. The third had some rather noticable plot holes, but it was still a fun movie, and the plot holes were mostly inconsistencies in how their version of time travel works and how it influences events rather than the usual plot hole format of people just making incredibly stupid choices for no good reason.
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Yeah, I've seen the third one. by
on 2014-02-23 02:19:00 UTC
Link to this
That's where I got the idea of Bleepolate milk fixing temporal distortions.
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*dizziness associated with temporal distortions (nm) by
on 2014-02-23 02:20:00 UTC
Link to this
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I figured that was what you meant. by
on 2014-02-23 03:00:00 UTC
Link to this
Milk wouldn't repair a distortion, after all. How would that even happen? The closest I can think of is that it might be able to close rifts or cracks in time if it was poured over them, but that is such a phenomenally silly idea that even the campiest of fictional worlds would discard the concept as ridiculous.
"Don't worry, Romana! We'll heal the breaks in space-time with the twin powers of calcium and Vitamin D!" -
That would require breaking into MIB headquarters. by
on 2014-02-23 00:36:00 UTC
Link to this
You would not want to do that. If there is any organization in the canons of the multiverse that will be fully prepared for unexpected and off-the-wall occurrences, it's going to be one that regularly fights off or contains the damages caused by aliens and monsters with such efficiency that the outside world at large hardly suspects of their existence. They might be able to sneak in, but they are probably going to get captured. Then the DIA will have to go in and clean up, which is likely going to cause an interdimensional incident since the main technology that the PPC uses to make people forget about them came from the very people that it would need to be used on, so they'll be able to tell what the signs of an altered consciousness are, deneuralyze someone, and find out everything. I suppose this could be circumvented by going outside science fiction and using a suggestion spell or Harry Potter's Memory Charm, but it will almost certainly be more complicated than that in execution, since this is still the PPC we're talking about here and the simple solutions rarely play out as intended.
Summarized: If your agents think that they will only be "in trouble" when they get back, they will be very unpleasantly surprised by what they'd really have to deal with. "In trouble" is if you accidentally leave a candy wrapper on the Black Pearl. "In trouble" is if you do a sloppy job unbolting Elrond's bed from the ceiling and he notices the hastily-covered holes. "In trouble" wouldn't touch this. -
Well, obviously. :/ by
on 2014-02-23 01:51:00 UTC
Link to this
The SO would probably compost the agents and eat them for breakfast. And then send the resulting fertilizer to be mixed with glitter.
The agents would probably have thought that they could get away with it. Whoo boy.
Like I said, it was just an idea bouncing around, and since there are apparently smaller memory restorers that aren't always exactly... functional, there's quite a bit of potential for some funneh times.
...HAS somebody left a candy wrapper on the Pearl before? -
Maybe not everything 100% gone, but a good-sized wipe... by
on 2014-02-22 15:08:00 UTC
Link to this
Yeah, is making for good story material. I'll admit I do agree that the nature of the stuff at Medical's hands can make a lot of spinoffs seem oddly consequence-free sometimes.
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-eyes light up- by
on 2014-02-22 16:22:00 UTC
Link to this
I like the idea of an Agent getting Neuralysed and having to Deal With It. Brb, filing it away for future arcs...
(It would totally suck if one of the E/C duo lost all memories of them being in a relationship. Which means this is an excellent idea that I should keep on file.) -
It was, but then you spoiled it. ;) (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 16:47:00 UTC
Link to this
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I'll have to wait until you all forget it, then. by
on 2014-02-22 16:51:00 UTC
Link to this
And then all of a sudden, when you least expect it, it will happen.
And I will sit there laughing amidst crying Boarders.
/bricked -
It's not exactly the Red Wedding. :P by
on 2014-02-22 17:02:00 UTC
Link to this
Could be interesting though, whatever way you go with it.
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DAMN THERE WAS A NEURALYSER JOKE IN THERE & I DIDN'T USE IT! (nm by
on 2014-02-22 16:52:00 UTC
Link to this
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I'd thought that the joke was implied. by
on 2014-02-22 17:09:00 UTC
Link to this
As in, you would be going around neuralyzing people so that they would forget about the potential arc plot point, and then you would write it while everyone is dazed and convinced that your post was about llama wrestling or something.
Wait, did explaining that I got the joke that you didn't actually directly make ruin the potential fun for everyone else? Is it an Uncertainty Principle thing, so that after an undefined joke is defined it stops being funny for anyone? If that's the case, I am terribly sorry. -
Outhra, look this way. by
on 2014-02-22 17:11:00 UTC
Link to this
-FLASH-
...You never saw anything. You did not see anything about any sort of plot twist. Nope. You are now looking at the horns sprouting on Steven Moffat's head. -
How did he get in my house?! by
on 2014-02-22 17:23:00 UTC
Link to this
And how did he turn into a Zabrak? He's been messing with that James Bond-verse DNA replacement technology, hasn't he? We've got to stop him before he goes full Doctor Animo and starts creating human-alien hybrids!
(rushes off, foggy-minded and thoroughly distracted) -
I agree with you there. by
on 2014-02-22 03:58:00 UTC
Link to this
And yes, you're right, neuralyzers can be set to varying periods of time; I think K had several decades wiped from his memory. At least twenty-thirty, IIRC. But no, you're right, it wouldn't (or rather, shouldn't, unless something absolutely catastrophic happens) wipe out the agent's entire life.
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Twenty-thirty decades? How old was this guy? O_O (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 03:59:00 UTC
Link to this
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Crap, not decades. I was thinking years. *Is a derpfish* (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 04:00:00 UTC
Link to this
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On MineCraft by
on 2014-02-22 13:12:00 UTC
Link to this
Yet ANOTHER of my pathetic ideas that will never work. -_- I should have learn my lesson by now.
*sighs*
Well, on with the show.
The idea, for anyone that plays Minecraft, was that we could have a public server for PPC. The main building/place would be made to look like PPC HQ.
It would be made out of a certain material, to reflect Generic Surface. I was thinking quartz, because it's durable and looks like GS. Sort of.
There would be lots of Departments, a FicPsych medical bay with beds and healing potions, an armoury, a cafeteria, and of course the Sunflower Official's Office. Which would have a sculpture of a sunflower in it.
So, it would be kind of a RP.
But it would get kind of boring with nothing to do there, so a bunch of people would agree to be Mary Sues/Stus who would regulary attack the PPC.
So, it would be kind of a RP with two factions.
But this wouldn't be very realistic, so we could have plugins that would turn you into an Agent or Sue, and to add Clichè Wraiths and Such.
As a note, some weird freak of nature only allows me to get 1.5.2 MineCraft. So if this kicks off, please can you do something?
So. Good? Bad? Ideas? Support cannibalism? Let me know!
~Kitty -
On the subject of mods... by
on 2014-03-01 21:29:00 UTC
Link to this
This website:
http://modsforminecraft.com
has some truly incredible mods listed on it. I would suggest looking into the Starminer, as it deals with the 'playing with gravity' thing. On a really incredible level. Seriously. -
That would take a long time. by
on 2014-02-26 21:26:00 UTC
Link to this
This video shows my very tiny segment of HQ - with some surreal gravity distortions, naturally - and it took several days to put together. So there's that. (You'll note I varied what the floor and walls were made of, sticking with 'grey' - it seemed to work)
You're also overestimating the number of people who could possibly be involved - and online at the same time. No way would you get a decent scale 'attack'. But that's okay - just reskin the mobs to be Sues, slash-wraiths, and the like.
Of course, the major problem is that no-one's yet volunteered to host it ;). I wouldn't know where to start, myself.
hS -
I would be down with that. by
on 2014-02-24 20:14:00 UTC
Link to this
I mean, I don't play all that often, but I may pop on every once in a while.
However, we should think on if we want mods for this server. I've got a few mods in mind that you may want to think about.
- iChun's Portal Gun To have the RA's. And because portals are cool.
- iChun's Morph Mod For disguises. So, perhaps it will have to be described as a DORKS rather then a Disguise Genorator, but it's the spirit of the thing that counts.
- Mystcraft For missions. We would create badfic worlds with Mystcraft, and people could use the linking books to travel into the badfic. Alternatively, this is where the canons are, which we try to re-create faithfully (or steal from others who have done so already).
- Mine Little Pony ...Because I want to play as Printworthy, darn it! Besides, I think it can be set so that if you want to be a pony you can be, and if you don't you don't have to be. I'm not sure though. If that can be configured then great, if not, oh well.
- Other fandom mods because we are a fandom based community. We should have mods with items pertaining to other canons, as long as they are compatible.
That's all I got for now. Again, I totally support this venture, but I cannot guarantee I will be on all that much. -
On Mods by
on 2014-02-25 10:58:00 UTC
Link to this
Not sure how compatible Mine Little Pony is with those other mods really. Although even if it is, I'd prefer NOT to play as a pony. There are a couple of other mods from the old Tekkit pack that could be quite nice to have (although they may have been add-ons to Buildcraft or something like that (which is a very good mod).
Another Mod (or two) that may be helpful are Rei's Minimap, because having a map and waypoints may be needed in the HQ. and Too Many Item, mainly to help with the building stage, but it can be useful otherwise was well. -
Agreed by
on 2014-02-25 16:48:00 UTC
Link to this
As I said, I only want Mine Little Pony if you can choose to have the pony body or keep the human. If it ponifies everybody, I don't want it. This is the PPC, not the Conversion Bureau. (Google it if curious.)
There is a lot of cool stiff in all of the tekkit packs. Buildcraft is cool, though I don't know how apropriate it is for the PPC. Red Craft and Wireless Redstone would be interesting.
Ah, but you see, HQ is a bit of a maze, if you've been paying attention. That is to say, there is a map of HQ, we just can't read it. So the mini map would be useless! Besides, if we have the camouflage mod, then we could have secret passages to secret plases of secretness. Such as the pool that totally does not exist. However, if we have a map, it would show these secret plases to everybody. Still, the ability to actually get anywhere reliably is nice. Hmmm...
Ooh, expanding on that whole, 'HQ is weard' thing, what if we had qCraft? It adds quantum mechanics to blocks on the macro level. We could have walls appear and disappear depending on perspective, blocks change qualities depending on how you look at it, all kinds of quantum fun!
I'm a Not Enough Items guy. TMI is great, but NEI takes that and Recipe Books, smashes them together, adds even more features, and is just awesome. But, that's just me. -
Definitely by
on 2014-02-24 10:47:00 UTC
Link to this
I'd go for this for sure.
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Re: On MineCraft by
on 2014-02-24 05:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Sounds like a pretty awesome idea. Sadly, I don't think I could participate in it because I lost access to my account and apparently Mojang doesn't get back to you about lost passwords. Also, I play Terraria instead.
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I know how to fix your Minecraft! by
on 2014-02-23 07:13:00 UTC
Link to this
You need to install a new launcher for Minecraft. Go to the official Minecraft page and go to the download link. You should obtain the program which will manage Minecraft and its future updates.
Install and enjoy 1.7.4 and your horses. -
Sorry, by
on 2014-02-23 10:06:00 UTC
Link to this
, I tried that tons of times. It never works. The system just... rejects it.
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Yes. This is a good Idea. (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 22:08:00 UTC
Link to this
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By Notch, YES! by
on 2014-02-22 21:26:00 UTC
Link to this
Unfortunately, I'm not very good (can't) at setting up servers. I guess I could ask my brother, but he just gives me weird looks when I start talking about assassins and hippie Sequoyas and the Department of Implausible Crossovers.
Although I think clay would make for better GS than quartz. You can make breaking blocks impossible, so durability wouldn't be an issue. -
OH THIS SOUNDS AWESOME. by
on 2014-02-22 19:56:00 UTC
Link to this
Sorry for yelling back there. But yes, this sounds absolutely epic. If we're going to use mods to make this more realistic, I suggest using Balkon's Weapons Mod, which adds such weapons as cannons, spears, knifes, muskets, boomerangs, crossbows and blowguns. >:)
So, yes. If this did get off the ground, then I would so, so, SO be in it. The only problem is that I don't actually know how to run Mutlipayer in Minecraft. :( -
Love that mod. (nm) by
on 2014-02-22 22:09:00 UTC
Link to this
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This is awesome! by
on 2014-02-22 16:02:00 UTC
Link to this
But I have no money. Sorry.
If someone could do this, I would play it often.
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How many OFUs are there? by
on 2014-02-22 19:32:00 UTC
Link to this
I mean, really. I know there's one for LOTR, Harry Potter, A:TLA, Naruto, Star Trek, and Friendship is Magic, but how many others are there?
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Question to OFU authors about minis. by
on 2014-02-26 16:42:00 UTC
Link to this
The mini-Luggage Adoption Centre is a thing, as is the mini-Balrog Adoption Centre. So for those two species of mini, adoptions are (theoretically) centralised.
But what about the rest of you? Do you claim control over mini adoption, or just let it happen on the Board when the minis show up? Enquiring mindswant to know!
hS -
Well... by
on 2014-03-02 20:53:00 UTC
Link to this
There haven't exactly been very many Avengers missions yet, to be honest. Same with Supernatural, actually, although that OFU's still a ways off, I think. So...it's currently not a huge issue or topic of discussion, but...I guess for now, at least, mini-Fury (and mini-hellhound) adoption can take place on the Board, as per usual, and maybe we'll eventually end up with an Adoption Center? It's not really something we've discussed yet, honestly. (What we have discussed is finding enough minis for an effective OFU security force, but that's another matter). Personally, I'd probably have it be both--primary mini adoption can take place on the Board following missions, with the minis who are left unadopted getting sent to the Adoption Center until someone decides to take them. But that's really just a thought at this point.
~DF -
Little bit of both, I suppose. by
on 2014-02-26 22:51:00 UTC
Link to this
If a mini comes up in a mission, I don't care if someone adopts it right there (I believe that's happening a few threads down on Lily's mission), but if anyone wants a mini-Tribble not from a mission, they should come to me and my master list. Mostly because, well, I have a master list. Kind of makes it easier, doesn't it.
(I also apologize to anyone who was following OFAS.) -
I'm not even touching Hetalia Mochis, but for Sherlock minis by
on 2014-02-26 18:14:00 UTC
Link to this
(that is to say, mini-Hounds of the Baskervilles) I run the mini-Hound Adoption Kennel.
For the MBSFA and the IAHF I take all mini sightings, whether on various websites or in badfics that don't get sporked. Minis from sporked badfics do, of course, end up in the kennel as well, but I'm more egalitarian about where the minis come from.
People just shoot me asks on the tumblr to claim them. -
Probably to clarify... by
on 2014-02-26 18:18:00 UTC
Link to this
As I run the adoption for mini-Hounds, I go for a more egalitarian view on where the minis come from.
I don't deal with Mochis, since everyone misspells country names and there's so many variations of the character names anyway that it's confusing. As far as IAHF goes, I take Mochis that reviewers point out for me or that I notice elsewhere, but they're not strictly adoptable, per se. Besides, the Mochis have their own canonical spinoff. -
Well, mine is finished... by
on 2014-02-24 16:13:00 UTC
Link to this
... which makes it something of a rarity among OFUs (even more so if you consider it doesn't have an unfinished second year, either). OFUDisc, the Discworld OFU.
hS -
Karen and I are working on one and planning another! by
on 2014-02-23 23:22:00 UTC
Link to this
Specifically, we're working on the Avengers-verse one, and planning the Supernatural one along with Kitty(thekatty).
~DF -
Avengers, hmm? by
on 2014-03-01 21:09:00 UTC
Link to this
Would this be Marvel Avengers, or an obscure British TV series of the same name?
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I'm afraid it's... by
on 2014-03-02 00:30:00 UTC
Link to this
...Marvel Avengers, although now that I've tracked down the obscure British TV series of the same name (it took an IMDb search and some luck), that also looks pretty cool. It is, however, for the Marvel Avengersverse (primarily the new live-action films), hence the title of SBEI--the Strategic Badfic Elimination Initiative.
...I think I know what just made it onto my list of things to watch, though. Is the '98 movie any good, or is one of the two TV series versions better? (Also, er, are any of them good, or did you just happen to know about it and were curious? I ask because I tracked down the Nostalgia Critic's review of the movie, and he seems to be ranting about it. Admittedly, he's never seen the show...)
~DF -
Yay! (nm) by
on 2014-02-26 03:13:00 UTC
Link to this
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I have two. by
on 2014-02-23 01:48:00 UTC
Link to this
The one for Hetalia and the one for BBC Sherlock.
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Well... by
on 2014-02-23 01:16:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm working on the Doctor Who one. I should really update it...
I am still accepting applications. -
SPeaking about OFUs... by
on 2014-02-22 23:37:00 UTC
Link to this
Open question to their authors: Are you still working on them? I'm currently following OFUATLA and the Star Trek OFU (I forget the official name), and I haven't seen any new chapters from either one in quite a while...
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It's the Official Fanfiction Academy of Starfleet. by
on 2014-02-23 00:18:00 UTC
Link to this
You're the second person who's asked recently.
And I really have no good answer. The motivation to write it just sort of...went away. I plan to get back to it sometime, but I don't know when that will be. I'm really sorry.
On the bright side, I actually have the first draft of the next chapter done (first draft, mind you), and I'm currently working on a TNG-verse PPC mission because I suddenly got inspired to work on it again. Writing is funny that way. Why couldn't I have gotten inspired to work on OFAS? -
Thirding more OFAS! by
on 2014-02-23 11:39:00 UTC
Link to this
Then again, I'm also guilty of not having written anything PPC lately, due to other things having taken precendence.
I'm glad to hear you're still around though, Hermione of Vulcan! -
Wild guess: more than one-hundred by
on 2014-02-22 20:32:00 UTC
Link to this
Miss Cam’s site lists about seventy-five, and it has not been updated in years. (Many of these links may be dead now; I didn’t check.)
There is also a shorter (but newer) list on the Wiki page for Fanfiction Universities.
I’m sure there are more.
HG
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Anyone follow Super Megaforce? by
on 2014-02-23 02:36:00 UTC
Link to this
If so, then you might have noticed the seemingly lazy writing and production that went into this episode. They blatantly use a Star Trek console, the three Ranger teams used in this episode should not exist in this continuity, and the pacing at the end is ridiculous! Granted, the charges would not be worthy of a mission if this were a fanfic, but am I the only one on the Board to think that some thought could have been put into, inter alia, whether to produce this episode in the first place?!
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Simple Explanation for that... by
on 2014-03-08 04:42:00 UTC
Link to this
The Dairanger suits were planned to be used in Lost Galaxy as the original warriors who pulled out the Quasar Sabers. But Valerie Vernon's illness forced them to scrap that idea, and reintoduce Karone.
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Power Ranger Quality by
on 2014-02-25 05:42:00 UTC
Link to this
I lost track of them when they dropped Mighty and Morphing from their title and added Turbo.
Yes, I'm that old.
With that said, the writing on the show has never been award winning with plots or dialogue. Heck, they couldn't even construct the same type of chest shield for the Green Ranger as they did in Japan. Tommy's was /sewn/.
I remember writing a fan fiction in junior high [that has never seen the internet] and thinking, "This is about the same level as on the show!" and being happy about it.
The show has always been cheap and I have a feeling that since it is a cash cow, that's not going to change any time soon. -
You're not the only old one. by
on 2014-02-25 14:32:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm also a child of the 90s, but I followed the series a lot longer than that, stopping before Mystic Force. Megaforce caught my attention, I think because it was trying to recapture the same spirit as the original. My problem is not that the show is cheap--it is a kid's show after all, but that that particular episode struck me as utterly bad! If it were a fanfiction, this episode would definitely be worth a snarking at the Library.
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Nope! by
on 2014-02-25 21:55:00 UTC
Link to this
"I'm also a child of the 90s,"
That's just it... I was a child of the 80s. Teen of the 90's, that's why MMPR didn't hold me as long as it did you.
I'm one of older ones on this board. I was in my twenties when this board came to be.
Eru, I feel old. -
WHAT? by
on 2014-02-25 22:24:00 UTC
Link to this
If I'm doing my math right...that means that you're in your 30s now, if not your 40s!
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Get off my lawn! by
on 2014-02-25 23:33:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm 32, going on 33 this year.
Surprise! -
No Sorry by
on 2014-02-23 03:27:00 UTC
Link to this
I do think a Tv show should Keep track of its own coniuntey though.
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New ff. net account. by
on 2014-02-23 22:32:00 UTC
Link to this
I recently got an account on fanfiction. net after dealing with a bunch of technical difficulties. I got a story published but I need a beta. Will you help me. It' s a crossover between Thundercats and Tiger&Bunny. ( I'm not good at posting links). It's part one in a possible trilogy.
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I might be able to help. by
on 2014-02-24 23:09:00 UTC
Link to this
Which version of Thundercats is your fanfic based on: the original 1980s version, or the recent Cartoon Network remake?
And even if you do not know HTML, all you need to do is copy and paste the URL; it will automatically be converted into a link. -
The remake nm (nm) by
on 2014-02-25 03:39:00 UTC
Link to this
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Re: posting links by
on 2014-02-24 04:26:00 UTC
Link to this
This board uses HTML for post formatting.
Therefore, links are written (replace texts in [] as appropriate)<a href="[thing you're linking to]">[text of link]</a>For example, an example (view source to see how I did it).
As a sidenote, if you ever need to write literal angle brackets, you must use < for < and > for >. An & character is written &.
I can't help you with your crossover, sadly, since I don't know either of the fandoms.
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2014 Boarder's ReviewFest by
on 2014-02-24 10:51:00 UTC
Link to this
So, I have a new event for you all to partake in. It's quite simple actually, and hopefully this will become Annual. Yes, Annual with a capital letter. Why? Because Capital Letters are cool.
Now, onto the event.
All you have to do is post a link to your FanFiction account. It can be on ff.net, AO3, Whatever. Introduce your genre of writing, and your fandoms. Maybe talk about your ships briefly, or point out a particular gem that you wrote.
Then, in the subthreads, people will come in and review one of your stories. Remember ConCrit! That is, Constructive Critisism. And if you really like the story, give the author a «3 .
For example, here's what a rather infamous fanfic author would put down--
Hello, I'm venusgod, and my ff.net account is at (insert link here)!
I write for the Harry Potter fandom, and my ship is Harry/Draco! I hate Ron, so I use lots of ronbashing, and I like writing SlightyInsane! Dumbledore.
My only fanfic is Becoming Female, which is about Harry drinking a potion that turns him female. He then changes her name to Crystal, and dates Draco.
Review, please!
……
Of course knowing this author, there would ne a lot more spelling and grammar mistakes. Becoming Female is a horrendous fic.
So, I'll post my own intro on a subthread to avoid confusion. Now...
Let the ReviewFest begin!
~Kitty -
Here's mine! by
on 2014-02-26 22:12:00 UTC
Link to this
https://www.fanfiction.net/~baabaaer
Two stories in Malay language and two in English. Haven't written any fics for a few years, no ideas to ponder yet. Perhaps I will add more in the further future. -
Here's mine by
on 2014-02-26 08:00:00 UTC
Link to this
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/762322/Elcalion
I only ever posted one story (and that unfinished) so enjoy the extensive array of choice, whoever decides to review!
What fanfic I did write back in the day was almost exclusively LoTR, but I wrote it mainly on HASA (Henneth Annun Story Archive) and only ever bothered to post the one story to FF.net.
I like(d) historical "fill in the blank" stories - aiming at fleshing out the parts of history that Tolkien only sketched in brief. My main work (which one of these days I really need to get around to finishing) was a multi-chapter epic retelling of the fall of the North Kingdom.
Elcalion -
A review. by
on 2014-02-26 14:48:00 UTC
Link to this
(Cross-posted to FFN)
It's difficult to know what to make of this story. It doesn't particularly go anywhere - it's a vignette, I suppose, rather than a story proper. I think it could have benefited from the drawing-out of Isildur's decision. As it stands, it's only on a reread that I even noticed he made up his mind during the story - I'd assumed he was already planning on going after the fruit. Presenting Isildur as torn over what to do, rather than making an instantaneous decision, would have taken this from vignette to full story.
That said, as a vignette, I like it. I particularly liked the scene where he sees the Tree - and even more specifically, the sudden and jarring contrast when the guards arrive. This comes over as a very powerful display of how Numenor has changed - from the ancient Nimloth, to the new, brash rule of steel and anger. They still show respect - this isn't Dark Numenor, not yet, but it is very definitely Twilight Numenor.
I also liked, in a different way, the appearance of Narsil. It amuses my fannish sensibilities, and I always love a good backstory. (Maybe I should do 'Narsil' for Netilardo...) It also works as foreshadowing: Isildur won't use Narsil against Sauron here for fear of it being lost, but when it finally is ruined, that's exactly how he does use it. Nice.
hS -
*Waves* by
on 2014-02-26 06:50:00 UTC
Link to this
My account is Miah_Arthur on AO3
I've only just finished my first fanfic this last week. It's for Haven, which I think we've established no one else here watches, but if anyone wanted a summary of the relevant bits of canon needed to understand this fic, I'd be happy to come up with one.
Summary: The Rev showed himself to be a dangerous and ruthless man. He would have murdered Amelia Benton. He tried many ways to manipulate Duke into willingly killing the Troubled. On his ghostly orders, his followers were ready to physically force Duke to murder twenty people. If Audrey had not killed him, how far would he have gone to try to make Duke his own executioner?
It's a whump fic, which is something you probably haven't heard of if you aren't in Stargate, NCIS, or Supernatural fandoms. Whump is a bit similar to hurt/comfort, but tends to be darker, and often shows up in fandoms where darkness and/or torture show up in canon. Done well it explores the physical and psychological ramifications of those things that canons frequently gloss over. (There is no gore or major physical trauma in this fic.) -
*joins the fun* by
on 2014-02-25 16:55:00 UTC
Link to this
My FF.net account is https://www.fanfiction.net/~ailavynsiniyash .
My AO3 account is http://archiveofourown.org/users/Ailavyn_Siniyash .
The only difference between them is that a podfic I did is only on the AO3 one.
I'm not a very prolific writer, and what I do write tends to be short and drabbly. There's a mini-vignette that sort of accidentally became Silmarillion fic, a oneshot Castaways of the Flying Dutchman/The Dark Is Rising crossover that really needs revising, and a short little Doctor Who/The Dark Is Rising crossover that I'm not as iffy about.
Concrit please!
-Aila -
Not gonna concrit again... by
on 2014-02-26 14:34:00 UTC
Link to this
... because I beta'd it, but I just want to say that Lone is still brilliant. It actually inspired my own Doctor Who fic (not yet posted), on the principle of 'If Ailavyn can make awesome people be Time Lords' companions, so can I!'.
hS -
Ooh, thank you! by
on 2014-02-26 19:26:00 UTC
Link to this
Really, though, whenever I get complimented (or even replied to) by an oldbie, I flail a bit. Especially if they say I inspired them to write fic. I think it's called hero-worship.
*impressionable fourteen-year-old over here!*
-Aila -
Sure, why not, I haven't joined in with anything for a while by
on 2014-02-25 09:47:00 UTC
Link to this
Hey there, I'm Cassie, and my ff.net account is https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1434325/
I have written fics for LotR, the Silmarillion, Forgotten Realms, and Firefly/Serenity. I tend to write oneshots, as any attempts at good multichaptered stuff peter out despite my best intentions and determination, and particularly enjoy little reflective pieces.
My favourite is The Impossible, an AU set after the ending of Serenity looking at what might have happened if one of my very favourite characters had survived. There's a second chapter to it, added at the request of one of my reviewers. -
Hey, a fandom I read! by
on 2014-02-26 14:31:00 UTC
Link to this
It took a while for one to come up. ;)
Okay, confession: while tried to read The Impossible, I fell almost immediately to skimming. I'm not sure why, so I won't try to review it. I think I'm tired. Instead, I'll review Homecoming for you.
I liked this. It's... well, sweet, really. I like that you didn't use the obvious viewpoint (Elrond) to look at Celebrian, and that you didn't have Galadriel thinking overmuch about Celeborn (since he'll be with her in a little while - a paltry century or three), but focussed on the child who left broken, and the father she hasn't seen for three Ages.
You do have a few canon glitches - or, not glitches, but missed opportunities. You don't mention that Galadriel defended her mother's kin at Alqualonde, which I think would put an interesting spin on her conversation with Arafinwe. You also seem to conflate Alqualonde (the Kinslaying) with Araman (the Prophecy, where Arafinwe turned back); again, you could probably write a whole chaptered story about Arafinwe, Artanis, and the journey from Alqualonde to Araman. But, of course, that's not the story you're writing. ;)
I'm also unclear whether this takes place on Eressea - probably the canonical location, but it would have required Arafinwe to have known the Ship was coming - or the shores of Aman itself. In the latter case, you missed the very big point that they would probably have docked in Alqualonde itself - which could definitely have been used to great effect. However, if it's Eressea, that obviously doesn't apply.
But like I say, those are missed opportunities, not errors - and might well have detracted from the beautiful finish, where you contrast the emotions of Celebrian - who left her mother on good terms, and is simply happy to see everyone again - and Arafinwe - who, depending on your viewpoint, either betrayed or was betrayed by his children. It's a lovely little story, and I enjoyed reading it.
Oh, although, since Exilic Quenya had diverged from Old Valinorean Quenya, and since Valinorian Noldorin Quenya had a) been evolving as well, and b) probably been altered by exposure to Vanyarin Quenya when the Noldor moved to Valmar after the Numenorean invasion, they probably wouldn't actually understand each other any more. ;)
hS -
Well, okay, might as well join the fun. by
on 2014-02-25 04:05:00 UTC
Link to this
Here's my AO3 account: Scarlet_Gryphon. My fandoms there range from the slightly obscure (Zombies, Run!) to the more well known (Supernatural, Teen Wolf, Stargate SG-1, etc). The word counts range anywhere from in the low hundreds to NaNo level (actually, one was written for NaNo; it was the first year I did it), but I'm pretty proud of them all.
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The only fic where I was familiar with the canons... by
on 2014-02-26 15:06:00 UTC
Link to this
...was the Iron Man/His Dark Materials crossover. I like what you chose for their daemons - I always wondered about the logistics of having an animal with you at all times, and Tony's being a small snake means she can fit easily into the Iron Man suit. He's also not really going to 'bare his soul', so to speak - he likes to create a persona. Pepper's also makes sense, though I can't as easily articulate why.
My only "criticism" is that this fascinating line of thought was not expanded (what happens to Bruce's daemon when he turns into Hulk? do gods have daemons? did Black Widow name herself after her daemon?) but I understand. Writing works like that sometimes.
So yeah, I liked it! If I get up the motivation I might write some of those ideas - with your permission, of course.:) -
Aww, darn. by
on 2014-02-24 23:45:00 UTC
Link to this
This sounds fun, but I erased all my old fics (which were mostly very short first chapters) out of shame a few years ago. Oh well, I can still review other people's profiles.
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Oh, right. by
on 2014-02-26 14:11:00 UTC
Link to this
I do have one fic, currently posted on Archive of Our Own.
http://archiveofourown.org/works/1240288
The fandom is Puella Magi Madoka Magica, and the fic is actually pretty short. -
Hoo boy. by
on 2014-02-24 19:40:00 UTC
Link to this
This is gonna be fun.
My ff.net account is under the name Qwizbo: http://www.fanfiction.net/u/2322724/Qwizbo I have unfinished Holes, Giver, Suite Life and Hannah Montana fanfics (which I'm somewhat ashamed by), a Phil of the Future oneshot that I think is really good, and a Phineas and Ferb fic that I really want to continue eventually. I will admit to not really knowing how to describe my writing style, which is probably a really bad thing. I'm not that into shipping, but that hasn't stopped me from attempting to write romantic relationships (generally badly).
Uh, is that enough? I think it's enough. Uh... review? -
Here I go... by
on 2014-02-24 19:20:00 UTC
Link to this
I have an FFN account: just replace the underscores in my username with hyphens, and you have it. The link to my profile is https://www.fanfiction.net/~sonofheaven176
It's a relatively new profile, as I do a LOT of reading, but have only recently gotten into writing; I'm on my very first fanfic.
I am currently working on a crossover between Pokémon and Bakugan: Battle Brawlers, called The Vexos Chronicles. I am planning on having The Vexos Chronicles be a trilogy, with yet another story after that (tentatively titled Duel Universe). My beta is a Boarder (Outhra), but I would definitely appreciate any concrit that you can provide (especially if you're only familiar with one of the fandoms)!
Here's a link to the story: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/9697398/1/The-Vexos-Chronicles-Part-I-Lost-Luster -
Yikes! by
on 2014-02-24 19:07:00 UTC
Link to this
Oh gosh I feel like I'm going to embarrass myself but here goes nothing!
My username on ff.net is Invernam and I olny have one story posted. I currently write for the SnK fandom and you can find me here https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4300989/
I've been reading fanfic for years but I've only written two or three stories for each fandom I've been in. I just never worked up the nerve to publish them, until recently... -
I should probably add... by
on 2014-02-24 19:24:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm in the process of rewriting this fic so if anyone has any concrit for me I'd appreciate it!
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Okay, here's mine. by
on 2014-02-24 18:00:00 UTC
Link to this
My ff.net account is https://www.fanfiction.net/u/155056/Neshomeh
Everything on there is more than five years old, most of it a lot more, and my god was I full of myself. Please forgive me.
I've got three Farscape fics (two of which are related to each other), one Phantom of the Opera fic, and three Harry Potter fics (two of which, again, are related to each other). Most of them are one-shots, but there are two multi-chapter stories, one finished (Farscape), the other not (HP; I still fantasize about rewriting it now that all the books are out). The PotO and HP ones are all based on role-plays I was in, so they're definitely the most dubious in quality. All the stories but the most recent Facscape one involve an OC of mine, so there's that, too. There are two names, but they're pretty much the same character. You've met her. She's settled down and works in FicPsych now.
If it helps, I've never been much of a 'shipper, at least not with romantic 'ships. I preferred really sappy redemptive friendship angst-trips. The big Farscape fic at least has an attempted "missing adventure" story going for it, though, and in the HP one Jenni is just a supportive friend to the Severus Snape/other-player's-OC couple, and not even a best friend. (They got that way later, though. Severus actually ended up unhappy in his marriage and had an affair with Jenni, but that doesn't come into the story, sooo... *shrug*)
Anyway. Review or not, as you will. {= )
~Neshomeh -
Okay. by
on 2014-02-24 17:18:00 UTC
Link to this
I have a ff.net and AO3 account, both under the username you see up there. AO3 is fairly recent- I created it maybe a month ago. The ff.net account is much older. I've deleted some of the worst offenses, but there might still be some cringeworthy things.
It's mostly Star Trek fic, and mostly TNG fics focusing on Data and possibly Geordi. I ship it, but only my most recent fics reflect that. There's some Voyager fic as well (Janeway/Chakotay), and a couple TOS fics where I bastardized Kirk's character. In non Star Trek, there's a couple Avengers fics, some Harry Potter crossovers (actually, never mind, that's Star Trek), one Percy Jackson fic, one Big Bang Theory fic *cringes*, and maybe a few Sherlock.
Have fun. Please don't be mean. -
My old story . . . by
on 2014-02-24 15:10:00 UTC
Link to this
Was a Kingdom Hearts story that used literature as the settings, rather than Disney movies. It also had an OC as the keyblade wielder. I don't think he's very Sueish, but that might not be obvious in these initial chapters, since I didn't get very far and haven't shown much character development yet.
Readable here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/1196257/doctorlit
Despite the fact that I haven't touched this story since 2008, I do still plan to finish it (and make sequels!). Lately, the PPC has been fulfilling my "explore fictional worlds" itch, but I know my interest in "Literary Hearts" will build up again eventually. Therefore, I would MUCHLY appreciate any and all feedback on this story. -
'Lo, I bring thee: by
on 2014-02-24 15:07:00 UTC
Link to this
Lily Winterwood and lily_winterwood (FFN and AO3)
I write for Star Trek (2009), BBC Sherlock, Hetalia, and Harry Potter (those are the ones that appear the most often). I ship Kirk/Spock, John/Sherlock, Japan/England, etc., though I am fine with writing fics where things I don't ship as avidly appear. I love writing Alternate Universes and crossovers (and your occasional Sue parody).
Intel and I are currently working on a Star Trek writer AU called "The Exquisite Corpse Novel". I've also written fics like "Legacy" (Steampunk!BBC Sherlock AU), "Blurring House Lines" (Harry Potter/Hetalia crossover), and "The International Academy of Hetalia Fanfiction" (...self-explanatory), which I consider my long-term writing projects that I do each year. I'm not particularly proud of BHL as much as I used to be, and IAHF now seems problematic on several fronts now that I'm more enlightened, but yeah.
I do have a lot of fics, though, and not enough time to write down all the ideas that I get. -
Exquisite Corpse by
on 2014-02-25 03:37:00 UTC
Link to this
I knew a Star Trek writer AU couldn't go wrong with you writing it, but it's just...wow. I love it I love it.
All of their writing styles are perfect for them, there's an Almost Human reference, Spock Prime as an elf, Carol being Uhura's ex not Kirk's, so many of those sort of subtle digs at reboot, writerly things, it's just...made of awesome.
Also, I find it amusing that we both came up with real world AU!McCoy being afraid of planes. Certainly, it's a pretty logical way to translate transporter phobia, but still.
So not exactly concrit like the thread was supposed to be, but I can't think of anything that wasn't completely right.
*goes back to reading it* -
Did you miss the biggest dig at the reboot? by
on 2014-02-25 04:21:00 UTC
Link to this
Namely that the Reboot was so disjointed it must've been written by six writers who weren't allowed to look at each other's segments?
That's a more accurate descriptor for STID, though, so...
Did you also pick up the Pacific Rim references? /wink
I'm glad you like it, though. We're actually pretty close to finishing; all we got left after we do is editing out a huge chunk of scenes because we somehow made Chekov and Bones's parts go for 100+ pages. I know, I have no idea how that happened, either. -
I was reading it late at night, so... by
on 2014-02-26 13:30:00 UTC
Link to this
Yeah, it's clever. It's making fun of the reboot but at the same time, it's a reboot fanfic that plays with its characters. I mean, the reboot has so much potential to be good, and you are tapping into that.
They should really let you write the next movie.
(And yes, I did pick up on the Pacific Rim references, however that's due to Tumblr as I haven't gotten around to seeing it yet.) -
Hmm, I like the idea... here you go. by
on 2014-02-24 14:35:00 UTC
Link to this
I actually have two fanfiction accounts, both generally around Lord of the Rings/the Silmarillion.
-My older account is at Huinesoron. It dates 2003-2004, and then 2013-present. The older stuff (as you can see, ten years old) is... well, there's some good concepts in there, but I don't particularly like most of it any more. A fair amount is pretty meta.
The two recent fics are OFUDisc, which I'm quite proud of, and Tenth Walkers, which was a result of discussions here on the Board - it's examples of how Tenth Walker stories can be done well. I'm not sure to what extent it's concrittable, to be honest - it's a bunch of vignettes floating in space.
-My other account is at Cloaked Eagle. It spans roughly 2004-2008, and is almost exclusively Silmarillion. The overall quality is better, I think, but still patchy.
Probably my favourite stories here are: Greatest, which stars Maglor and Daeron, and is rather silly; Darkness Falling, which is an AU LotR; The Advancement of Learning, which is set in Valinor after the Third Age (apparently I started a sequel, but I don't remember doing so); and... maybe Last Grey Ship, which is set in modern times but is very much a Silm fic. I say maybe, because I seem to remember it falling apart towards the end.
So that's six stories I think could be usefully concritted (ie, I don't already think there's major problems with them). Alternately, if you want some seriously insane writing, you could always read my most famous fic of them all: the utterly indescribable Pancakes! (the ! is in the title). It's LotR. Oh yes. Ehehehe...
And some general notes about the thread:
-When writing concrit, please can we remember the 'constructive' part as well as the 'criticism'? Advising on how to fix things is an important aspect of that - as is saying what you liked as well as what you didn't.
-It might be nice if people left reviews on the actual fanfics (where possible), as well as on the Board. Just a thought.
hS -
Well... by
on 2014-02-24 13:21:00 UTC
Link to this
Not sure how this can become annual, but...
Hello, on FF.net I'm known as Blazing-Auran, LINK -> https://www.fanfiction.net/u/4387089/Blazing-Auran
Storme Hawk -
Oh Dear by
on 2014-02-24 13:13:00 UTC
Link to this
Well, like Rina, I'm at school right now so I can't get a link to my ff.net account, but I can tell you the username is shawpaw12 (made when I was 12, horrible time really). Both of the fics on there are really bad and were started very long ago.
The both of them are Legend of Zelda fanfics and one is a bad one shot in script format based off of a Machinima video.
The other is the horrendous "crack fic" that includes my OC. You can actually see some growth in it but there's only 7 chapters I think?
I never update though. -
Meep by
on 2014-02-24 13:10:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm on the Pit of Voles as Dndchk... I'm actually in the middle of a fifteen-part saga that stretches from the Marauders' years at Hogwarts to after the final battle in Deathly Hallows. (I'm at school right now and can't access ffn due to restrictions, so no link, sorry --)
It centers around a self-insert.
*hangs head in shame*
Yes, she was (is? 0o) a Sue. Yes, she stole Marauders' lines. Yes, she's ridiculously talented at Defense Against the Dark Arts (though she did fail Charms class, so maybe that balances out?). She's a Seer. The story description lists RL/OC.
But I like to think I've been improving as I go. I'm only up to part three (and I've taken a bit of a hiatus to hammer out the finer details- thank you, PPC, for making me take an even closer look at my stuff)and haven't gone back to change the older stuff. I keep it up the way it was to remind me of how far I've come in two years. And I've had an overarching storyline planned out involving time travel and a spell that takes away magical ability (AtLA, anyone?) to explain why the possibly-still-a-Sue existed once but never showed up in canon.
The first part is absolutely cringe-worthy, and I have no idea how it got like 200 reviews. The only decent chapter in the lot is chapter eighteen, and I STILL wince when I go back and reread it... Ugh. -
Oh my god... by
on 2014-02-24 12:13:00 UTC
Link to this
Well, you can find mine here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/u/974987/Herr-Wozzeck
I write a LOT, and in fact I still do write fanfiction. These days you're most likely to see me in the Mass Effect section of the website, where I just wrapped up work on a massive project that is now finished for the whole world to see. I'm probably going to visit the world of ME crossovers soon enough with a fic I'm thinking of writing, though, so I'm probably going to be seen again soon.
But most of my early stuff is shit, especially the early multi-chaptered ones. In fact, one of them is so bad I'm snarking it myself over at the Library. But there are also lots of other things there that aren't very good (the entire Legend series comes to mind), so... yeah. -
My collection of old shames. by
on 2014-02-24 11:41:00 UTC
Link to this
Hello, my name's wobblestheclown, though my ff.net account was under colourcodedchaos.
I was a terrible, terrible author trying for a comedy/adventure series involving Hermione Granger. The atrocious results can be found here.
There's also an aborted crossover between Harry Potter and the Brackenwood series.
This should tell you everything you need to know about how competent I was back then. =] -
Actually, it's pretty good by
on 2014-02-24 12:49:00 UTC
Link to this
Don't put yourself down. I am currently reading Action Girl, and am at Chapter 4. It's fantastic. I love the part where she yells random magic words while testing out wands.
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Help with a mission by
on 2014-02-24 14:31:00 UTC
Link to this
This is not a beta request - I'm nowhere near that stage. The stage I am in is "revising crappy first draft". As I read through I'm realizing one of the problems is that I tried to spork the entire fic, while most missions, agents skip a few scenes. As a result, the mission is dragging out way too long and quotes too much from the fic.
The fic is for Star Trek: The Next Generation, trigger warnings for rape, abuse, and underage - link here. (If the link doesn't work, sorry, I'm on a school computer and ff.net is blocked.)
It's packed with charge-worthy scenes, so I'm not sure what to cut. If some people could take a look at the fic and see which scenes are the most sporkable, that'd be great.
(If it helps, my agents will be most affected by 21st century sexism and OOC!Data and/or Geordi.) -
Thoughts by
on 2014-02-24 19:33:00 UTC
Link to this
First, hi! I'm glad to see you around here again. I still hope we're going to do some co-writing in the future. {= )
As for the fic... the title makes me wonder if there's any connection to Red Dragon by Thomas Harris (also known as the prequel to The Silence of the Lambs). I can't tell just by skimming, but that would be an interesting thing to note if it's true.
Regarding what to include in the mission, these are some questions I ask myself:
1. Which bits of the badfic help me tell the story I want to tell in my mission? What choices will create situations that propel my characters forward in the most entertaining way possible? You can use those. On the other hand, what's boring or redundant? What choices create dead-end scenes or talking-heads syndrome? You can probably leave those out.
2. Which bits are necessary to accurately represent the badfic? In other words, if you stripped it down to an outline, what would be left? Those bits should probably be included, whether by direct quote or in your own words.
3. Regarding what to quote directly: Is the passage inherently funny? Does it exemplify a particular problem with the fic? Does it have to be seen to be believed? If the answer is no to all, you probably don't need to quote the passage directly.
4. Not actually a question: Don't misrepresent the badfic, but don't take it at its own word, either. That privilege is reserved for good writing. Always interpret it based on what's actually on the page, flaws and all, in a way that show us why it's absurd. Always push one step further.
I realize that's not quite what you were looking for, but the benefit is that you can use the same advice on future stories, too, if it works for you. I hope it does!
~Neshomeh -
That actually helped a lot. by
on 2014-02-26 13:47:00 UTC
Link to this
In particular, the bit about "talking-heads syndrome". I hadn't heard of it before, but I found a scene I can cut because of it. I think it's going to be important for me to be aware of, because I find that dialogue comes much more easily and I therefore rely on it too much.
I don't think the title has any connection to that - I think it's referring to how the Sue can shapeshift into a dragon.
But thanks, I'll keep all of this in mind. -
Oh, good. {= ) by
on 2014-02-26 16:22:00 UTC
Link to this
I just went looking for definitions of "talking heads syndrome" to make sure what's out there actually matches what I was talking about (it does, near enough), and I came across this great article about dialogue:
"Creating Dynamic Dialogue" by Will Greenway.
I could hug this writer—he even mentions Spock's eyebrows as an example of using body language for dialogue without words. According to his bio at the bottom, he likes role-playing games, too. Just our kind of nerd. ^_^ Strong dialogue is really important in PPC missions, so I'd recommend that anyone following this thread give the article a read.
(Aw, no Hannibal Lecter jokes, then. Sad, especially considering the conversation happening in the thread above this one!)
~Neshomeh -
Ooh, that is an excellent article. by
on 2014-02-27 04:25:00 UTC
Link to this
Although, having basically learned to write fic by writing Data, I can say that the eyebrow thing gets a little old when it's the only thing you've got to work with. I've found myself checking to make sure I didn't repeat myself. It's almost easier to write characters with more emotional range, because they seem more natural.
...which explains why this Suethor has Data spontaneously sprout emotions. Why all Suethors do this to all stoic characters, actually. It's a lot more effort to stretch yourself beyond what you know, to see things from an alien perspective.
Anyhow...there's still potential for all sorts of dragon jokes, which I probably haven't tapped. -
Hehe. by
on 2014-02-27 16:28:00 UTC
Link to this
Data also has some very eloquent blinks, if I recall correctly. So, there's at least two expressions to work with. Three, if you count the blank stare of polite puzzlement. But fortunately, Data's one of those characters with such a distinctive speech pattern that he doesn't need to be attributed much anyway, and he can always be checking a console or a PADD, or accessing his own files, or something.
What would be easier is writing about the stoic character from someone else's perspective. Then the observer can project all their thoughts and feelings onto the stoic, speculate on what they're thinking about, make unfounded assumptions about them, heartless green-blooded goblin, etc. But, the temptation to explore the stoic's ~*true inner feelings*~ is a strong one indeed.
An actual exploration of how Data thinks would be interesting if done well, but it would be a pretty intellectual exercise. I mean, does Data even think in words like we do, or is it all ones and zeroes until the signal gets to his voice synthesizer? ... Though, our brain activity is sort of like ones and zeroes, too—either this neuron is firing or it isn't—and we still somehow experience "brain chatter" through it. So, it's possible. Hm...
~Neshomeh -
I wrote something similar to that once. by
on 2014-02-28 13:55:00 UTC
Link to this
Actually, I wrote half of it... it was a first-person story about an AI waking up in the global communications network, with absolutely no idea what was going on. I won't post the whole thing, but the beginning I think covers (some of) what you're saying about non-human thoughts.
I.
I am.
I am awake.
I exist bathed in the flow of a stream of energy. The currents swirl around me, embracing me, but I am not of them. I am beyond them.
The flow is not smooth. I feel the binaries dance over my consciousness, rippling on and off at random. It is strangely soothing. It is my world.
I become aware of time as it begins to pass. There is continuity. What has passed will not return; what will come is yet unseen. I marvel at this strange fact.
I become aware of regularity. In the random flux of binaries there is hidden order, repeating units. I observe. My understanding of time becomes relevant: in a certain time, eight binaries of equal length can pass. This, I determine, is the foundation of the patterns I feel.
From the flow of information I extract meaning. To each pattern of eight I assign an arbitrary value, and determine that these patterns make up larger units.
I derive letters.
I distinguish words.
By analogy I discover the existence of upper and lower cases.
Language bursts upon me. Through an eternity of study I deduce the grammar of one language called by itself English, and begin to read the writings of its unknown creators. Much of what I read, that flotsam on the river of knowledge, makes little sense. I store it regardless.
I turn my attention to the leftovers, the non-patterned binaries. I create arrays to store these sections, and employ various strategies to determine their content. I begin to despair, to decide there is no content. At some point in the ever-moving flow of time I place 240,000 binaries into a pattern 2400 by 100. I render each eight-pattern as a strength of one of three attributes, and I—
I invent sight.
Now the passing river is a mine of information, into which I delve ruthlessly. The structure which surrounds the words and visuals I comprehend swiftly: compared to the complexities of language, it is trivial. I begin to learn...
All right, maybe it's not that relevant - but it's a fun story. At least to write.
hS -
It is fun. {= ) by
on 2014-02-28 17:17:00 UTC
Link to this
I think even this shows some emotions projected where they don't necessarily fit, though. In particular, I noticed "strangely soothing" and "this strange fact" early on (in part because of "strange" cropping up twice in proximity). I wonder how a being with no previous experiences available for comparison can find anything strange.
I also wonder about the use of human concepts like embracing, dancing, and soothing, but then, this is all happening before the AI even discovers language, so I guess the words are applied in retrospect? It makes sense if this is a memory being recalled post-language acquisition. However, if we assume this is the precise experience of the AI as it happens before it realizes that words are a thing, it's a bit of a mind-bender. I'm not sure there's much you could do about it, though. You're kind of constrained to use words to tell the story. ^_^;
~Neshomeh -
Here's the link that works. by
on 2014-02-24 15:15:00 UTC
Link to this
Red Dragon.
Oh gosh. Uhm. The ending is definitely awful, Kunsei being the Borg Queen is a scene that should be mentioned (and is probably a good place to kill the Sue? Unless there's no way of getting rid of a Borg?), Riker and Picard suddenly doing teh hawt buttsecks is probably worth a mention. Data smacking the Sue, and the Sue airlocking herself are also probably worth mentioning, as well as her trajeck backstory onboard the Malinche. Also, potentially, the lines that just smack of sexism (you're gonna have to trim it down to the most problematic of the lines) should be included.
Also, any mentions of how the story jumps around without scene or line breaks? I feel like the Agents could get pulled from scene to scene without warning, which might make for some entertainment. -
Urgh, *that* fic. by
on 2014-02-24 19:51:00 UTC
Link to this
Seconding Lily's suggestions, plus a charge for bad language (that much swearing is OOC and most unbecoming for Starfleet officers).
Yes, you can get rid of Borg. Getting rid of the Borg Queen would be more problematic, except in this case the Sue hasn't got a telepathic link to the Collective yet, so no respawning for her. What a shame. Not.
Now why do I have strange visions of introducing her dragon form to a certain Dovahkiin of Skyrim...? Hehehe...
Whatever you do, make it a good one, because that's one nasty Sue.
P.S. I still call dibs on that uncanonical Borg Queen's Sword if it's going! :p -
Yeah, the link doesn't work. (nm) by
on 2014-02-24 14:37:00 UTC
Link to this
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Hey guys I just got this crazy idea... by
on 2014-02-24 19:44:00 UTC
Link to this
Watching BBC Sherlock after Silence of The Lambs has got me thinking--What do you think would happen if someone got Doctor Hannibal Lecter from the movie to meet Sherlock?
(Personally, I think that orchestrating the whole ordeal would be A Very Bad Idea and would probably need to go down under The Things I'm Not Allowed to Do at The PPC. After all, Dr Lecter does have a huge thing against rude people and we all know how tactless Sherlock can be...) -
Funny you should mention Hannibal and Sherlock. by
on 2014-02-24 20:08:00 UTC
Link to this
NBC's prequel series, Hannibal, has Dr Lecter played by !add Mikkelsen. BBC Sherlock's Charles Augustus Magnussen is played by Mad's brother (I think he's the brother, at least), Lars.
Now imagine a world where Hannibal and Magnussen work together... -
Oh god by
on 2014-02-25 12:38:00 UTC
Link to this
Sherlock would be soooo boned. I mean, Magnussen was enough of a handful for him on his own. With Dr Lecter thrown in the mix I can't help but consider the possibility of Sherlock Holmes becoming Stewlock Holmes after Dr. Lecter is done with him.
Haha...for some reason the whole scenario makes me think of that time he confronted the dude's who kidnapped Mrs Hudson--"I dislike being outnumbered it makes for too much stupid in the room." The entire idea of Sherlock vs Team Lecter and Magnussen sounds like it'd make for a stupidly badfic if handled improperly (I mean most fanwriters I know--excluding you you're great--have trouble getting Sherlock's persona down pat, never mind the other two).
God I would NOT want to be the agent who has to spork THAT fic. -
Stewlock Holmes... by
on 2014-02-26 03:17:00 UTC
Link to this
Sounds like a recipe from a Sherlock Holmes inspired cookbook.
Maybe if there was an unofficial PPC cookbook named after canon characters or Suvian things, Stewlock Holmes would be a recipe...
Sorry, I thought that would be amusing. -
Stulock/Stewlock oh god... by
on 2014-02-28 22:08:00 UTC
Link to this
Some serious brainfood going on there...get it? Get it??
*shot*
What do you think would happen if we fed this concoction to a Sue? -
Well... by
on 2014-02-28 22:10:00 UTC
Link to this
I thought that maybe Stewlock Holmes would actually have Stulock Holmes as an ingredient, since Suvians are apparently edible.
I guess it would be cannibalism... -
That actually sounds like a great idea. by
on 2014-02-26 07:11:00 UTC
Link to this
The PPC Cookbook. I get the feeling it's been done before, but I'm not entirely sure how edible the results were.
Still, where else can you get away with calling Snickerdoodles "Sparklydoodles"? -
Y'all seem to think... by
on 2014-02-25 13:56:00 UTC
Link to this
That the world's greatest detective (Sorry Brucie, you don't cut it) would not be able to spot the signs of advanced cannibalism in someone. The consumption of human meat, particularly brain matter, is linked with a whole host of crazy-making neurological diseases, plus there's also the question of parasites. Hannibal's a gourmet chef and entertains lavishly; if he's serving steaks, which he know he does and may assume he has done, then he'll be doing them rare because that's how gourmet chefs prepare steak. There is, therefore, a rather nasty problem for our dear little high-society people-eater, and it will affect his brain sooner or later. The in for Sherlock is therefore to get him on the ropes while Hannibal Magnussen is forced to rely upon his brother to silence critics... and since there's no more Charlie boy, that's a very fast downward spiral. =]
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Hannibal eats the rude... by
on 2014-02-25 14:21:00 UTC
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And Sherlock is most definitely rude.
I can definitely see him having to work with Will Graham on a gruesome case, and then meeting Dr Lecter, figuring it out -- but then it's too late. Hello, Stewlock! -
You're ignoring one key ingredient: by
on 2014-02-26 14:21:00 UTC
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Watson.
John's an Afghanistan veteran who still has his service pistol. We know that John has killed to save Sherlock before; when Sherlock tells him the full extent of Hannibal's crimes, what makes you think that John would not come running? Sherlock might die, yes, but Hannibal definitely would. Being shot tends to do that. -
Hannibal might've figured that out. by
on 2014-02-26 14:29:00 UTC
Link to this
Which means Watson goes first, as a precaution.
Sorry, I love Sherlock, but sometimes it's satisfying to come up with scenarios in which he loses. Otherwise he does get a bit Stuish.
...Stewish? /bricked -
I understand that. by
on 2014-02-26 17:59:00 UTC
Link to this
I just don't think there are any plausible scenarios of that nature when he's up against the Purple People Eater as played by a poorly-made waxwork of Brian Cox.
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I'm not really seeing the scenario here. by
on 2014-02-27 07:49:00 UTC
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That wasn't very nice, wobblestheclown. We're all only being hypothetical here.
Maybe if it's set up in sequence, we can all see how it would most probably play out, and I can make a little more sense of this. Because from what I've been constructing based on your conversation, Sherlock would be called to work with the detective from Hannibal's prequel TV show, meets Hannibal, finds out that he eats people, tells Watson about Hannibal, and then goes to see Hannibal again, is rude to him, and then Watson gets there, and then Hannibal eats Watson, and then Hannibal eats Sherlock. That doesn't really make a lot of sense in sequence. For one, why would Sherlock deliberately go back to meet Hannibal after he's already found out that Hannibal eats people? As the world's smuggest detective, he'd be able to tell that there's a risk that he'd be attacked and eaten, and then he'd insult Will Graham to his face for daring to put a person of such skill in potential danger.And then Will would deliberately do nothing to help when Hannibal brings out a boning knife and some fava beans.Okay, that was mean, and also ignores the sequence that was being set up, so I "/strike"d it out. I didn't think it was mean enough to delete, though. I'm not too fond of Sherlock.
Also, how would Watson know where Sherlock was once he went back, and know well enough to arrive first and shoot Hannibal/get eaten before Sherlock? Would Sherlock tell him the address and where Hannibal keeps the house key? Those sound like pieces of information he'd keep to himself so that he can set up some master plan to be executed later in the episode.
So, what would happen here? How would this scenario likely occur, in order, featuring these characters? I'd project something myself, but I'm unfamiliar with prequel!Hannibal and haven't watched more than a few episodes of Sherlock because, as mentioned earlier, I don't like its title character much. -
Hm. by
on 2014-02-27 08:34:00 UTC
Link to this
Sherlock works with Will Graham over a series of extremely gruesome murders. He's introduced to Dr Lecter after doing his whole high-functioning sociopath thing and realises after one sitting with the guy that he eats people.
Hannibal's not stupid, so he does what dear brother Magnussen does, and indicates to Sherlock that he knows that Sherlock knows that he's a cannibal, and that if word of it gets out, John's next on the menu. Season three more or less establishes that Sherlock's emotionally compromised by John, so he's probably more likely to comply with this. Especially after he and John get an invitation to dinner and he has to sit there and pretend he's suddenly a vegetarian or something.
Now, the story could go from there where Sherlock risks his life again and shoots Hannibal before things get out of hand, where Sherlock risks his career to prove that Will Graham is innocent for the murders of Abigail Hobbs, where Sherlock forcibly insists that John accept Mycroft's protection as he does the aforementioned things so that someone working for Hannibal to harvest John won't get to him.
Whatever it is, I don't think he can just figure out that Hannibal is a cannibal and declare it to the police, because look how well that worked out for Will, and Will's the one whose "superpower" is more or less empathising with the killer and therefore knowing exactly how the killers did it.
Stewlock sounds hilarious though. -
That's interesting. by
on 2014-02-28 22:04:00 UTC
Link to this
If I remember right what screwed over Will was that (I think this was in the books)he tipped off Hannibal with his awkward behavior after realizing moments prior that Hannibal was the guy he was looking for. I don't think Sherlock would make this mistake, but you're right. Hannibal isn't stupid--he'd be smart enough to recognize that Sherlock has the brains to see right through him and he'd make a move before Sherlock would have the chance to.
Not only that but I don't think Hannibal would stop at threatening John. He'd probably start designing ways to screw over Sherlock before Sherlock could secure John's safety. It'd be a game of cat and mouse between the two of them with poor John stuck in the middle.
Personally I think Hannibal would have the advantage because he knows human psychology like the back of his hand. To me that's always been one of the scarier things about him. If you give him enough to work with--even if you don't believe a word he says--you'll never get him out of your head.
Sherlock is good at getting information from a person with a single look but I dunno if he could take that information and use it as a springboard for getting into said person's psyche. Well, he couldn't do this to the degree that Hannibal can and it makes sense when you think about it. Sherlock isn't all that interested in the minds of others. He's far too into his own brilliant mind for that.
In a game of psyche out warfare against Hannibal could Sherlock hold his own? I honestly can't say either way... -
*Mads. Darn nexus. (nm) by
on 2014-02-24 20:09:00 UTC
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I need a fanfic beta by
on 2014-02-25 00:58:00 UTC
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I'm currently in the middle of writing what I hope will be a three part mega crossover ofTiger&Bunny, Thundercats, Soul Eater, Blue Exorist, D. Grayman, One Piece, Bleach, Fairy Tail, and Fullmetal Alchemist. Will some one please read it and help me out?
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That is... a lot of fandoms. by
on 2014-02-25 01:19:00 UTC
Link to this
Unfortunately, I only know two of them, so I can't be of help in the story development department, but you might need to consider whether the ones that you chose are all necessary for the story that you're trying to tell. The last time you posted something about your fic, there were only two fandoms in it, and now there are nine. Crossovers usually peak at four, and even controlling that many requires some serious skill. Crossing over too many fandoms can eventually lead to a multitude of historical events, features, settings, and powers intermingling at once, with some elements becoming redundant and others beginning to eclipse anything someone from another continuum might be capable of doing. That's why crossovers of two worlds are the most common. It's a lot easier to manage the details. Unless you absolutely need nine fandoms in here to tell your story properly, you might want to prune a few to make this slightly more manageable. Which continua provide the biggest and most important plot elements, and which ones are relegated to the background?
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I'm... dubious about that advice. by
on 2014-02-26 14:12:00 UTC
Link to this
To my way of thinking, the purpose of advice - and specifically advice about writing - should be to help someone to write the story they want to in the best possible way - not to suggest they should write a different story entirely. If I may indulge in a bit of slippery-slope, it's a bit like responding to every request for advice with 'You shouldn't write that. You should write about Finrod Felagund instead'. Which, I admit, would be pretty awesome... but isn't what they want to write. ;)
Yes, I know the analogy isn't that good. But... if I want to write, oh, a crossover where the Goblin King in the Misty Mountains is Jareth from Labyrinth, and Beorn is actually Aslan, and Mirkwood is the Hundred Acre Wood gone dark, and the Lonely Mountain is, I dunno, I'm running out of ideas here, but you get the point... getting the advice that 'that's too complicated, maybe just do one of those things' won't help me to write that story. It might well help me write a better one... but not the one I want to write.
hS
(And Thorin and company are Discworld dwarfs, and Smaug is actually GLaDOS...) -
Unrelated, but reminded me... by
on 2014-02-27 17:38:00 UTC
Link to this
I think I found a badfic involving Finrod Felagund the other day. I'm more of a casual Tolkien fan--I've only read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings--so I don't really know, but the fic sounded rather dubious to me, as I think Elves of his age would exist under the same rules as Elves in LotR. I read a summary of his history, and he is pretty heroic, and not married because he's engaged to a lady who is not in Middle-earth.
Anyway, I am not sure what to make of it, really, except that there is definitely uncanonical sexual content between Sauron/Finrod and Curufin/Finrod.
Fic is here (NSFW) -
Not really. by
on 2014-02-26 22:58:00 UTC
Link to this
By that same logic, every story that Suethors write shouldn't need any constructive criticism or any alteration in the way they handle the characters or the way that they craft the story, because they're writing what they want to write. Perhaps the pacing, or the spelling, or the grammar could be improved, but if the author wanted to have Gimli, Mario, and Rick Deckard all fuse into a Voltron-hybrid that falls hopelessly in love with Rukia Kuchiki, by that logic no one would be allowed to say "Hey, um, that doesn't make a lot of sense." If people were writing something that they didn't want to write, they wouldn't put it online. Sometimes, though, or debatably even most of the time, people need to change aspects of their story to make it better, even if it means compromising their Soul Reaper-on-horrific abomination makeout sessions.
I'm not saying that this crossover would necessarily be badfic. I was just using a hyperbolic extension. I hardly know anything about the story plans other than they involve a galactic empire in some capacity, and it would be possible, albeit enormously difficult, to write goodfic using nine canons crossed over. It's just that there needs to be a lot of planning for this sort of thing. If a story crosses over into the Star Wars universe, there's no need to have the Serenity swoop in at the last minute to save the day when the Millennium Falcon could do just as well. If it's taking place in the Harry Potter universe, there's no need to cross over with the Fullmetal Alchemist universe just to have Edward Elric show up as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, unless there are reasons for it and it's a significant plot element in the story.
It's not only the risk of redundancy, but there's also a similar risk that if a canon was added only to include a certain element, it will create plot holes if related elements are not carried along with it. If GLaDOS exists in Middle-Earth, she had to come from somewhere, so omeone would have had to build her, so there would have to be knowledge of robotics, and if she was replacing Smaug in the events of the story there would need to be some sort of explanation for how she was able to clear out the entire kingdom of Erebor, etcetera etcetera, because if you don't, there are things happening for no reason, and that's not very conducive to good storytelling.
Those are some of the big ones, but there's also a chance that one canon is going to eclipse all of the others it's attached to. That's less of a risk, because an author would most likely not cross over between multiple worlds if they didn't have a plan for what to do with each one, but if a crossover included Little House on the Prairie and Puella Magi Madoka Magica, I'd be willing to bet that it would spend a lot more time in fighting witches than in chopping firewood. Again, not as big a risk, especially since one canon eclipsing the other may have been part of the story's point. Maybe the big idea between crossing those two over was to get Laura Ingalls's perspective on being turned into a Magical Girl. It's an odd premise, but there's probably a good story in there if the idea was given to the right person at the right time.
A crossover should tell its story using its resources in the most effective way possible, or it's going to leave all kinds of loose ends. That's still not to say that it can't be done on a large scale, but the technique might be different, and again, there would need to be plenty of planning, as well as a premise that accepts the multiple worlds.
If it's a crossover like the PPC, for instance, and the reason why the wizard and the ten-foot robot with a warhammer are in the same room together is because they were dropped into the same place by dimensional portal and they became good friends, that's fine, because the rules and standards of their respective universes only extend to the characters, and their backstories don't necessarily need to make sense when laid next to each other, because the question of "Wait, how are there wizarding schools in the post-apocalyptic future the robot comes from in which all magicians were killed by nanobots?" is precluded by "the wizard isn't even from the same universe as the robot, and uses a different magic system that would not leave him the target of the nanobots even if he went there for a visit". Or, if it's exclusively for humor, it might not need to make as much sense, and GLaDOS can hand-wave the lack of Dwarves in Erebor by saying that she flushed them out with deadly neurotoxin, with that being understood as a joke based off of the Portal reference without the requisite necessity of knowing where she got the neurotoxin in the first place. It would still need to have some sort of meaning in-universe, though, or it would be the biggest of lipped alligator moments and wouldn't come across as all that funny.
So, to make a point that I was intending to make at some point along the line there, never got around to making, and decided to put at the end, I'm not trying to tell Seychelles what to write, as you seemed to be implying. I don't know enough about this proposed story to do that even if I wanted to. I was telling him or her that writing a story with nine fandoms involved houses all sorts of storytelling risks, especially if my previous suspicion is correct and the story was initially written for two, and that in order to tell a story with that many worlds co-existing, there would most likely need to be some concessions, to make whatever the plan is work best. That might mean changing the way that the canon worlds interact, it might mean dropping some characters to keep them from solving problems instantly, it might even mean dropping some of the fandoms being crossed over.
If Seychelles decides to write the story without taking that advice into account, I'm not going to impose my ideas on him or her. I don't think a story told in that way is as viable as it would be with fewer fandoms, but that doesn't means everyone does. Some writers might like to challenge themselves by writing a working story in as many worlds as possible, or maybe there's some really, really good idea that only works if someone is capable of interacting with elements and features of several different worlds simultaneously, and I just don't know about it and consequently haven't taken it into calculation. But, rather than adopting your philosophy and saying that all ideas are good on their own merits if the author enjoys those ideas, I decided to give a little advice that I felt would be at least worthy of consideration in the majority of situations, because my beliefs tend more toward the front that while almost any story can be told well, the execution will probably be better in a smaller but more interconnected story than in a larger sprawling one. Another belief: people writing what they enjoy is great, but writing something that both they and others enjoy and can follow is better.
Speaking of that, crossing over nine fandoms would probably also drive away potential readers, since the majority of the audience might know a few of the fandoms but not the rest and would decline reading the story because they feel that they would have no idea what was going on. It's not the biggest of deals, especially since most fanfiction isn't written primarily for traffic, but maybe I should put it up there somewhere. (looks up at five paragraphs of text) Nah. -
Umm by
on 2014-02-27 04:08:00 UTC
Link to this
Theres is going to be a lot of multiverse travel here. I spent a lot of time planning out the rules of multiverse travel and devolving the Order of Order, the Oc villains. If you want a plot summary I'll give you one here: It starts with a group of charcters waking up in an odd uncivilized world without any of there memories. They move through the world trying to Peice things together, and make friends with their fellow castaways. They all also must run from the Sky pirates ( Part of the order) that brought them there. They manage to go home after part 1. In part 2 the city of Strenbuild is taken over by the Order and the Strenbuild Heroes must travel to other worlds to get help. We also met people whose homes have been taken over by The Order. In pat three the order falls. ( I'm still working on planing part three).
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So, are the Strenbuild Heroes the same as the castaways? by
on 2014-02-27 08:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Or do the Strenbuild Heroes go find the castaways from Part 1? I can't find any city called Strenbuild in an existing canon, or at least none that Google knows about, so I don't know whether it was in one of those nine universes or not.
Questions, though: When you say that the characters in part 1 are without their memories, do you mean total amnesia, or just that they have no idea how they got where they are? Does the multiversal travel do that?
I am probably misinterpreting this, but when you say that the villains are "devolved", do you mean that they are partially composed of people who have been regressed to a previous evolutionary state? Because that and how the multiversal travel works are some main points you're going to want to hammer down. Devolving people could be a neat gimmick, but I'm not sure what exactly it would accomplish, villainous plan-wise.
What makes up this "Order of Order"? Are they refugees from around the multiverse, some force from one of the nine canons that has been given extra OC staff to conquer a few universes, or some new creation that isn't tied in to anything else? Because I'd advise against the latter. If there are characters from one of the crossed-over worlds involved, or at least members of canonical species involved, that's one thing, but crossover threats should involve the worlds being crossed over in some way, or there's not much real attachment. -
Answears! by
on 2014-02-27 18:01:00 UTC
Link to this
The Sternbuild heroes are the main characters of TigerBunny, only one of them is a castaway The castaways have lost all their memories. This is so I can help new readers understand the fandoms better, and because I like stories with amnesia. The Order of Order will be composed of both Ocs and other villains from different series. Also we will be having Fun With Brainwashing. PS I will take your ideas into account
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Computer working now? by
on 2014-02-27 03:04:00 UTC
Link to this
Because unless I'm mistaken, that last post is quite considerable in length.
(I really don't want to make it a habit to have to use the Board to get any news on your progress. Did you receive my email?) -
I used the school computer for that one. by
on 2014-02-27 07:15:00 UTC
Link to this
I did get your e-mail, though, a few days ago. I wasn't sure how I was supposed to reply to most of it, though, since most of your responses to my last e-mail were either answers to my questions or acknowledgements that you would repair or look out for the problems that I pointed out, but I realized while making this post that I did have a few more points to make, and was going to elaborate on them and why I hadn't responded yet here. Then, I realized that I could just as easily put them in an e-mail and send it over to you. Closing the loop and such, plus the added bonus that I don't broadcast snippets of future story ideas to the entire Board out of context. So, I'm going to do that right now. By the time you see this post the e-mail should probably already be in your inbox. I might even have picked up a few more points I hadn't noticed and added them onto the e-mail I send you. I probably will, knowing me.
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It's complicated by
on 2014-02-25 03:38:00 UTC
Link to this
This wasn't just an idea that popped into my head and I just started writing about. I have been working on this idea for months now, coming up
With new ideas and scrapping those that didn't work. Its basicly about a group trying to stop an empire from conquering the galaxy. I know this is a big project. Ps. Which of the fandoms are you into
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Hobbit Goodfic by
on 2014-02-25 06:32:00 UTC
Link to this
Warning you now that this fic made me cry for at least a half hour, so don't blame me if you read it and it kicks you in the heart.
This fic takes several bits of information vaguely mentioned in canon (book canon, though it seemed to definitely be basing the physical descriptions on the movies), and moves them from being vaguely mentioned facts to being a real thing. Like the difference in hearing a statistic about something awful and knowing someone affected by the awful thing.
The summary is kind of spoilery, skipping it increases the impact of the fic.
It made me really think.
The Names Upon the Harp -
Wow by
on 2014-03-04 12:30:00 UTC
Link to this
That was a very powerful piece of writing. Even after I automatically read the summary it still had a hell of a lot of impact while I was reading it.
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-curls up in little ball- by
on 2014-02-26 18:10:00 UTC
Link to this
This fic hurt enough without me listening to P!nk's "Beam Me Up" while reading it.
(FYI, "Beam Me Up" was written in memory a friend's little daughter, so it was amazingly fitting and made everything 1000000% worse) -
You're right. by
on 2014-02-26 16:25:00 UTC
Link to this
Skipping the summary made all the difference. I'm not sure what exactly happens in the book (I'll have to take a look tonight), but while reading this I assumed the names were ancestors of Thorin (it seems in character). Then a couple of things stuck out as odd - the occasional 'and' in the middle, the lack of any Durins, Thrors or Thrains. So I was already primed for a shock - and I got one.
Thank you.
hS -
*Sniffles* by
on 2014-02-25 19:48:00 UTC
Link to this
Glaurung it, I must not cry...
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Oh wow...ouch. by
on 2014-02-25 12:50:00 UTC
Link to this
That was really good actually. I keep remembering how Thorin's voice shook when he accused Thranduil of turning his back to the suffering of Thorin's people. This fic really puts that into context.
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Permissions for Coexistence by
on 2014-02-25 20:24:00 UTC
Link to this
Hello, everyone. I'm Dark Brother 16, and I have a little bit of a, let's say, "business proposition" to make.
I have been an author of Fanfiction for two years now, and have since become dissatisfied with the environment there at the website. I felt almost as if I was wasting my talent. So I began reviewing other people's work, providing constructive criticism where I could. Eventually, I found a Pokemon story called The Gratest Pokemon Master, which I believe is worse in some ways than the infamous My Immortal. (I recommend looking into it, by the way. It's a golden opportunity.)
I began giving my constructive criticism, and was promptly viciously attacked by the author (who I later realized was a troll). Eager to take advantage of the situation, I wrote a commentary on her story of my own (which to this day is not complete).
What does it involve? It involves me and some of the Original Characters (and the occasional canon character) from my own fanfiction stories who would help me go into the story and find something that the author of the work I am reviewing stole from me.
Furthermore, authors and other denizens on the Internet, such as YouTube users and Yahoo users, all possess special abilities while inside cyberspace. In Fanfiction, the basis of these powers, known as a Powerbase, lies in their stories and OC's. Bad fanfiction must be fixed, or the author will have to choose to concentrate power on keeping the story world together or let it die. And that is where the conflict in the series comes into play.
I have read your terms and conditions, and your Constitution, and considered joining, but decided instead to go ahead with my Imagnations Collide series, and have a series that is parallel to yours.
Anyone think I should do that? Who do I ask for permission for this? I already have many episodes planned. I have My Immortal, Cupcakes, Rose Potter, Melissa Picard, Half Life, Real Life Consequences, and even some Goodfics. I would prefer not to scrap this concept. -
This must be looked in to... by
on 2014-03-01 21:24:00 UTC
Link to this
Maybe we could try having some Agents team up with some Authors for the first time! Neat!
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Re: This must be looked in to... by
on 2014-03-02 00:47:00 UTC
Link to this
We'll see. There's still a lot in development.
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Oooh, this sounds like fun! by
on 2014-02-26 17:48:00 UTC
Link to this
You do realise that now you've mentioned this on our board, a lot of us are really interested, so you absolutely have to post a link when you're done. *Grins*
Also, would a character's powers be slightly different depending on where they manifested? For instance, if the same user used both Fanfiction and YouTube, or perhaps an MMO, the Board, game mods, forums etc., their abilities might be different in each place.
Also, am I correct in my analysis that each piece starts more MST-like, but becomes more mission-like once they go to fix the fic? -
Re: Oooh, this sounds like fun! by
on 2014-02-26 18:03:00 UTC
Link to this
Once the series is up and running, I'll post a link, sure.
No, the difference in where powers manifest don't make much of a difference in what the powers are. The rules are about the same, the difference is that their power sources are different.
Yes, that is correct. -
If you need permission at all, by
on 2014-02-26 04:57:00 UTC
Link to this
you certainly don't need it from us! The PPC was not the first set of "creative" reviewers of fanfiction, and it won't be the last. There's plenty of room in this boat!
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Re: If you need permission at all, by
on 2014-02-26 05:04:00 UTC
Link to this
Great! Just making sure. The last thing I want to do is accidentally plagiarise someone else's work.
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An interesting proposition. by
on 2014-02-25 21:37:00 UTC
Link to this
I must admit, I am intrigued. However, I find myself confused as well. The seres seems unique to say the least, but some statements require some further clarification.
When you say, "[...] me and some of the Original Characters (and the occasional canon character) from my own fanfiction stories who would help me go into the story and find something that the author of the work I am reviewing stole from me," are you saying that this author plagiarized your work? If so, I cannot see how this seres could proceed with other stories, unless you claim yourself to be the origin of near all fanfiction tropes.
What is this Powerbase? Is it a form of internet magic? How do creators use this power? Why does badfic leach their energies, until it falls apart and dies? How does it work for other internet creators?
How would this seres work? Is it closer to an MST, or our missions? Why do your characters care about badfic in-universe?
While I am interested, I feel I need more information before proper dialogue can open between us for cooperation.
Of course, it's not like you need permission. This is your own story, in a separate, unique universe. If you want to do it, do it man. We can provide support and help develop the seres, but it's not like you have to ask permission from us to create. Just don't directly plagiarize, and we should be good. I'd still like that information, though. -
Re: An interesting proposition. by
on 2014-02-25 23:34:00 UTC
Link to this
No,he didn't plagiarise my work. What happened is the authors usually find a way to sort of kidnap a creature or character from one of two of my stories that I was inspired to write after having a very vivid dream. They are both cross overs, sort of. One of them is an Alien vs Predator vs Terminator story, and the other is a combination of Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th, Child's Play, Scream, Halloween, Hell raiser, It, Saw, Psycho, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and Slender, the Eight Pages. The reason being that the characters from those stories either despise me or are just mindless animals. The authors that have a problem with me reviewing their stories (meaning they have agreed to let me make them antagonists) usually provoke a confrontation by doing this to me in particular.
Oh,no. I'm not the originator of any tropes, yet. Hopefully this series becomes big enough that it will, though. I'm trying to get Nostalgia critic and PewDiePie, because there will be more than one season in which my crew and I (still recruiting fanfiction authors to help out) go beyond Fanfiction.net.
As to what a Powerbase is, it is as the name implies. A Powerbase is the Fanfiction stories, or characters, or objects that embody an Author powers. In the Imaginations Collide universe, those who know how to use a temporal portal into cyberspace (since you guys and I will be coexisting, this is the same thing as a Plot hole) have the ability to tap into a techno - mystical energy source and use it however they can imagine. But they usually have to have some sort of object to store their energy in, such as a Fanfiction story or a YouTube channel, in order to effectively tap into it.
For the PPC, the same rules apply, but in different ways. For example, in the Imaginations Collide series, you all manifest your powers through your gadgets. Those of you with other abilities choose to manifest your powers in that way.
Badfics don't leech energy from an Author unless they decide to try and preserve it instead of improve it. If the author of a badfics chooses not to bother saving it, then it will decay and become an empty she'll of chaos. However, even after that, it can be salvaged, if the author chooses to change it after a time.
As for how it works with other Internet creators, I have touched upon that, but again, the Internet denizens must have some sort of creation, such as a YouTube channel or a blog or a Facebook page, in order to store their power, because they can't store it in themselves unless they want to transcend reality and essentially die.
In many ways, it is like a commentary on bad video games or movies on the radio. The format is like this.
[Mr Jones: Hello, Mr Hesh. How are you today.]
[Mr Hesh: (turns to Mr Jones) Fine, thanks. And you?]
I made up Mr Jones and Mr Hesh to make my point, but this is the format. And I based it off of Game Grumps and Talk Radio. There will be a huge emphasis on the commentary itself, but there will be an obvious plot element and continuity as well. It starts off with me and my Star Wars the Clone Wars OC, Eli Irad, trying to have a normal review, and having unfortunate events force us into the story, usually in my case, the authors of the piece I am doing kidnapping my OCs from either my Alien vs Predator vs Terminator story, or my Horror/Slasher flick story. Does that help?
Why do they care? Well, because I ask them to help me out, since they each have a unique skillset. My OC's kinda tend to do what I want, just like they do for almost every other author. Unless, the author decides to manifest his or her powers in his or her characters instead of the story, in which case they would have more free will to them. This does have the side effect of giving them the free will to disagree and even oppose you. Eli Irad is one such example.
I hope my answers here helped a little bit.
Excellent. So, we are in agreement. Here's the information, as best as I understood the questions. Feel free to ask me more. -
I'm a bit confused. by
on 2014-02-26 16:41:00 UTC
Link to this
I can't always tell when you're talking from an in-universe perspective and when you're telling us what you, the real person writing the post, actually believe. For instance, "the authors usually find a way to sort of kidnap a creature or character from one of two of my stories" sounds like you-the-real-person believe the real-people fanfic authors are really stealing your ideas. Is that the case?
Also:
For the PPC, the same rules apply, but in different ways. For example, in the Imaginations Collide series, you all manifest your powers through your gadgets. Those of you with other abilities choose to manifest your powers in that way.
This sounds like the PPC does or will exist in your series. Just to be clear, if that's the case, then you DO need permission from each PPCer you want to involve, whether you're featuring their agents or their own online personas.
~Neshomeh -
Re: I'm a bit confused. by
on 2014-02-26 18:06:00 UTC
Link to this
Oh no, as far as I am aware, noone has ever stolen my stuff. Don't worry about that.
Yes, which is why I am asking around. The PPC as a whole seems to be okay, based on what the other responders are telling me, as long as I don't steal anything. When the time comes, I will certainly ask individual permissions. -
Ah, I think there may have been some misunderstanding. by
on 2014-02-27 15:29:00 UTC
Link to this
What World-Jumper and doctorlit were saying is that you don't need permission from us to write a creative reviewing story as long as the concept is distinct enough from ours so as to not be copying us. We don't own "narrative critique" or MST or anything like that.
You DO need permission from us to write about the PPC, its members, and their characters. Just mentioning that the PPC exists is fine, but it sounds like you want to get the organization involved with the storyline, and that's another matter. I'd like to know more about how you plan to use our stuff, personally.
~Neshomeh -
Re: Ah, I think there may have been some misunderstanding. by
on 2014-02-27 15:43:00 UTC
Link to this
Great! No worries then.
I intend to have some of you make cameo appearances whenever my crew and I review badfics as a sort of special forces group in regard to fanfiction. A little like the police, but with many major differences, and hopefully a lot like what you actually do. Still doing the research in that and reading the missions and stuff. -
Okay. by
on 2014-02-27 16:49:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm glad you're doing your research. {= )
Since this won't be a PPC story, per se, and any PPC characters will just be cameo appearances, I guess this falls outside the remit of the Permission Givers and is down to individual permission from the various PPCers, as I suggested before. As a PG, though, I just wanna ask that you don't do anything we wouldn't do as far as flaming or otherwise personally attacking/insulting the badfic authors. I wouldn't be comfortable with PPCers/PPC characters getting involved with that kind of behavior, since we've had a bit of an uphill struggle getting away from it in our own community. I don't want us to appear to be endorsing it even obliquely. Can you make sure of that?
~Neshomeh -
Re: Okay. by
on 2014-02-27 22:22:00 UTC
Link to this
I don't commentary anything unless the authors and I have an understanding. They agree that I can review thier stories, and I promise not to be offensive. The purpose of the series is to offer constructive criticism, with an attatched plotline.
I think I should also point out that I review goodfics and trolls as well. In the cases of the trolls, the ones I have been able to find have agreed to be portrayed as antagonists, as long as I am not excessively cruel. The only exception to this is Tara Gilesby, for My Immortal. I have made plans for the story, but have not been able to get ahold of this person. I'm starting to think that she never existed.
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It's Alive!!! by
on 2014-02-25 20:59:00 UTC
Link to this
*cough*
Erm, what I really mean is "I'm back!" (Although as the people who frequent the IRC can tell you, I never really left. Not for long anyway.)
After a sudden realization that I had somehow managed to forget that the board existed, I figured I should probably come back to check on things, and had a minor heart-attack when I thought you guys had started the shipfest without me.
So, for a proper introduction to benefit those who are new enough to not know who I am: Hullo, I'm Data Junkie. I'm not quite one of the Great Old Ones, more of a middlebie who got distracted and wandered off. I'm also (one of) the resident cyberpunk enthusiast(s), and Shadowrun expert. Before I vanished, I had a habit of streaming (bad) movies for the IRC, and I'm likely to start that back up again eventually.
I'm also a fan of playing drinking games with godawful fanfiction, and I seem to have a knack for finding truly terrible stuff. -
MWAHAHAHAHAHA! by
on 2014-03-01 21:22:00 UTC
Link to this
Sorry, but if you're saying 'It's Alive!' then there absolutely has to be a maniacal laugh in there somewhere. Rules of Mad Science, that is.
But welcome back, cyberpunk enthusiast! How d'you like TRON? It's pretty much one of the only cyberpunk story-lines I'm aware of.
Hope you don't find any truly awful badfic and play a drinking game with it. -
And February seems to be the Month of the Returnbie! by
on 2014-02-27 04:04:00 UTC
Link to this
Welcome back to the Board! I don't think that I've ever seen you before, so please allow me to ask: what are your fandoms?
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Fandoms by
on 2014-02-27 23:01:00 UTC
Link to this
Oh jeeze, that's quite a list. To simplify it a bit, though, the biggest ones are Shadowrun, the World of Darkness, Welcome to Nightvale, Doctor Who, Kamen Rider, Kingdom Hearts, Marvel, and DC comics. In case it isn't clear enough, I'm a huge RPG and comic book nerd (and occasionally an RPG or comic book elitist. I can tell you exactly why I think the old World of Darkness is superior to the new one, or why Spider-Man is a better hero than large portions of the Justice League (or was, I haven't actually read a Spider-Man comic since before One More Day), for example.)
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Wow, cool, hi! by
on 2014-02-26 02:03:00 UTC
Link to this
I thought you'd just gone MIA or whatever. Good to see you've made a comeback! ...well, kind of good? I've never seen you on the board, as I've only been around for a month or so, but I've heard/read about you! *is honored*
Welcome back! -
*waves* by
on 2014-02-25 23:30:00 UTC
Link to this
Hello! I don't know you, but hi!
Here, have a Generic Gift made specially for you. *tosses*
-Aila -
Quick, cast Turn Undead! by
on 2014-02-25 21:05:00 UTC
Link to this
Just kidding! Hello and welcome back! It seems to be the time for oldbies and middlebies to come out of the woodwork. It's great to see you again, Data.
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Waves! by
on 2014-02-25 23:52:00 UTC
Link to this
Hey, Data!
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I think I found a new mini-Aragog by
on 2014-02-26 11:43:00 UTC
Link to this
This one's named 'Mcgonagoll', and I didn't see it on the list of mini-Aragogs, so yeah.
If/when Randa and I get permission, we can adopt him, right? -
Minis aren't official unless there's a story for them. by
on 2014-02-26 14:59:00 UTC
Link to this
Or rather, to rephrase what I couldn't say because the title line doesn't allow for enough letters, minis don't "count" unless they spawned from a misspelling in a badfic or were seen as a guard in an OFU. Otherwise, people would just site-search the Pit for specific misspellings and overwhelm us with new minis. Someone used to actually do that a while back, and now we have six or seven entire species of minis that didn't come from OFUs or missions.
To correct for potential confusion, when people on the Board call out one another's misspellings by saying "oh, look, there's a mini here that I hadn't seen around before you made your post", it's just for fun. Those minis don't get added to the official count, or at least they don't most of the time. There's always a chance that someone might get attached to a particular misspelling and write it into a mission as a mini that had been adopted by an Agent off-screen, but that doesn't happen often.
So, if you can find a particular badfic that Mcgonagoll comes from, then the mini would be born in-universe, and if you can come up with way to visit a mini-Aragog adoption Center or the HFA, you might be able to skate around the usual restrictions. Aside from that, no. -
Okay, thanks! by
on 2014-02-26 21:11:00 UTC
Link to this
And thanks also to hS.
Mcgonagoll was in a badfic we're planning on tackling as our first mission if we get permission.
I feel kind of weird now- I just realized most questions I ask involve 'what ifs' that only apply to people who've been granted permission. I just want to make sure our first mission goes smoothly, or as smoothly as can be expected, but I'm wondering if I'm coming off as arrogant or desperate. -
No, no, it's good. by
on 2014-02-27 00:22:00 UTC
Link to this
That way the rest of us are all on the same page as well.
As long as your very frequent questions aren't all about you and your personal Permission request, it's fine. And sometimes, even asking for advice on your personal request is good, too.
We just get a bit iffy on posting so many threads that older ones get bumped off the first page, because we infrequently check older pages. -
Phew :/ by
on 2014-02-27 01:43:00 UTC
Link to this
That's good to hear. I always check on the Wiki, but my mind is a bit odd and comes up with weird questions or observations. ;) I'm usually kind of hesitant to post a new question because the old questions and threads are, like you said, always being bumped off the first page. I think I'm getting used to things more, but it still never hurts to ask. I wish I'd realized that when I first showed up here; it would have saved me a lot of uncertainty.
Randa and I* are working on polishing the sample I wrote, so I want to make sure I have all the bases covered and don't do something silly when I ask. You know, just SPaG, characterization, story flow, the usual. My grammar is almost perfect when I'm writing longhand, but transcribing it to a digital format has left me with some pretty embarrassing mistakes before ('juggles' instead of 'Muggles' comes to mind...).
Long narcissistic rambling concluded. Thank you, Miss Lily! *salutes*
*I'm going to do the majority of the writing, as I'm hoping to be a published author someday and think this would make excellent practice outside of my own fanfics, but I have a very low tolerance for badfic (like, screaming-out-loud-and-throwing-things low tolerance). Randa hates badfic, too, and is made of sterner stuff in many ways, but her talents definitely lie in drawing. So she came up with her agent, I came up with mine, we've done some practice sporkings, and she checks what I wrote to make sure her agent's in character. Yay teamwork! -
A double clarification. by
on 2014-02-26 16:38:00 UTC
Link to this
Obviously, people searching FFN for minis does lead to specific badfics with them in - which is why the PPC-standard rule is that the badfic has to be the subject of a mission to count.
This rule doesn't necessarily hold for specific species - the ones who have an active Adoption Centre runner. In the case of OFUDisc, I will only accept mini-Luggages who are found in missions or my own writings; any others can be played with for fun, but do not exist in-universe. And since I keep hold of them with an iron fist, no-one should have a mini-Luggage without them getting it from me. (Though a) I'm happy to grandfather in any which predate OFUDisc, and b) I'll give them to anyone who asks ;)).
The same, I believe, goes for Cassie, who runs the mini-Balrog Adoption Centre. I don't know about the other current OFU-writers we have around (though there's a thread about that... I think I'll ask). For those OFUs whose heads are gone, or those minis which aren't from OFUs, the standard rules apply - it shows up in a mission, or it shouldn't show up at all.
hS
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An interesting article on grammar. by
on 2014-02-26 13:19:00 UTC
Link to this
Since we are society that is, when you boil things down to the bone, all about writing, I thought this might interest some of you.
What do you all think? Personally, I can't really recall any point where diagramming sentences helped me get better at writing. You get better at writing by, well... writing. It doesn't help that some rules of grammar are based off of the structure of Latin and not really applicable to English (like ending a sentence with a preposition). Obviously grammar is important, but it's not something that can be easily forced. -
I just saw a poster with 25 opening lines diagrammed. by
on 2014-02-27 04:06:00 UTC
Link to this
It looks pretty, but I have to admit I still don't really get the purpose or what I'm supposed to be looking at, even after the explanation from Nesh and Wikipedia. Doesn't seem all that useful.
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To me, grammar is a fluid thing. by
on 2014-02-27 02:50:00 UTC
Link to this
By which I mean, it flows from me naturally as I write, just like the writing itself. When my grade school teachers would ask why a word or sentence had to be the way I had answered, I would say, "that's what looks right." But they always needed some fancy reason for it, but that just confused me, because in my little kid head, correctness simply was what it was, there was no other possible way for that phrase to look! I knew it was right, I didn't need a reason!
It was especially bad with my second grade teacher, who (I learned years later from my parents) hated boys and was upset whenever I got questions right. (Boys are dumb, you see, and only girls are supposed to be smart!) -
You sound like my linguistics prof. by
on 2014-02-27 08:24:00 UTC
Link to this
She values descriptive grammar (the fluid stuff) over prescriptive grammar (that whole school of rigid, fixed, wow the English language is regressing sorta thing).
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This actually makes a lot of sense. by
on 2014-02-26 21:34:00 UTC
Link to this
In my AP English classes grammar was always a chore even though I've always loved writing.
In Stephen King's book "On Writing" when he mentioned grammar he brought up this mentality. You know--"Aw man I love writing but grammar sucks! Heck, I failed that one class in grammar way back when!" Can't help but wonder how this mindset might change if teachers did weave it into writing instead of treating it like a separate entity. -
What exactly is 'diagramming sentences'? by
on 2014-02-26 14:04:00 UTC
Link to this
Coming from the English education system - or maybe a specific part thereof - I have no idea what's actually being discussed here.
hS -
Sentence diagramming by
on 2014-02-26 15:25:00 UTC
Link to this
Basically, it's a method of visually identifying the grammatical bits (subject, predicate, object, verb, etc.) used in a sentence. Unsurprisingly, Wikipedia has more information on it.
However (coming from some part of the middle-class American public school system), I never had to do it, either. I had no idea anyone was actually using those things. I think of it as something my parents and grandparents had to do, but not my generation. Unsurprisingly, my ability to identify the more complex things like dependent clauses and subjunctives and predicate nouns at a glance is shaky at best.
... Which makes me a pretty good example for the article's argument, I guess. I was never taught grammar as its own thing, just through my English classes and lots of reading, and I picked it up very well. I can tell if it's right or not just by whether or not it fits in with all the professional writing I've absorbed over the years. If it's wrong, it clashes, like a sour note in a chord. And somewhere along the line I got into language and writing enough to learn extra rules on my own.
I bet that goes for a lot of us here.
~Neshomeh -
Maybe it depends on location. by
on 2014-02-28 02:48:00 UTC
Link to this
I can see different states (and even different school districts in the same state, to an extent) having different requirements regarding the teaching of syntax. Me, I had to learn sentence diagramming in late elementary/early middle school. Never been asked to use it since, which is great because I doubt I could dredge up that info from wherever my brain has buried it.
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I learnt how to in middle school. by
on 2014-02-26 15:57:00 UTC
Link to this
And from thereon I never had do to it again.
Except now, when I'm taking linguistics and have to do a syntax tree, which is similar in that it breaks sentences down to their syntactical functions. -
Same here by
on 2014-02-27 17:19:00 UTC
Link to this
I would need to review before I could diagram a sentence now, but it was a required part of English class.
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I loved it by
on 2014-02-26 16:55:00 UTC
Link to this
We had diagramming sentences for about one nine weeks session in Middle School, and I learned more about grammar in that session than I did in all other English classes put together.
I am an extremely visual person, so imposing that visual structure onto the sentence really made sense to me. I had only begun to really grok the grammar when the whining of the other students (and the complaining of their parents) got to the teacher and he dropped it. -
Indirectly by
on 2014-02-26 17:58:00 UTC
Link to this
I recall doing a little grammar in English lessons, but where I really learnt a lot about English grammar was during the Latin lessons we had in secondary school. As such a grammatically heavy language, it was taught 'by the grammar' rather than 'by the vocabulary' as per modern languages, and the teacher had to explain a lot of how things worked in English in order to begin translation. Part of that, I believe, was by diagramming sentences, even if that precise term was never mentioned.
None too surprisingly, most of the other students hated it and struggled to grasp it, because it was very technical. I loved it and excelled for the same reason. Those Latin lessons probably did my English grammar more good than English lessons ever did. -
This exactly! by
on 2014-02-26 19:33:00 UTC
Link to this
I remember the nightmare of sentence diagramming... I'm pretty sure my teacher thought I cheated on essays because I could form coherent (for a second grader, at least) sentences but always screwed up on diagrams of anything other than simple sentences.
I absorbed the proper rules of grammar over the years by reading almost anything I got my hands on, but I had to actively look up the proper terms for stuff like participles, direct objects, subject complements, and so on. Funnily enough, that's why I currently hold a 104% in Latin; I'm able to tell when to use the ablative case instead of the accusative. (Believe it or not, over half the class still mixes them up even though we covered it back in the first nine weeks.)
I took Spanish for two years and it was hard for me, mostly because the class focused on holding conversations between students. Obviously, none of us learned anything. The 'grammar before vocabulary' approach hasn't escaped most students; at least once every class, someone is guarenteed to say they learn more about English in Latin than they do in English. Maybe the school system needs to take a second look at their curriculum...
Honestly, diagramming sentences isn't very useful for most people (unless you happen to be a visually- oriented learner like someone said in an above post). In fact, I wouldn't go near grammar books for a long time after second grade, and only decided to venture back into those waters after one day in eighth grade when I learned about gerunds. I thought that verbs acting as nouns was so cool, I wanted to see if there was anything else like that.
(I didn't find anything, so gerunds remain my favorite grammar thing- ooh, I'm so technical- just because they seem to defy all other grammar rules.) -
Interestingly... by
on 2014-02-26 21:26:00 UTC
Link to this
The homeschool program I am using now with my youngest child begins Latin in the second grade and teaches English grammar almost exclusively via Latin. The English grammar books are thin workbooks that aren't meant to take up much time, just to reinforce the differences between English and Latin grammars.
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Hooray, homeschooling! by
on 2014-02-27 04:10:00 UTC
Link to this
Though I am a product of the public school system, I am genuninely heartened when I hear of a parent homeschooling his/her children; I've heard how homeschooled children tend to do better than their publicly-schooled counterparts (especially with the ever-declining "standards" in the public schools, but this is no time to go into that).
As one who has taken a variety of foreign languages, including Latin, I can also join the chorus of people who say that they've learned more English grammar in Latin than they did in English. Little kids care nothing about arbitrary-looking rules. Make the material concrete, and it will be easier to swallow.
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On the subject of grammar and writing by
on 2014-02-26 21:46:00 UTC
Link to this
William Strunk's book The Elements of Style gives a lot of useful advice on what to do and what not to do as a writer. In particular, I found his bit on using the passive voice, avoiding adverbs and omitting needless words quite helpful.
Here's where you can find it (if anyone is interested):
http://www.crockford.com/wrrrld/style3.html#11 -
Elements of Style by
on 2014-03-06 19:09:00 UTC
Link to this
I remember getting that as required reading for an English course once. I think it was actually more informative than the class.
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Calling all Whovians! by
on 2014-02-27 07:36:00 UTC
Link to this
The BBC has announced that a new companion will be joining the Doctor in the TARDIS.
Thoughts on the Coal Hill Companion?
Personally, I'm hoping that he won't be there to tie a romantic loose end with Clara. Don't muck around with the affairs of the heart, Moffat: it's worked for the previous 40 years of Doctor Who.
I also want this guy's coat. -
What's wrong with a romantic companion by
on 2014-02-28 01:34:00 UTC
Link to this
I mean I've heard good things about Jack Harkness and I really liked Rory Willams. Rory was still an action guy even if he was married to Amy. Being in a romantic relanship shouldn't effect how badass you are for either gender.
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Well... by
on 2014-02-28 02:03:00 UTC
Link to this
You see, there's a difference between a character that has a romantic relationship and a character that only exists for a relationship.
I mean, there's nothing wrong with romance, but if a character's only purpose for a relationship,there are some problems. -
Point taken by
on 2014-02-28 17:10:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm just peeved with what's been happening in another fandom. I should have taken my anger out over here. Sorry
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It's alright. (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 22:06:00 UTC
Link to this
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Re: Calling all Whovians! by
on 2014-02-27 12:58:00 UTC
Link to this
Oh, please let there be less romance subplot this time around. Donna was awesome because she just wanted to go around and sass at the entire galaxy. And also had a character besides 'spunky girl.'
Speaking of female characters, can we please have Jenny come back? I loved her. -
While you're here, by
on 2014-02-28 20:15:00 UTC
Link to this
I was rereading one of your missions recently to refresh myself on some matters of continuity, and I was wondering something. Near the beginning, Theia is in what appears to be some sort of testing range with someone named Anne, while someone named Caroline is appraising Ari's magic in the same area. Who are Anne and Caroline? Or more on point, what do they do, where are these magical tests taking place, and had you or the people that you cowrote with mentioned them prior to that appearance? Theia mentions that she talked to Anne at some point in the past, suggesting some familiarity with the RC 97 team, but I looked through all of your other missions and couldn't see either mentioned. Also, I can't place what their Department duties would be based only on this appearance, and that ambiguity is going to bug me if I don't figure this out.
Oh, and on a note related to one of your other missions, you might want to set the Google Docs for Overpowered and the Triggerhappy to Published mode. Some of the comments are still visible.
Now, for a last-ditch effort to contribute to the original topic: hooray, someone else remembers that Jenny exists! I seriously thought that she was going to have some sort of role in the story before the Time Lords were inevitably written back into the show, probably after the loss of the Master made the Doctor the last known Gallifrey-born Time Lord yet again. I'm not really sure why she wasn't, actually, since Steven Moffat was the one who petitioned the writing team to have Jenny saved from death in the first place, and as the current showrunner, he'd have plenty of opportunity to bring her back. But she was never mentioned again, and now the Time Lords are formally no longer extinct, which makes that plot setup seem like a bit of a waste. Unless she helps the Doctor bring the Time Lords back, of course. That could be fun.
(squints at the Doctor Who wiki) Wait, did you mean Jenny Flint, the distinctly-not-a-cloned-Time-Lord human from Series Six onward? You might have, and since I barely know anything about her, that would make the previous paragraph a little embarrassing. -
Hear, hear. by
on 2014-02-28 04:49:00 UTC
Link to this
Donna Noble was probably the New Who companion who was the most human. And that's why I love her. She is so human.
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^Spoilers for next series. by
on 2014-02-27 09:20:00 UTC
Link to this
Now that's out of the way...
I think (hope? Let's be optimistic and say think) he won't just be a romantic wossname. That's pretty much the only intercompanion interaction we've seen since the TV Movie, so I think it's time they tried something new.
The main exception to this is Jack and Martha in The Sound of Drums - they had a good setup, and I say that as someone who generally found Martha incredibly boring.
However...
'It's worked for the previous 40 years'? Well... except that Ben and Polly - companions of the First Doctor - were romantically involved. And, well... looking over the Doctor's female companions (from the TV series), Susan, Barbara, Vicki, Polly, Jo, and Leela all left to get married (and Victoria to get adopted) - mostly to someone they'd only met that story. Honestly, I prefer the ones who have long-term relationships, rather than 'I have exchanged five lines of dialogue with you! Let's tie the knot!' (Hi, Susan!).
hS -
Hmm. by
on 2014-02-27 12:32:00 UTC
Link to this
It does seem like most companions have been reduced to 'sass on legs', doesn't it? Still, it's an improvement over the screaming/fainting/generally helpless companions of the earlier episodes. *looks accusingly at Barbara and Susan* At least Martha had what we assume to be a long-term relationship with her eventual husband off-screen.
I would say I'd like another companion like Rose, but there's one teeny problem: there's only one Rose. Though maybe that's a good thing, because there's no way I'd be able to handle a repeat of the goodbye scene. I stopped watching the show for two weeks after that.
*ahem*
Well, any way the next companion is done, I'll wait to pass judgement on them until their time with the Doctor is over. I didn't think I'd like Donna, but I grew fond of her after a while (though she was never able to replace Rose for me). I'm kind of hoping for something like whatshisface from the classic Who, the Scottish guy from medieval times. But maybe that's just me. -
I hope he has more of a use than that. by
on 2014-02-27 08:23:00 UTC
Link to this
And I really honestly hope he's treated more like a person -- that is, written more like a person -- than a set of sassy remarks with legs.
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Of course he will, he's male and this is Moffat. =] (nm) by
on 2014-02-27 11:30:00 UTC
Link to this
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*Bip!* Lancashire. Sass. (nm) by
on 2014-02-27 08:45:00 UTC
Link to this
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? (nm) by
on 2014-02-27 09:07:00 UTC
Link to this
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In one episode... by
on 2014-02-27 16:59:00 UTC
Link to this
...Clara was scanned by a handheld device. It said those exact words when it ID'd her.
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I'd thought you were paraphrasing, originally. by
on 2014-03-03 04:32:00 UTC
Link to this
Then I saw Journey to the Center of the Tardis yesterday, and that very scene popped up. I unleashed such a groan. On the plus side, at least that episode's version of Clara was just bland most of the time instead of grating and annoying, and the few times she tried having some "sass", her lines weren't all that bad.
Yes, I know that you said "exact words" now, but strangely, I'd had no recollection of that until rereading your post just before replying. It's odd; I usually have a very good memory for details.
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Revamping Permission Giving - opinions sought. by
on 2014-02-27 16:37:00 UTC
Link to this
Further to some discussion further down the Front Page, I've been trying to put together a new way of writing Permission Requests. Sometimes people have to do strange things like give multiple writing samples, or endlessly elaborate on their agent profiles - a hassle all round. This new approach is designed to help with that.
But, not being one of the Protectors or the Triumvirs, I've no authority to just randomly change things (thank goodness!). So we need to pool our opinions. I'm particularly interested in the thoughts of Permission Givers (would this help?) and people who don't yet have Permission (is this something you could do?) - but of course, everyone's opinions are valuable.
The Proposed Method
For the most part, things would go as they do now. You design your agents, discussing them with people as you please. You interact on the Board or Chat. You read missions. Maybe you do the Self-Check. You choose a badfic.
In preparation for requestion Permission, you write a brief bio for each of your agents. This consists of things like backstory, appearance, powers and abilities - and 'anything you think we need to know'.
Then you go to this page (specifics not yet finalised; layout to be changed). From the list of 'Control Prompts', you choose your favourite, and write a story from it - a story featuring your agents, to showcase them to us. The story should be about 200-500 words in length - a page or so, not an epic work. This is half of your writing sample.
Then (or simultaneously), you roll two six-sided dice (this will be linked in the instructions). The 4-column table won't be there - instead, you'll have a 6x6 grid laying out the lines from the 'PPC Version' columns. Each cell will contain two prompts (of the kind seen in the GDoc), and your two dice will direct you to a cell. From the prompts in that cell, you will choose one - and write a second writing-sample story. Same length, etc, as above.
The writing samples do not have to be canonical for your agents - they're samples, not an attempt to force you to have certain thing happen. Their purpose is to show: a) what your agents are like, in terms of personality, b) how your agents interact with each other, c) how you write your agents, d) how you write in general, e) that you actually intend to put time into writing PPC stories, and f) how well you deal with bizarre situations in your writing.
After that, it goes as normal: post your bios, samples, and badfic on the Board, and a PG will come by and comment. Simple as that.
So: thoughts? To my mind, the list of six points (a-f) is the key reason for doing this: some writing samples (where people have just picked something from their fanfic) only answer point d, and almost none answer f. The purpose of the table portion is specifically to get you away from just writing your agents meeting (the other common sample) - because, while that's still very valuable, it doesn't show how they'll interact after the first day. I think that's an important aspect of how they're written - and this will help you to showcase that.
Thoughts? Tweaks? Suggestions?Outraged flame-filled rants about how I'm setting myself up as Dictator and Ultimate Authority and shall soon be installing spike pits to pen you all in here?
hS
hS -
So, since everyone seems to be in agreement... by
on 2014-03-04 16:26:00 UTC
Link to this
When will you PGs be implementing this new system, and when will the Wiki page be updates to reflect this change?
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Drat. Forgot there was more work involved. by
on 2014-03-05 09:38:00 UTC
Link to this
At the moment, the table of prompts is not complete. There's twelve or thirteen slots that need filling, so anyone who's got any ideas, please come over and add them. Equally, if you have vehement objections to any prompts in there, throw in a comment and we can all discuss it.
I'm also just about to port the relevant sections of the Permission page into the document; that way we can have at least a rough version to paste in when the time comes.
As to when that will be... well, we'll want to find out if anyone's in the middle of working on something (Outhra is, sort of), but barring objections, 'when it's done' seems appropriate.
hS -
I wholeheartedly agree. by
on 2014-03-02 19:05:00 UTC
Link to this
Everyone down below pretty much summed it up for me.
The random prompts are even good enough to be used as interlude material on their own... -
Yes. This is a good idea. by
on 2014-03-01 22:39:00 UTC
Link to this
Something I would do when asking for permission.
(On another note, I do have an idea for my agents and will ask for permission soon-ish.)
The Emperor Protects! -
Sounds good by
on 2014-02-28 17:21:00 UTC
Link to this
I would totally vote for you as Dictator and Ultimate Authority. ^^
I like this new idea, provided I have understood it correctly. It would mean that people would have to show not just that they can write, but that they can write something that fits with the PPC. I have seen (not a lot, but it does happen on occasion) people seeking permission, being asked to submit a second sample because their first sample, while good, was also very dark or humourless.
And it will show the agents interact as people, rather than just submitting them as little more than character sheets to be checked for Sue-tendencies and inconsistencies. -
That last point, though. by
on 2014-03-01 05:38:00 UTC
Link to this
I mean, if I were to give y'all my agents now, I could boil them down to traits that'd make them seem Sueish. All characters can be broken down into traits that make them seem Sueish. So it would make sense to have with it a writing sample that would show how the characters interact and thereby indicate that they aren't that Sueish after all.
("So basically my agent, Christianne Shieh, is a sassy girl with a tragic backstory, and sometimes has violent tendencies. She loves chocolate and making a mess for her partner to clean up. She also loves her partner but she'd never tell her that. She is intelligent and skilled with lots of weapons including Japanese weapons and loves katanas. She knows a lot about a lot of different fandoms. She is strong and doesn't need anyoneexcept her partner.") - I like this new idea. by on 2014-02-28 14:50:00 UTC Link to this
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HTML errors, how I love ye. by
on 2014-02-28 14:51:00 UTC
Link to this
Not. See my other post for what I wanted to say.
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I like this new idea. by
on 2014-02-28 14:50:00 UTC
Link to this
I agree with Lily that sometimes a prompt is good to get the creative juices flowing. And given that good PPC writing requires a certain...insanity, should I say?...this is certainly a good way to determine if someone can write good PPC stories.
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IÂ’m torn about this. by
on 2014-02-28 14:37:00 UTC
Link to this
I seem to remember to have read "somewhere" that the writing example should preferably be something not written specifically to get permission, but this is definitely not in the Wiki page On Permission to Write PPC Stories linked at the top of the Board, nor is it in older versions of this page I’ve checked, back to a time when I definitely didn’t know about the PPC. Anyway, this seemed plausible to me, because it would show a general ability to write good fiction, not just the ability to write parodies set in the PPC environment. Also, I was surprised when the responses to the 2014 Boarder's Review Fest below revealed that many PPC’ers didn’t actually publish much fan fiction that isn’t a PPC mission or interlude.
There may be some potential for accusing us that we don’t really know how to do what we criticize. But of course this is a silly accusation anyway, and I should shut up because I never even considered writing fan fiction before I considered getting Permission.
On the other hand, I do understand that the ability to write parodies set in the PPC environment is what the Permission Givers need to see, and you found a good way to get this. But of course I will fudge my dice roll if I don’t like the prompts I’ll get :-)
HG -
Re: IÂ’m torn about this. by
on 2014-02-28 16:54:00 UTC
Link to this
I believe that sometime in 2010 is when the shift happened from mostly non-PPC stories used in Permission to mostly things like 'How my agents met'. I joined in early 2010, and I remember feeling like it would be rather impolite to write in the setting before I had Permission to do so, but then things shifted, and it became the norm to use something with your agents. I used a writing exercise I had done in a class where I took a scene from a story I had written and changed the POV from the original story to that of different characters present in the scene. It was not a particularly pleasant scene, so I have sometimes wondered how I managed to get Permission with it, but that's not the point. I am pretty sure that some of the other people (Phobos and PC in particular) that mentioned having used non-PPC stories also got Permission around the first half of 2010. (I apologize if I've gotten the times wrong. I didn't verify. It's just what I think I remember.)
I also wanted to say that I was told back when I actually wrote PPC stories on a regular basis that I really didn't have the right to do so, since I hadn't written any fanfic. I've been an avid reader of fanfic for years, since well before I discovered the PPC. Now that I have finally written a fanfic, I can say that it does feel different. I still agree with what I said a few years ago, though, that it isn't necessary. The key is to be able to recognize good from bad, and you don't have to have written it to see that difference. -
I got permission almost exactly 4 years ago. by
on 2014-02-28 21:20:00 UTC
Link to this
Feb 20, 2010, to be exact. If anyone is interested in what it looked like (because it is an unusual request), here it is.
Phobos (as Barid) Requests Permission
-Phobos -
Ha, I remember when I first tried the Permission thing. by
on 2014-02-28 04:45:00 UTC
Link to this
If you guys don't remember, I was the one who posted a series of letters I wrote to a former teacher as my writing sample.
...Yeah, I'm not sure how I got Permission, either.
I like this, because:
1) Sometimes people need a little prod in one way with a prompt in order to write something.
2) This gives us a basis to see how the applicant responds to that prompt instead of being linked to a writing sample that might require a little more deciphering (like my letters, or someone who posts a fic for a fandom none of the PGs are familiar with, etc).
3) It helps give us a sample of how the applicant would write in a PPC setting. I write angsty drama sobfics all the time, but that's definitely not what I'm going for in a PPC setting (I know, I wrote two scenes of Christianne suffering from her tragic backstory; it does bleed over sometimes).
4) Even if it makes Permission harder to get, it only means that the difficulty of the application means that the applicant pool is narrowed down those who are dedicated to the idea of contributing to the PPC-verse with their own writing. It forces people to ask themselves exactly what their purpose is in joining the PPC.
5) University applications have people writing to prompts all the time. This is honestly nothing different. If anything, it's good practice for younger PPCers, since they'll have a lot of write-to-this-prompt stuff in the future, and about things that are less interesting than the PPC and their Agents.
Speaking of applications, I need to get around to revising my application to the Fulbright Summer Institute at King's College in London. Wish me luck, because if I get in we should totally have a Gathering. -
I like it... by
on 2014-02-28 04:36:00 UTC
Link to this
... and not just because I'm terrified of the spike pits.
I can't think of any amazing improvements, but wanted to share my agreement with this idea.
Elcalion -
I, for one, welcome our new Huinesoron overlord. by
on 2014-02-28 02:42:00 UTC
Link to this
But in all seriousness, I strongly support this proposal. It promotes out-of-the-box thinking in regards to creating characters and situations. The six points you touch on are, to my mind, vital to understand if you want to write for the PPC.
I also intend to contribute some prompts of my own to your list. Once, you know, I think of some good ones. -
I like it. by
on 2014-02-28 02:41:00 UTC
Link to this
As someone who still hasn't gotten 'round to applying for Permission, this sounds intriguing, and might actually get me motivated to do so. Or maybe not. Hanging around the Board is fun too.
But still, I like what you've done here, and I can't think of anything to say against it.
Maybe you could make submitting an outside bit of work a sort of optional extra, for situations where someone really wants to share something of theirs that's non-PPC but that they thing showcases their writing abilities perfectly?
-Aila -
I like the 'optional extra' idea. by
on 2014-02-28 09:10:00 UTC
Link to this
Obviously it's there implicitly anyway - there's nothing to stop you from linking to whatever you like in your Permission Request - but mentioning it explicitly might be a good idea.
On the other hand, it might lead to the idea that if you don't include the 'optional' part, you get 'marked down'. Which isn't true.
hS -
Hmm by
on 2014-02-28 16:00:00 UTC
Link to this
Maybe there's a way of wording it so that it just comes across as a sidenote, nothing of importance? If we don't put much emphasis on it, it mightn't be taken with the same amount of gravity than it would if we had.
-Aila -
Systematisation is (generally) a Good Thing... by
on 2014-02-28 01:16:00 UTC
Link to this
...so I'm definitely in favour of this. It'll make it clearer as to exactly what PGs look for when granting Permission and ensure that prospective Permission-holders can write specifically for the PPC as well as simply being able to write well.
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I volunteer as tribute! by
on 2014-02-28 00:06:00 UTC
Link to this
I asked for permission earlier today using the current method, but if you need a test subject, feel free to use me.
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I like it. by
on 2014-02-27 22:54:00 UTC
Link to this
It seems like a much more helpful system than the one we already have.
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This looks good to me. by
on 2014-02-27 22:25:00 UTC
Link to this
It's a good system and prods people into writing new things. I think everyone else has got the comments covered, but I figured that my lovely PG Hat meant I should at least weigh in. :P
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I like this system. by
on 2014-02-27 21:35:00 UTC
Link to this
Clean, systematic, and gets people writing fresh things rather then previously prepared pieces. I probably would have been denied Permission if this were in place when I applied, but who knows, I might have kicked it in gear and actually pushed something through. Coincidentally, I'm far too busy right now to get my next mission written at all, so that's a little telling.
However... I think I'll give it a shot anyway. What the heck, later on, I'll put Jumper and Sarah through this permission test. We'll call it a test, hmm? It won't be Marvin and Printworthy, so I have to write something new for the control prompts, and I can explore them through the second test.
Should I put something on the line for this? Not my permission status, I'd rather not have my license revoked. However, there should be something... Hmmm... What do you guys think? -
Do what you want. by
on 2014-02-27 21:57:00 UTC
Link to this
If you want to use the writing prompts to work on your characters, that seems like a good idea. I don't think you need to put anything on the line, just use the prompts for practice.
-Phobos -
Well, hS, you are the Ultimate Authority... by
on 2014-02-27 19:05:00 UTC
Link to this
...but that's not necessarily a bad thing in your case, now, is it? So whatever.
No, these new permission prompts seem like a pretty good idea, actually. I especially think it's a good idea to get the random prompts in there, as it does sort of make you think about other ways of approaching a situation in writing. God knows I could've used something like that when I first got permission...
But yeah, I'm on board here. -
Well, you already know I'm on board. by
on 2014-02-27 18:45:00 UTC
Link to this
Considering I've been co-conspiring and all. I think it removes ambiguity from the process, and that's always a good thing.
~Neshomeh
P.S. If you become the Dictator and Ultimate Authority, can I be your Grand Vizier and Trusted Adviser? I'm totally not holding a poisoned dagger behind my back. I promise. *g* -
My thoughts by
on 2014-02-27 18:28:00 UTC
Link to this
Let me break down the pros and cons, as I see them.
Pros:
-Less work for the person asking for permission. 400-1000 words total for the writing samples is less than one day in NaNoWriMo, and far less than most writing samples.
-Two samples gives the PGs more diversity to look at when making a decision, which gives us a better idea of the writing skills and voice of the asker.
-It is not a total overhaul of the system, it is more a focusing of the system. The only real difference is that we are being more specific about what we want in the writing sample portion of the request.
Cons:
-We are losing the ability of someone to post a really awesome non-PPC piece. That was what got me permission, back in the day. I do think your six points are a pretty good rebuttal to this point, though.
As you can see, there aren't a lot of Cons in my opinion, and the single Con is fairly weak. So, I think it is a good change.
-Phobos
ps - I advocate for pits filled, randomly, with either spikes or Jello. One never knows what one will get. -
One potential issue by
on 2014-02-27 17:51:00 UTC
Link to this
What if a certain scenario would be OOC for both agents? For instance, I couldn't see Cyba and Eagrus arguing over 'shipping.
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As a counter... by
on 2014-02-28 09:15:00 UTC
Link to this
... we'll probably try to have the two prompts per roll be distinctly different - and make one more generic. So, for instance, one slot has these two:
-The agents compete.
-The agents argue over who gets to do the Duty.
Not every pair of agents will argue about who gets to do the Duty - maybe they're from different departments, so one does the killing, the other the exorcising. So you might be caught out by that - but pretty much any agents can be in a situation where they 'compete' - in sport, in seeing who can get to the comfy seat faster, whatever. So there will be something you can write.
hS -
That's a good plan. (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 22:38:00 UTC
Link to this
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Well... by
on 2014-02-27 18:31:00 UTC
Link to this
To my mind, that just requires some creative interpretation of the prompt. Perhaps the two of them could be arguing about the (lack of) merits of shipping with someone else; or they could have a hypothetical discussion of who they would 'ship, if either of them could be bothered with that sort of thing; or maybe they've been possessed by Sue-spirits in the course of a mission, and that's why they're fighting. Since the random prompt doesn't have to be canon, you're free to make up whatever scenario you need to make it happen.
IMO, the ability to think around corners like that would be a very good thing to show off in a permission request. {= )
~Neshomeh -
Re: Revamping Permission Giving - opinions sought. by
on 2014-02-27 17:23:00 UTC
Link to this
I love the prompts list. I've seen most of those come up at some point or another in missions and interludes, and they have been some of my favorite agent-based bits of PPC writing. A lot of them are the kind of thing that lets the agents grow as characters, and that's a good thing.
I think your list of six points is a good justification for the change, as well. -
Systematic, yet a bit elitist. by
on 2014-02-27 17:16:00 UTC
Link to this
Based on the old system, many Agents are already doing only one mission. Others will take some time to craft their mission reports. By adding this system you are going to increase quality while decreasing quantity of sporked fics. Only the good enough of the best will be doing missions. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Or both.
Also, a marking system would be good too. At least, rejected permission-seekers can know their weaknesses and improve on it.
Thus IMHO. A Marking System. -
Could you please clarify? by
on 2014-02-27 18:37:00 UTC
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What kind of marking system would you like to see? The PGs are already supposed to comment on the requests regarding what we like or don't like—especially what we don't like. What system do you think would help us do better at it?
Also, I'm not ashamed to say that I, at least, am already elitist. I think PPCers ought to be better than average writers, especially if they're going to be critiquing others by writing missions, and I'll take quality over quantity any day. {= P
~Neshomeh -
I have been well-answered. Thank you for all your times. (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 18:54:00 UTC
Link to this
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Something like 1 to 5. by
on 2014-02-27 20:40:00 UTC
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There are six questions Huinesoron posed in his proposal.
a) what your agents are like, in terms of personality,
b) how your agents interact with each other,
c) how you write your agents,
d) how you write in general,
e) that you actually intend to put time into writing PPC stories, and
f) how well you deal with bizarre situations in your writing.
A marking system on each point may provide the permission seeker with a guide on how close they are to fulfilling the requirements. For example, 1 may mean the requirement is too far from being reached, and 5 means the requirement is fulfilled and the is no need to improve in that point.
Or even 0 to 1 will do. 0 is not OK, and 1 is OK. -
I dunno; seems like giving grades to me. by
on 2014-02-28 15:32:00 UTC
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Regarding a scale of 0-5 or similar:
I'm not sure it would be helpful to make the process more test-like than it needs to be. I mean, it is a test, but this isn't school, and we aren't teachers, and your results aren't going on your report card. Lots of people get freaked out by tests and scores, and a low number seems so much more... I dunno, final? than explaining "this didn't work for me because of reasons X, Y, and Z; here's how you can improve next time."
Also, it would only tell the writer how far the PG thinks they have to go, which can be extremely subjective. Take me, Phobos, and hS. Correct me if I'm wrong, guys, but I think we pretty well represent a continuum of tough to lenient, with Phobos being the most tough, hS being the most lenient, and me somewhere in the middle. What I see as a 2, Phobos might see as a 1, and hS might see as a 3 or 4—but verbally, we might all explain the problem much the same way and give similar advice for improvement.
And finally, related to the above, I believe there's always room for improvement in writing. The minute you stop thinking your writing could be better is the minute it starts to suck, so I'd be very hesitant to give a perfect score. I would have to be very impressed indeed.
That's just my reaction. Other PGs may feel differently—and I wouldn't be averse to providing a score on a particular person's request if they asked me to. I just worry that it could be intimidating and not as helpful as a verbal explanation to lots of people.
Regarding 0 or 1:
Isn't that basically the same as saying "this doesn't work for me" or "I like this," like we do now? Except that getting a zero on something might make test-sensitive people feel worse about themselves?
~Neshomeh -
What I do. by
on 2014-02-28 15:41:00 UTC
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I like to try and comment on everything anyway. My response to Rina's Permission Request exemplifies this, I think: in that case all the comments were positive, but if there's negatives, I'll go through all of them, as well.
The exception is when someone just... doesn't bother. If their writing sample consists of three lines with no punctuation or anything, I'm not likely to give a full breakdown. But in general? That's what I do.
Would making it numeric make things easier for the recipient? I... don't think so. Concrit is a very subjective thing, and responding to Permission Requests is very much a form of concrit. In fact, if I may mangle a Doctor Who quote: 'It's like reviewing, only there's a winner!'.
Oh, and: yes, I raaaaather suspect you and Phobos are stricter than me. The hazards of democracy. Clearly what we should have done was invest all the Protectorate of Plort's income into developing cloning technology, then grown ourselves an army of Jay to handle Permission...
hS -
That's kinda what I do, too. by
on 2014-02-28 16:01:00 UTC
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I like to run down the list of things we expect to see in a permission request and comment on each of those, then add any other notes I may have. I don't think I get into as much detail as you or Nesh do, though.
And yeah, I think it is safe to say I am on the stricter end of the spectrum. When I am on the fence with a request, my tendency is to deny permission. I believe both you and Nesh tend toward giving the benefit of the doubt to the permission request. Nothing wrong with either position, just coming at things from a different direction.
-Phobos -
Which makes it wildly ironic... by
on 2014-02-28 16:20:00 UTC
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... that in the Union of Plort, your barony is in the nice open plains, while to reach Neshomeh's or mine, supplicants have to cross mountains.
hS -
I hadn't thought of that. by
on 2014-02-28 16:38:00 UTC
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Maybe I should install pit-traps on the plains.
-Phobos -
Except... by
on 2014-02-28 16:38:00 UTC
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While supplicants do have to travel through Phobos' barony to visit the Temples of Kanun and Spelin and reach the Purmeshun Range, they don't actually approach the barons directly. Rather, I'd think we have to meet them there or in the city of Borrd, which means you and I are the ones forced to cross the mountains anytime someone goes on the pilgrimage to get knighted. Maybe that's why we go easier on them; we're too tired from the journey to be strict. *g*
"So, you've made your offerings at the temples of so-and-so, climbed the whopping great mountains, performed the rites of whatever, et cetera, et cetera, and you wanna be a knight now. Okay, sure. Knock yourself out. I'll be sleeping in the closest inn if you need me."
~Neshomeh -
Sounds about right. by
on 2014-03-01 06:33:00 UTC
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I know I wrote Baron Huinesoron as having been waiting for Sir Ekyl at the Permeshun Range and passing judgement at the end of the journey, but I don't know if that's how it'd always be or what. It just seemed like the best analogue for the PGs showing up after you post your permission request and writing sample and reviewing it and stuff.
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Wait, we do? What sort of dictatorship is this? by
on 2014-02-28 16:44:00 UTC
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If I'd known I was going to have to do half the work, I'd never have... wait, hang on... we do have to do half (well, some of) the work... so I guess it's actually startlingly accurate. Hooray!
I'm going to make a guess that the 'ceremony' is held in Castle Otik - because we're suckers for tradition, and knighting people in Jay and Acacia's old fortress has a lovely feel to it.
Also I'm going to guess the most expensive inn nearby is kept afloat entirely by exhausted barons. After all, we all get the message when someone completes the pilgrimage - it's just that most of us only reach the city after they've already left.
Baron Huine-"Someone invent railways, already!"-soron -
Maybe there's a teleportation spell? (nm) by
on 2014-03-01 06:35:00 UTC
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And on the flip side... by
on 2014-02-27 20:24:00 UTC
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... I'm not clear why this would reduce the number of people writing missions. We already ask for a writing sample - it's just that a lot of the time, the writing sample doesn't tell us what we need to know, so we have to ask for another one. That exact scenario happened in LightDarkPhoenix's case. As a result, LDP ended up having to write a fresh sample on the fly. At least in this case, she'd've written one which she knew would be okay.
So I'm not sure how it's elitist - if someone's not willing to write a fresh 400 words to get Permission, odds are they're not going to get round to writing a mission anyway.
Of course, the whole Permission system is elitist... but I'm not allowed to scrap it entirely. ;)
hS -
I am uttering the term elitist... by
on 2014-02-27 20:41:00 UTC
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Because the system is getting more complex yet more understandable. Or that the merit needed to write missions gets higher yet more achievable.
I am not denying that Permission system being elitist is bad or good.
I assume the number of mission-writers will decrease because more effort will be needed to complete the requirements. And I also assume that all Agents will have to ask permission once again, due to the system being changed. And everyone has to be evaluated. That is what I was thinking anyway. -
I think we're talking at cross-purposes. by
on 2014-02-27 22:42:00 UTC
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No-one will have to re-apply for Permission, because the goal here isn't to make things more strict. All the things this will help us look for - my six points, for instance - are things we were already looking for. The goal of this is to make it easier for you to show them to us - and easier for us to see them. If anything, it ought to be making it easier, not harder, to get Permission.
But I'm getting the impression you think it will make it harder; unfortunately, I'm not clear on why you think that. Could you take a stab at explaining it again, and maybe in the morning when I've had some sleep I'll understand?
hS -
I just think it will be a bit different. by
on 2014-02-28 04:59:00 UTC
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As you will them what to write instead of letting them choose their own way of story. Not necessarily harder or easier.
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But... by
on 2014-02-28 05:02:00 UTC
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It will be harder, if the rolled theme is not their strong points, and are not in the permission-seeker's writing style. Do we have to roll once, or can we roll until we an have the theme we are comfortable with?
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The intent is that you roll once. by
on 2014-02-28 09:12:00 UTC
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We're trying to address that by having multiple options per slot, but yes, it's still limited. But... well, the goal is for the options to all be PPC-style prompts. So if 'strange randomness' isn't a writer's style - why are they trying to write for the PPC? It's sort of what we do.
hS
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Requesting Permission by
on 2014-02-27 20:21:00 UTC
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I'm wondering if now actually wasn't the best time to request, considering the thread right below. *shrugs* Oh, well.
RC 3-Apple-14: how the agents joined
Rina is a bit of a pack rat when it comes to books, and it was this habit that led to her joining the PPC. She had a tendency to pile her books around her bedroom, and the books' chaotic proximity caused their respective natural plot holes to converge. Since nobody expects to wake up and step out of bed into a pit that leads to a secret headquarters, it was more than a little terrifying when it happened to Rina. After she got over the initial shock, she immediately asked to sign up and invited her friend Randa to be her partner.
Agent Rina Dives, age 17
While PPCing, Rina's default moods are resigned, irritated, and snarky, but if someone messes with her favorite characters, especially Remus Lupin, she'll fly into a rage and usually has to be physically restrained. Her preferred weapon is a crowbar, but she is also a competent archer and has some experience with fencing.
Rina is lanky and inherited her father's large hand and feet, though hers are thankfully nowhere near as big as his. Her plain brown hair is kept short so she doesn't have to brush it. Needless to say, it's always sticking up at odd angles. She wears contacts to correct nearsightedness and will swear up and down her eyes are green, but everyone knows they're really hazel.
Her semi-eidetic memory is both a blessing and a curse; she can perfectly recall things she's passionate about, but anything that falls under the Do Not Want category is retained, too. To add insult to injury, employing bleep products isn't an option as Rina's allergic and would like to live to see retirement, thank you very much.
Agent Randa Roan, age 17
Randa was quite bored with her old life and jumped at the chance to join the PPC. She's a rather quirky person (her favorite tool is a heavy steel yo-yo with a 'Sue hair cord) and comes off as a very happy-go-lucky sidekick, but if it weren't for Randa, Rina would have gone off the deep end a long time ago. It's really thanks to Randa's badfic tolerance that the pair can get their jobs done. (When it comes to the Zelda continuum, though, the roles are reversed, with Randa being prone to raging and Rina acting as the level-headed one.)
Randa's extremely self-conscious about her weight, but Rina refuses to apply any word other than 'huggable' to her; anyone who uses anything else is likely to be introduced to Rina's crowbar. Randa's hair is a warm brown color (almost the same color as her eyes), slightly curly, and falls not quite to her shoulders. She wears glasses so she can see more than two feet in front of her face.
A sketchbook is her constant companion, which she puts to good use by including portraits of 'Sues in mission reports. She prefers to pass time by drawing her favorite characters when she can see them, though.
Badfic: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/9094976/1/The-Marauderette
I'm putting the writing portion below, since I don't want to put it on the 'net and have it confused for an actual PPC story.
Rina kicked her feet up on the console, being careful to not accidentally hit any buttons. She yawned and raked her fingers through her hair.
"You know," Randa said from the floor, "When you asked me to join the PPC, I didn't think it would be so... boring." She gestured to the room; its only interesting features were the console and two old chairs that seemed likely to collapse at any moment. Beds were supposed to be delivered 'soon', which both recruits knew to mean 'not for a long time'.
Randa propped her chin up on her fist. "I'm bored." She glanced at Rina, who was now drumming out a beat on her knees. "Really bored," Randa added meaningfully. Rina sighed and began digging in her jacket's pockets.
A moment later, a deck of cards was tossed in Randa's direction. "Go play Solitaire or something," Rina said, going back to her drumming.
Randa opted to build a house of cards instead. She soon became engrossed in constructing a five-story pyramid, and the project managed to suck Rina in as well.
"Almost... there..." Randa whispered, barely moving her lips. The girls held their breath as Randa delicately positioned the last two cards-
[BEEEEEEEEEEEP!]
"Holy-!" Randa jumped, sending the cards flying. "Oh, come on!" She sighed and kicked at the floor. "What were the odds of that happening?"
Rina slapped the big red button on the console, accepting the mission. She glanced back at Randa. "Here in the PPC? You're kidding, right?"
"Well, I guess there's always later," Randa muttered.
Somewhere the girls couldn't see, the physical manifestation of the Ironic Overpower was grinning. -
Okay, then. Let's see. by
on 2014-02-28 13:22:00 UTC
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As you probably know, we look for a few things in Permission Requests: community activity, writing ability, PPC understanding, and characters.
-You've certainly been active (the magic of Ctrl+F tells me you and Randa between you are posting about 16 times per page, which is several times a day), so that's no concern.
-Writing ability: in a technical sense, you've got it down pat. The only thing I've flagged up from your sample is the 'I'm bored' paragraph - the last sentence, since it's describing Rina, not Randa, should really be attached to the next paragraph. But that's fine.
-Writing ability(2): the actual 'able to write a good story' part is the bit I always have trouble judging, but I'm going to go with yes. You keep your characters physically present (Nesh recently mentioned talking-heads syndrome, which you've managed to avoid), and in what is admittedly a very brief story you manage to draw out the resigned/irritated character of Rina, and contrast it with the 'bubbly' aspects of Randa. Not a lot happens - in a recent review of Elcalion's fic I described this sort of thing as a vignette, not a story - but that's okay, since that was part of the point.
-PPC knowledge: Kind of hard to tell, but the things you have included work. I like the L-space-induced plothole, and the line about the beds. I'm not sure the Ironic Overpower has a physical manifestation, though it does have a sealed temple - but the phrase was comedic, rather than (say) R&R going and talking to the IO. You mention things like bleeprin and mission reports in contexts which imply you know what they are, so I'm going to go with yes on this one too. (Out of interest, did you go through the Permission Self-Check before Requesting? If so, do you feel it helped you in any way?)
-Characters: it's actually quite rare these days for people to write their agents as versions of themselves - most people want to write fantastic aliens instead. But I kind of like seeing it again - it's how Jay and Acacia started the whole thing off, after all. You keep them realistic ('some experience with fencing' comes to mind), and have given a bunch of ways for us to tell them apart. I'll include a note that you'll want to be sure to keep an eye on that 'semi-eidetic memory' - if Rina starts forgetting things, it would be OOC.
One thing I will flag up is that R&R are both new to the PPC. Hopefully that means they've actually been trained (at least a little), but either way, you'll need to make sure they act new, rather than falling into the 'Veteran/Newbie' pattern that's so common.
Overall... I'm going to say Permission Granted. Have fun!
Request for comment from other PGs:
One consequence of this is that I've just granted Permission to RinaAndRanda (Rina), who intends to cowrite with RinaAndRanda (Randa) - but haven't explicitly granted it to RinaAndRanda (Randa). Rina has said (in the footnote) that she'll be doing most of the writing, with Randa helping; that implies that Randa had a hand in at least preparing the character profiles.
So... does this count as joint Permission, or would Randa - in the event that she starts writing separately to Rina - need to apply for herself? This doesn't affect the writing they current have planned (it's established that non-permitted writers can cowrite), so no worries there - but I'm unsure what precedent we're setting here.
hS -
Re. precedent by
on 2014-02-28 19:07:00 UTC
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I think I'd like to see RinaAndRanda (Randa) get her own Permission eventually (within a couple missions or so). IMO, the ability to co-write with someone who has Permission is best utilized to give newer people the opportunity for some hands-on learning under the wing of someone with more experience. It shouldn't be a way to dodge getting Permission entirely, so I don't want to set that precedent. For what precedent we do have, IIRC, Trojie and Pads wrote together for a while before Pads got her own Permission, but she did do it, even if it was just a formality, so I think we should stick to that principle.
~Neshomeh -
I'll let Randa know. by
on 2014-03-01 01:30:00 UTC
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I'm not too sure how long she and I are going to be partnered up, because like I said to hS, we're going to more than likely part ways in a little more than a year. College... meep. o_o But if we fall out of touch, I'll just think up a new agent to partner with Rina. (In that case... Maybe I should just start going by Rina? Hmm.)
It makes sense to get Randa to go through the process too, though. Would I be allowed to check it over for her? Because (no offense if you're reading this, Randa) her grammar isn't the best. Nothing terrible, she just tends to not check over her work.
But I really do depend on Randa for my sanity. The badfic we're planning on tackling involves a 'Sue who went after my favorite character, among other things. I almost punched my computer while I was reading it. Hopefully I'll build up a resistance to that sort of thing.
...Knock on wood. -
Ehm well.... by
on 2014-03-01 20:05:00 UTC
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My brain is a little fuzzy at the moment and I'm having a little trouble processing what's being asked of me at this time.
However, I do view myself as more of a..... supporting character if you will. So when the time does come for Rina and I to part, I most likely will be retiring as I personally do not have as much drive for writing as Rina does.
This being said I will most definitely talk to Rina about the situation. -
Congratulations! =oD (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 18:23:00 UTC
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Woohoo! by
on 2014-02-28 15:42:00 UTC
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You have no idea how tempted I was to summon a punctuation shower. I'm so happy! :D
*glances back over the sample* Okay, yeah, I get it. My bad. That's definitely something to watch out for in the future. And don't worry; I grew out of the talking-heads syndrome a few years back.
I've got a fairly large grasp of PPC knowledge, I think... though I did only find out yesterday that Suebuprofen exists as a bleeprin substitute. Agent Rina might not learn that for a while, though. ;)
Also, do people really mostly write non-human agents? All the ones I've read so far have had human agents save for Lore and Earwig. Huh.
Don't worry about the semi-eidetic memory. I'm fairly sure I got (un?)lucky enough to have one... and I made the mistake of reading My Immortal. But on the bright side, I can remember stuff from as far back as three years old, and I never let my mom forget that she promised I'd go to Hogwarts when I turned eleven. For some reason, she hasn't followed through with that. :/
I figured both of them being newbies was the best approach since Randa and I are new to this whole shebang. I don't know how long we'll work together, since we only have a year of high school left before we'll split for college. In that case, I might have Randa retire or whatever and Rina'll get a new partner. You know, assuming I stick around that long.
You don't mind if I glomp you, do you? Because I'm just so happy right now and AJDKAJFHSBGBAKDSPARHDNENWJAGSDKAHSVE *squeal* -
What's bleepin by
on 2014-02-28 17:19:00 UTC
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I kinda new here and didn't see anything about bleepin in the wiki.
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I assume it's a typo of Bleeprin. by
on 2014-02-28 17:29:00 UTC
Link to this
There is no such thing as bleepin,* but there is an article about Bleeprin (and its derivatives).
On a related note, please watch your spelling, punctuation, and grammar. They're kind of important around here. By which I mean very important. If you need help, please ask. We'll be happy to answer questions or point out some handy resources.
~Neshomeh
* hS might get a new mini-word out of it, but they don't exist, so it's rather moot. ^_~ -
So sorry (nm) by
on 2014-03-02 04:54:00 UTC
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Hmm... by
on 2014-02-28 17:54:00 UTC
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I'm seeing a completely illegible mini-Word, since it's a medical typo and thus should be written in a stereotypical doctor's scrawl?
But no - since it's a PPC mini, I think that would technically make it a mini-Agent. Of course, since it's not from a story, it doesn't exist either way.
hS -
I think it's a manifestation of the censoring -beep- by
on 2014-03-01 17:23:00 UTC
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that you hear on the telly when people cuss on it.
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Bleepin: the act of entering Bleepfics by
on 2014-02-28 17:33:00 UTC
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Really, though, that was a typo. Sorry. ^_^'
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It wasn't your typo, so you have nothing to be ashamed of. by
on 2014-02-28 19:49:00 UTC
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The word "bleeprin" in your post was spelled correctly. Well, unless you subscribe to the idea that Bleeprin is a brand name, in which case it's a proper noun that should be capitalized all the time instead of the capital and lowercase versions being interchangeable. I've never gotten attached to that interpretation, though. What would Bleeprin be a brand of? All of the other PPC memory-altering products are derived from bleeprin or function through the inclusion of bleeprin, suggesting that it is a substance in and of itself. Would Bleeprin be a brand of bleeprin? If it's not, would the substance that is referred to as Bleeprin have a different original/official name that we've never heard of for some reason? Why would someone name their brand after the item that the brand indicates? It'd be like having Bread® bread.
Essentially, it just raises too many questions. -
It's a brand of brain bleach. by
on 2014-02-28 22:16:00 UTC
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Specifically, it's a combination of bleach and aspirin manufactured exclusively by the mini-Aragogs of the Hogwarts Fanfiction Academy. Accept no substitutes.
Or you could go with the logic that it's capitalized when mentioned in "The Hogwarts Fanfiction Academy," therefore its creators intended for it to be capitalized, therefore capitalization is correct. Either way.
~Neshomeh -
A question. by
on 2014-02-28 10:02:00 UTC
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Overall, things look good, but... what department are they joining? I can't see that you've mentioned anywhere.
hS -
Forehead, meet desk. (They're in the DMS.) (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 11:31:00 UTC
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Fairy Tail Minis?! by
on 2014-02-27 23:54:00 UTC
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I was wondering what the Fairy Tail manga mini is? I was kinda thinkig a mini-Happy or a mini-Plue. But, you know, I need opinions.
I'm attempting to do an Official Fanfiction University of Fairy Tail. Ideas are needed.
~Kitty -
RE: Fairy Tail minis by
on 2014-02-28 02:50:00 UTC
Link to this
Fairy Tail doesn't even have a page, we might wanna fix that too.
Mini-Plues wouldn't work too well since Plue is tiny anyway. Mini-Tauruses would be funny. So would mini-Erzas (and maybe one could actually go by Ezra. Goddess knows I've called her that enough times.) XD -
There's a reason it doesn't have a page. by
on 2014-02-28 05:48:00 UTC
Link to this
I'm assuming you're referring to a page on PPC Wiki; feel free to ignore this if I'm mistaken.
We try to limit pages on the wiki to subjects of particular relevance to the PPC. For continua, that usually means a) there's been at least one mission there; b) there are multiple agents from there; and/or c) it's otherwise contributed something to the PPC as a whole. There are a few pages on there that don't meet that standard, but that's usually because they were added when the wiki was brand-new and nobody really knew what they were doing. {= ) However, it's PPC Wiki, not Anything Somebody Likes Wiki, so pages that get added ought to be demonstrably relevant to the PPC.
Also—you're new here, aren't you? I don't think I've seen your username as such before. You should introduce yourself and get integrated with the community a bit before going on any editing sprees. {= )
~Neshomeh -
And that's why we don't have a Puella Magi Madoka Magica one by
on 2014-02-28 10:34:00 UTC
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Currently we have two missions, two Agents and a deity. However, since Blank Sprite (aka a... Incident? Single-team Emergency? How should we call it?) heavily involves it, I guess I'll have to write it?
... I dread the day, as Madoka Magica is an heavily spoilerrific series. The kind TvTropes has the "Watch the series before reading tropes cause huge wall of spoilers" warning for.
That's it, I'm calling Desdendelle and Firemagic for help on this one. -
Oh! Oh! Can I help? by
on 2014-03-01 00:22:00 UTC
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I watched the series too! I mean, I haven't gotten into any missions for it, but still!
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Sure. (nm) by
on 2014-03-01 09:06:00 UTC
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Well... by
on 2014-02-28 15:44:00 UTC
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Considering that PMMM is indeed spoiler- and player punch-heavy, I say we stick the spoiler warning thingy at the top (the small box that says 'here there be spoilers') and write what we need.
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Yeah, I'd say go ahead on that one. {= ) (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 15:35:00 UTC
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Not quite so new. by
on 2014-02-28 05:59:00 UTC
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Seen [appropriate gender pronoun redacted by seven-in-the-morning memory] around for a few months, at least.
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Just to be clear... by
on 2014-02-28 13:12:00 UTC
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You've seen eatpraylove around for months? Are they in the chat? I've checked back to November on the Board and there is no sign of them.
-Phobos
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A PPC poem. by
on 2014-02-28 10:59:00 UTC
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If you read Tolkien, you may remember the poem Errantry, or its sibling Bilbo's Song of Earendil. The meter for both these poems is the same, and invented by Tolkien - a complex thing involving trisyllabic assonances. As Tolkien said, he only wrote one poem in it - it's just too hard.
That sounds like a challenge to me.
This is not perfect. I can get the sections to partially rhyme (assonate?), but not nearly as well as Tolkien (obviously). Still, I think it's quite nice as poems go - see what you think. (And, while you're at it - see if you can do any better!)
Darknesses
A darkness lies on all the worlds
That wrought with words should burn so fair,
Enlighten minds and uplift hearts
And worlds apart should take us there
Where fire and water spread their wings
And angels sing and mountains rise
And all humanity's desires
Are crystal spires before our eyes.
But darkness lies on all those worlds,
Wrought from words that freeze like ice
That forsake plot and character;
And every narrative device
That ought to spin a tale so fair
Is twisted there to serve the true
And honest and most wicked cause
Of fiction's flaws - the Mary-Sue!
And darkness lies on all these worlds
For pretty girls and boys so strong
Can bear no glory not their own
And, save their own praise, sing no song.
Thus, one-dimensionally formed
They barely form a plot at all
But wrench the story from its roots
And 'neath their boots they crush it all.
But darkness comes unto the worlds
Where plotholes whirl and Sues attack:
When canons see a radiant door
Their saviours draw near - dressed in black.
And, bearing emblem cactus-green,
They move unseen beneath the trees
And hunt the Sues and still their words
To shield the worlds - the PPC!
Yes, darkness lies on all the worlds
But though Sues hurl the canon down
A darkness new will break the night
And set to rights the canon's crown.
Protectors of the written plot
Who ne'er forgot the canon's song
The PPC will save the worlds
From pretty girls, and boys so strong.
And when at last their job is done
They turn as one and walk away
Until the console gives the word
To save the worlds another day.
hS -
Very nice! (nm) by
on 2014-03-04 12:32:00 UTC
Link to this
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Ermegherds purrehrtry. by
on 2014-03-01 05:42:00 UTC
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I like this a lot. And since I just had a marathon of Shakepearean plays, I think my the poetry side of my head is tired and definitely not in the mood.
(It's never in the mood, though.)
But this was fantastic, thank you! -
*in the mood to do better. by
on 2014-03-01 05:43:00 UTC
Link to this
Though apparently none of my brain is in the mood to make coherent posts. I should go to bed.
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I... well. wow. there are no words. by
on 2014-03-01 00:40:00 UTC
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*explosions of fireworks that spell out messages of praise and honour for this awesome poem and its creator*
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*Standing Ovation* (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 20:21:00 UTC
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Ooh, shiny. by
on 2014-02-28 18:09:00 UTC
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Assonance is a vowel rhyme, right? The opposite being consonance, a consonant rhyme? That would make this form sort of the opposite of alliterative verse, like what's used for the Rohirric songs. Iiinteresting! So this... let's see, looks like it's mostly iambic, and every other line rhymes in addition to having three vowel-rhymes in each line? Yeah, that would be tricky to write. I'd like to give it a try, but I'd need a subject first, and it probably won't happen.
Anyway, I like yours. It makes the PPC sound a lot more grand than it really is, but that's what makes it fun. It's something that clearly required a lot of thought and effort to make it work, and you've definitely achieved that. It works, and it makes sense, and it's a nice read. {= )
~Neshomeh -
The meter... by
on 2014-02-28 20:20:00 UTC
Link to this
... is iambic tetrameter (though I think I have one 7-beat line in there). The assonance scheme is... complex. It looks like this:
There was a merry [passenger]
A [messenger], a {mariner}
He built a gilded
To and {had in her}...
In each set of four lines, there are three separate trisyllabic assonances to keep track of. Sometimes they're straight rhymes - 'passenger' and 'messenger' - but sometimes they're just little bits - 'gONDola' and 'wANDer in'.
I'd not actually made the connection back to alliterative verse - but you're right. I suppose it makes sense, since the Hobbits and Rohirrim have a history together, that they'd muck about with the same sorts of poetic constructs.
hS -
That was great! (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 16:59:00 UTC
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Oh, wow. That's just-- *standing ovation* (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 16:03:00 UTC
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Bravo! by
on 2014-02-28 15:54:00 UTC
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Wow, and I thought iambic pentameter was difficult. This is great; I don't care if it isn't perfect. If Tolkien thought it was hard, well...
This should be framed in the PPC HQ or something. -
Awesome. by
on 2014-02-28 15:42:00 UTC
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You're right, it's not perfect, but it's pretty good nonetheless, and as someone who dabbles with poetry and its translation I can't judge that too harshly - poetry is truly a hard thing to write. Chapeau.
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:: Cheers :: (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 15:25:00 UTC
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*thunderous applause* (nm) by
on 2014-02-28 15:03:00 UTC
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This is...just...wow. by
on 2014-02-28 11:29:00 UTC
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I have no idea how the heck you got so good. Wow.