Subject: Lemme tell you a story.
Author:
Posted on: 2015-01-21 00:51:00 UTC
It's about a girl who, when still new to a strange land, was given a cup of tea and some great advice from a total stranger. She didn't care much for the tea, but the advice stayed with her, and she looked up to the person ever since.
I think you'd be great at the job too, but of course, you don't have to accept. I just wanted to share my own cup of tea. ;)
Do we need and/or want some?
On the one hand, while we have a pretty large number of PGs still in the PPC, very few of us are active on the Board. The last five or so Permission requests have all been answered by me (I think), for instance. And we've all had the position a fairly long time, and been around for even longer - the 'youngest' PG is Phobos, and hands up if you remember him joining. (The hands are rhetorical)
But on the other hand, there aren't many Permission Requests at the moment; I can easily stay on top of them by myself if I need to, and I know Nesh and Phobos at least will jump in if they see a need. And since the only role PGs have is granting Permission, it's not like we need an excess, or have a quota, or anything. We're not leaders or moderators, it's not a reward or mark of honour - it's a job that, right now, doesn't really need many people in it.
So I'm pretty much on the fence as to whether it's desirable/necessary to vote in more. What do you think? Feel free to debate/argue/anything. Hopefully a vague community consensus will emerge as to what we should do/not do.
And to save space and time, if you think we do need new PGs, go ahead and nominate. Nominees should have been an active member of the PPC community for the last six months minimum, and should have Permission themselves. No self-nominations, please; and if you get nominated, please either accept or refuse the nomination. (And this isn't the place for voting; that'll be a later thread, if it turns out the community wants to go ahead with it)
hS
These three certainly deserve the Hat Of Permission Giving.
That hat, does it go well with a shabby brown longcoat?
...I feel like I'm getting greedy here.
... no, hang on, typo. I meant *nothing.
I mean, at one point, they were quite stylish. But in, oh, 2010 or so, I foolishly asked the Board what we should do with our Hat supply. Which led to this:
Yeah, they don't look so good any more. ^_^
hS
Shabby brown longcoats are obviously superior to denim jackets.
As one of the permanent lurkers, I'm not sure how much my opinion counts fore, but I think y'all would make great PGs.
Desdendelle and PoorCynic were the second and the third person who came to mind. If I had not been dragged away from this thread and returned only right now, I would certainly have nominated them – although I couldn’t have explained the reasons as good as others did here. I also thought about doctorlit, but somehow I felt that he shouldn’t be nominated.
Should I worry that these weird Empathic Powers make me a Gary Stu?
HG, supporting all nominations.
I have a weird knack for guessing what people are about to say before they say it. It tends to freak them out.
After all, I've brought this up to both you and Nesh for awhile as a percieved need. I'm far for having a new set of PGs around.
For what it's worth, I'm definitely for having new PGs who've been around and have an excellent grasp of the community these days; I've fallen kind of out of things just due to having left for well over a year and then being busy these days fighting for justice.
That said, I personally agree heavily with the choices of PoorCynic, Iximaz, and Desdendelle as our next Permission Givers.
...I, Skaer'morys the Silver, hereby nominate Lady Iximaz and PoorCynick as well! I choose the former for her spirit and bravery, as evidenced in our ongoing quest to train my newly acquired decadent proto-bird, Velociripper. And I choose the latter for his wonderful use of constructive criticism and analysis of technique, which has helped me bring to heel two other recent acquisitions - the flesh-eating pegasus, Rayner, and the demonic entity, E.V.L.
Getting back to seriousness, I'd also like to nominate doctorlit, but he's politely refused, so I'll also throw in Desdendelle for his help with my first mission and call it an answer.
No, you've got the wrong person, I didn't do nothing, I swear!
-Backs off with his hands raised-
In all seriousness, though, I'm not nearly good enough to be a PG.
Mostly because he's a darn good beta reader, and a great member of the community. What I could say, others have said much better.
...What? You expected that in Knight Jumper's voice? Oh, fine. Here:
"Ser Jumper!"
The knight turned towards the young page, Tristram. "What is it boy? I thought you were busy tending to the horses?"
"Yes ser, I was, I was doin' a fine job o' it too, ser, but an' mesenger came by! Tol' me to tell you somthin'."
Jumper glared at the boy, waiting for the news. "Well? Shall I hear the news, boy, or shall we stand here till the End of Days?"
Tristram scratched his head. "Well, ser, tha's the problem, ser. I cannot recall..."
Jumper scowled at Tristram. "Stupid boy! Disturbing me while I am preparing for the next attack on the Marizu, and with nothing to show for it!"
Tristram mumbled under his breath, "You's been 'preparin' for near a year 'n a half..."
Jumper raised his hand. "Perhaps rattling your brain can jog your memory!"
Tristram covered his face, cowering. "No, ser, please! I remember! I remember!"
"Well? Out with it!"
"The knight Desdendelle wants to be a baron! He asks for support!"
Sir Jumper groaned, lowering his hand, and massaging his face. "Another? What has gotten into these people?" He sighed, turning back to his work. "Tell Sir Desdendelle I do not oppose his bid for baronship. However, I cannot lend him any aid, nor any further support. I am stretched thin as is with my support of the Lady Iximaz and the Cynic. Tell him I hold him in the highest respects, and I wish him the best of luck." He looked over his shoulder. "Are you writing this down?"
Tristram scribbled furiously on his parchment. "...'old in highest respect, 'n wish 'im best o' luck... Got it!"
Jumper nodded. "Good. Now, off with you! And don't bother me again!" Jumper sighed, as the young Bronee child scampered off. "I swear, if one more knight asks for my support, Six help me, I'll..." He shook his head, and continued sharpening his blade, Printworthy. "Nearly ready, old boy. Nearly ready..."
The knight glanced up from the missive she was writing. "What is it?"
The dusty and disheveled messenger held up a scroll. "The petition for aid!" he cried. "Sir Jumper has agreed to an alliance!"
Lady Iximaz took the offered parchment and unfurled it, her brow furrowing as she read.
"Excellent," she declared at last, letting go of the parchment and allowing it to roll up on its own. "In the event that the Baron Huinesoron does not agree to peacefully cede some of his lands, Sir Jumper will be a great ally." She sighed. "Of course, I hope it does not come to that. Has there been any word from the Baron?"
The messenger shook his head regretfully. "Not yet, miss. The knights and civilians supporting three potential barons is probaby worrying him."
"Not just the knights and civilians," Lady Iximaz said with a small smile. "Some of the barons themselves have stated their support."
The messenger boy's mouth fell open, but he quickly regained his composure. "Is there anything else you require, miss?"
"As a matter of fact, there is. Send word to the rest of the barons and the other would-be barons. I have yet to formally announce to them my desired lands. I do not request much, so, Jaikaiar willing, it will be granted to me in the event of a treaty." She glanced at the sword and shield mounted on the wall. "And tell them that I am willing to use force if necessary."
He stood in the Eyrie, high above the walls of Castle Kwenaya. From here, the whole isle of Konti-Nyuum was spread out before him, the vast plains underscored by the towering peaks of the Wattuf mountains. It was a land at peace - but also a land of tensions.
"I'm beginning to think this expansion of the Council is a bad idea," he said.
The Lady Kaitlyn stood at his side, hands clasped behind her back. "But wasn't it your idea in the first place?" she asked.
"With some... prompting," Baron Huinesoron admitted. "But the messages we've received have me reconsidering. Thanasius Ampelius is a prominent candidate, and he dwells in the heart of Ozerbord. The Lady Iximaz is making noises in our direction as well. The only one I don't fear will try to divide the Refuge is the Poor Cynick - but even is rumoured to have grand ideas."
"The division of the realm is beyond our power," Kaitlyn reminded him gently. "The Edict of Bast will be followed to the letter - and not an inch more."
"I know - I know." The Baron folded his arms across his chest and stared out into the darkening sky. "But still, I fear the consequences - for the people, what few of them we have."
"Hmm." Kaitlyn turned to look out over Ozerbord, then leant back against the rail and smiled at her husband. "You know, I rather think I have an idea about that..."
~
And no, it's not "If the Baronial Council wants a war, we'll give them one." ;) As I said, all new PGs (once we get to the voting stage) will be given a chunk of land corresponding with their desired countries of residence, and I'll do my best to be fair about it. Though don't expect Baron hS to be happy about it, even with the Duchess' plan...
hS
Sorry about the "If the Baronial Council wants a war, we'll give them one" thing. ^^;
It's almost tempting to ask you to throw the PG election, just to see how Lady Iximaz would react to being thwarted... but real!PPC processes come first, fortunately. ;)
But either way, there'll be at least one more opportunity for Plort posts - the announcement of the election winners, whoever those turn out to be. Both winners and losers (if there are any losers; at the moment, we have three candidates, and we often create three PGs at a go) will doubtless have something to say; so, for that matter, will the Barons whose land has just been handed off...
hS
Also, I promise Lady Iximaz won't ask for much. Just a tiny spot on the coast so she can better continue her raids on the Marizu. :)
As of last time, we let people cast as many votes as they liked, then gave out PG hats to the top... well, I think it was 'two but the third place is joint with the second'. My thought is that a couple of votes either way isn't really a significant difference, so I'll probably give a little leeway on that score. I'll be starting that thread when I'm sure we've had all the nominations we're going to - probably after the weekend.
(Oh sweet Kanun and Spelin, she's after Critta-Kalthin, isn't she? That's the only usable coastline I've got - and I just spent six months building a proper port there!
But yeah, I tend to draw boundaries along geographical features, so northern Barony Huinesoron is a prime candidate for splitting off. So is southern Phobos, eastern Neshomeh, and, uh, northern Araeph and Cassie, though both their castles are in that region. Oh, and it looks like eastern Dann could go, if we have someone who wants to set up shop in Iric.
But really, it all comes down to where people say they're living. If necessary, I could chop off the southern half of Ozerbord, or massive chunks of Wechi, or even split Barony Araeph in half along the Hyparlink road. No-one'll get short changed - at least not until the Council convenes)
hS
"Not just them, my Lady. Not just them."
From out of the darkness came a voice like a winter's wind in springtime, biting through lamb's wool and freezing the good seed. It was accompanied by a tallish woman dressed as a tatterdemalion, the only colour the gaudy yellow of an old paper crown atop her head.
"There are those who dwell upon the road, Lady, away from high castles and high politics. The Gone-Away-Queen and her Lurking Court will run for you. Aye, run, for no beggar or wanderer or homeward-bounder stays to fight, but none do see them, fair Lady mine, none have a care to look upon them. An idly tossed ha'penny and a kick from the guards for free, and we are put from their minds like filth for a midden. But we see, so we do, oh yes, we see..."
The figure walked forward, gait knock-kneed and stiff with cold, every movement jerky as a badly-made puppet's. "We do see all, fair Lady mine, and we are not seen. Tha's seen me afore today, mark you well, when I were a bright an' shiny little harlequin fer the merriment o' children and the like, but tha's not seen me since. My Court looks and sees and will report, in writin' for them as can read. I'll tell 'em to, fer I'm their Queen, a queen of rats and rottenness, a queen of the midnight alley, a queen of those who hide and are hidden.
"Tha knows me by another name, and tha'll remember if you dare. But now, my fairest Lady, tha'll call me by my deeds. Tha calls me liar and cheat and, yes, vagabond, as befits my Court. Tha calls me beggar and scrounger and mendicant, parasite and plague-bringer and drug-addled caitiff, an' all is true for it's a Lady as does the telling of it. Call me this, highborn."
The woman smiled, yellow in the candlelight.
"Call me Scapegrace."
It's Thanasius Ampelius, not 'Desdendelle' (unless you want his evil twin Death Dendle), and he's a monk. Ish.
I never said Sir Jumper was the sharpest blade in the armory. He may well have thought the evil one was the good one.
Or maybe I was too lazy to look you up in the Cyclopedia and just copy-pasted your board name because most people went with that anyway. Just change all references to Desdendelle to Thanasius and we should be good. Sorry about that.
Again, you've put up with me for long periods of time, which I believe is illegal under the Geneva Convention. You helped to elevate my first mission from something decidedly average to something, well, of the quality one expects of the PPC.
That's sort of what PGs are meant to do: to lead by example and keep the PPC flag flying. You do all that already. Making you a PG just makes it official. =]
Come on guys, chant with me!
DES-DEN-DELLE! DES-DEN-DELLE! DES-DEN-DELLE!
Wait...dammit Urist, get back here! Ugh, Gyarados these days. No respect, I tells ya.
It's about a girl who, when still new to a strange land, was given a cup of tea and some great advice from a total stranger. She didn't care much for the tea, but the advice stayed with her, and she looked up to the person ever since.
I think you'd be great at the job too, but of course, you don't have to accept. I just wanted to share my own cup of tea. ;)
I may be kinda biased in this regard, but I can't really think of a reason why you wouldn't make a good permission giver. You've got good judgement, you're more than experienced enough over here, and you're willing to lend hands to folk who ask for it.
Des, you've done an amazing job showing how far someone can get with growth and a willingness to change- you started off on rocky ground, but no one can say that you don't exemplify the PPC community on multiple levels- beyond just writing and as a participant- now.
Seriously, you've more than earned the nomination.
-Speechless-
I think that settles it, then. I shall take this responsibility and do my best, if that is the community's will.
Onwards to gloryisms and stuff.
Was it because I said, or because a gang of people agreed? :P
Both, actually. But, to be honest, I value your opinion greatly, so even if the other people wouldn't have chimed in (so to speak), I'd have seriously considered accepting the... nomination? anyway.
It was actually my heart-wrenching story that was so moving, you were compelled to rethink your entire life and have now decided to take up shepherding. :P
I'm sure I speak for everyone when I say you'd be great if you get picked. Wait, I'm just reiterating stuff. You know what? I'm rambling. Take these brownies as a 'yay!' present.
That was only, like, 6 years ago. Had a different name back then, of course.
Anyway, I have been thinking that we needed to have this discussion. I know that I am not as active as I could be, for a variety of reasons (a major one being that Nesh has primary custody of our sole working computer).
I don't have any nominations to add, at the moment, but I will think about it.
-Phobos
She has proven herself time and time again, in both strength and heart. Her missions against the dread Marizu have brought much fortune and favor to these lands. She has conducted herself honorably in battle, and charitable at home. She has given much joy to the citizens of Plort over these many months, by sharing her wealth and wit with the people of Plort. Truly, is there any other more worthy of rising to Baron? Neigh, I think not.
Should the Barons find Lady Iximaz fit to stand amongst them, I shall pledge my sword to her service; to settle her lands, and defend her honor. And, naturally, slay Marizu.
He has always provided sound counsel for citizens dreaming of Knighthood, and knights wishing to hone their craft. While he may not know it, I have read his strategies against the Marizu, and found them to work marvelously. Well, in theory, at least. My ship is not quite ready to sail to Marizu lands just yet to test my skill you see, and... Oh, I ramble.
The fact remains, he has already proven himself to be a leader in these lands. If he is to accept his nomination, I shall lend my voice in his favor as well.
Regrettably, I will not be able to lend much aid towards him, should he rise to Baronhood. I can provide some of my horses, fine Bronee stock, to assist in settling his claim on Plort. Beyond that, I can only wish him the best of fortune in his endeavors, whatever they may be.
I blame Real Life—I accepted a leadership role I shouldn't have, it's been a source of a lot of stress, and as a result I've been feeling fairly allergic to anything that resembles committees and small-group politics. The good news is that my term is up this spring and I am so outta there. {= D
I've been against starting this discussion at all for the above reason, but now that it's started... I'm not against the idea of new PGs. I don't know if we need them, but as others have pointed out, new blood and representation of newer generations of Boarders is probably a good idea.
To that end, I fully support the nomination of Iximaz, and I also nominate PoorCynic and doctorlit. They've both been around a good while, they know what's what, and they have shown themselves to be leaders in the community, IMO. (Sorry, hS, but I'm pretty sure we lead by example, if nothing else, what with PGs needing to be knowledgeable, trustworthy, active, good at what we do, etc.) In addition to writing great spin-offs, PC and doclit are some of the best reviewers we've got, PC has his excellent series of workshops, and doclit has done great work on the wiki and in preserving old PPC works for posterity. Plus they're just good guys, which is at least as important as all the rest put together. {= )
So there's that, if they accept and we go ahead with this.
~Neshomeh
Thank you (as well as everyone who seconded me) for the vote of confidence. I'm happy to help this community however I can.
PC
You have my cup of tea (and my axe)!
Both know their PPC stuff, and seem to have their heads firmly screwed on.
Not really much else I can add to what Nesh said. From what I've seen, he's definitely someone you can trust when it comes to betaing. :)
I do support PC and Iximaz, though. They're great team members, and definitely understand the workings of the community.
With the requests so spaced out, I've tended to get on them within a day or two - and you're still our all-time hardest working PG by a long way. Given that I spent a couple of years not thinking about Permission at all, it's fine for you to drop out when you've got something like that looming over you.
hS
... Wait, doctorlit still isn't a PG? I thought he was...
After all, I think that since they handle, well, Permissions there is no such thing as too many of them.
Also because, well, lately all or nearly all Permission Requests have been handled by you, Nesh or Phobos as you say. So yeah, I think we can use more.
About who... I... urgh. Have no idea, sincerely. (And that's kinda embarassing since I qualify as an oldbye. Whoops.)
There’s a revolution at hand. Shall some Barons be overthrown? Shall we defend status quo with our lives? Will there be a civil war?
I don’t need a bloody revolution.
But if the Barons are willing to give some of their power and their territories to a new Baroness, or if we, the Knights and Civilians of Plort, can wrestle some land out of their hands without too much bloodshed, then I support the nomination of the Lady Iximaz.
Hieronymus the Hermit
... I do have a plan for Plort. ;) Essentially, I'm going to ask any new PGs we get which country they want to live in, and then arbitrarily cut a chunk out for them. ^_^ In-universe, I imagine there's a ridiculously complicated formula defining the creation of new baronial territories, laid down by GreyLadyBast before she left. Then, naturally, there will be negotiations over the borders during the next Baronial Council (which I'm planning for June, if anyone's wondering, to with the March and September dates of the Shipfest and the Badfic Game), which may get quite heated, or even conceivably lead to war.
And, of course, Knights and Civilians can rise up and demand that their homes switch baronies - but, again, that'll be in the thread in June. (Which I have quite a lot planned for... :D)
hS
Would it be too much trouble to request a minor change to my heraldry? Just an argent quill above the scroll.
Are you thinking in the same green area, on the yellow, or in the top green? (Actually putting it on the yellow would violate the rule of tinctures, so presumably one of the greens?) Either way should be doable.
hS
Thank you so much!
hS
Well, on the one hand, it might be nice to have some new blood. On the other, you guys have been PGers since the dawn of time, so everyone trusts your judgement. And I know you said it isn't a status thing, but you do make the decisions about who gets to contribute to our canon, which is kind of a big deal.
Like you said, we haven't had so many Permission Requests that you couldn't keep up, but what if there was a sudden influx in the future?
I'll tentatively say adding someone is a good idea, but... well, I'm not entirely sure who I'd like to nominate. Could I come back to that?
I haven't been around that long, but you've always been beta-ing for everyone (including my own as-yet-unsubmitted Permission Prompts) and your own missions are always wonderful to read.
...that if I do become a PGer, I'm not allowed to approve you because of that? :P
That has no bearing on me seconding your nomination. You are helpful person. :P
I'd nominate you.
You fit every one of the criteria and you can put up with me, which shows a certain strength of character uncommon in the youth of today (durn kids git offa mah lawn i am 22 i should not feel this old). You're intelligent, you're witty, you know your way around, and I recall you from back when you were RinaAndRanda so there's definitely no problems on a timescale front.
So yeah. Consider yourself nominated, assuming you accept and assuming other people want new PGs.
Of course, since oldbies are positively geriatric, they might offer you some of these. =]
I may not be around to post much, but this is something I need to chime in about. I believe that Iximaz would make a fantastic Permission Giver, and I am glad to see that I am not alone in this sentiment. She's the one that got me into the PPC community, and she's often one of the first members to interact with newbies. She's passionate about everything the PPC stands for, and I know without a doubt that she wants the best for the PPC as a whole. This would mean a lot for her, and Iximaz would ensure that Permission is granted to those who can bring the best quality of writing into the community. Iximaz has shown maturity and responsibility, and I believe that she would be a perfect fit for the role.
tears up* I'm honored, I really am. I'll accept. And that picture made me laugh very loudly in class. Thanks. :P
I'll have been around for a year this Thursday, actually! Feels like it's been longer, but the PPC has definitely made this the best year of my life that I can remember.
