Subject: I love those questionnaires.
Author:
Posted on: 2016-02-16 22:18:00 UTC
I use them for role-playing characters. I just can't RP a character if I haven't got a good idea of who they are.
Subject: I love those questionnaires.
Author:
Posted on: 2016-02-16 22:18:00 UTC
I use them for role-playing characters. I just can't RP a character if I haven't got a good idea of who they are.
And it would be called "Which Department Are You Really Suited For?" You know, for the times when you're making a new agent but don't know where to put them. Like a problem I'm having right now... *ahem* I think it would be fun!
So what kind of quiz? For the agent, or for their writer?
Because, of course, your goals as a writer are different from "your" goals as an agent.
As a writer:
--If you're going to Bad Slash, of course you have to have read and enjoyed at least some *good* slash. If you're not into reading romantic fiction, DBS is probably not your thing.
--Writing assassinations means writing about your assassins killing something that's... well, not quite sapient, but that at least looks like it ought to be. So you'll be writing death scenes.
--Floaters don't specialize; on the other hand, Floaters can't specialize. That means you can do literally anything in terms of missions, but it also means you aren't going to get much guidance on what you should be doing.
--High-power departments like ESAS, Special Sue Unit, etc., are pretty tempting because of the sheer variety of powers available; but they're also more challenging, because either your target fic, your agents, or both, are going to be high-power level characters. Those are always hard to write while still avoiding glitter. On the other hand, it's about the only way you're going to fit your dragon, Q, or 10th-level D&D wizard into the PPC.
--DIC. Implausible crossovers. Must be a crossover fan; must be able to write stories that involve untangling crossovers rather than Sue-killing or exorcisms. Maybe a bit trickier because Untangling doesn't have quite the natural endpoint that a DMS or DBS mission does.
--Grammar nut? Try the DTE. But only if you can write about bad grammar, horrible spelling, and clunky composition, and still make it funny.
--DOGA and Temporal Offenses are for writers who are good at keeping maps and timelines in their heads, no doubt about it. Remembering where things should be and how big they should be is important when you're exposing your poor agents to the twisted geometry of these badfics. On the other hand, you might get to give your agents flamethrowers, so there's always that.
--DoWTF. Like weird fics, weird settings, badly written crackfic? This is for you. Be prepared to deal with the weirdness. Maybe it's best if your agents are pretty weird themselves. (Think Doktor Trollenfisch. That is all.)
Rare fandoms: For fans of the classics, indie or less-popular works, or things that just don't get a lot of fanfic. Shakespeare scholar? Lover of indie computer games? This is your department.
Troll Division; Bad Parody: PPC fluff hasn't been quite fluffed out here, but if you want to deal with trollfic, here's your chance. If you wanna kill the troll, you gotta find it first...
Department of Angst: Want to expose your agents to badly-written, over-the-top depressing fics? Here's your chance. Hope you have a good grasp of psychology to counter all the Bad Psychology.
Department of Improbable AUs: For want of a nail, the fic became horrible... Are you good at answering "what ifs"? Have your agents crack down on the writers who use AU as an excuse for bad writing.
DAVD: Badly-written torture!fics, mass-murders, and gorn. You'll probably need some knowledge of medicine and psychology, as well as a strong stomach. Or at least a bucket to upchuck into.
Intel: A cross between action and non-action; your agents might be monitoring fics from PPC HQ, or entering fics physically. Intel is interesting because you don't actually get to fix the fic yourself--your agent would experience it, but (if things go right) not get involved. Intel is the department most likely to be sent into a goodfic.
Infrastructure: These people don't go into fics at all, but they do work at PPC HQ, and that's an interesting setting to write about. If you keep thinking of interludes, but aren't really all that interested in writing missions, consider an Infrastructure department.
I think that a planning sheet for the writer and a character chart for the agents might be okay... I hate filling out forms, and I never know what I'm doing until I start doing it, so as long as it's highly suggested instead of mandatory it shouldn't be a problem for pantsers.
http://www.epiguide.com/ep101/writing/charchart.html
I usually don't worry about their "significant past jobs" unless the detail is relevant to the story.
I use them for role-playing characters. I just can't RP a character if I haven't got a good idea of who they are.
I read this, and had vague memories of making something similar way back. So I went on a trawl through my Livejournal.
Protip: never look through your old journals.
Anyway, this is what I dredged up:
You know you're from PPC HQ when... (and Valinor, and Earth).
Somewhere, saved on a computer, I also have a copy of one of those 'If [...]... you might be a PPC Agent'. The one line I remember is:
If you know the origin of the phrase 'there's never been a Star Trek episode about THAT'... you might be a PPC agent!
hS, keeper of old stuff
...but for fun.
Where an agent goes, department wise, should honestly depend on what you the writer want to do with missions.
July, thinking back to ye old days of Quizilla
Though it could easily translate to an in-universe quiz, but that would take away the fun of agents being assigned to departments they're not a good fit for. :P
... but the department could be full. I get the impression that agents are assigned where they are needed, which doesn't always match where they want to go.
Who says anyone has to pay attention to the quiz?
After all, it only takes a rubbish bin and good diplomatic skills to make said quiz have technically never existed.
Or a pair of hands capable of shredding movements and bureaucratic laziness!