Oh, gamm on; that was awful. (nm)

Things I wish I knew as a newbie by Iximaz on 2016-01-26 21:23:00 UTC Reply

1) Don't beat yourself up over a single typo. Especially don't feel bad about typos if you decide to post from your phone. (Though you should still check for SPaG anyway.)

2) Don't post from your phone. That'll just give you problems.

3) You're going to read the Wiki a lot. This is good, because you're going to learn a lot... but you're also going to forget to do that history assignment until the last minute because you got caught up in reading about C-CADs and D.O.R.K.S.es. It's okay to not have the Wiki memorized; its there for a reason, after all.

4) You're going to tackle Legendaries. Breathe. Don't stress about it. You did okay... I think.

5) You're going to make some absolutely amazing friends through the PPC. This place is going to become your Internet family. So go ahead, introduce yourself, and for god's sake stop worrying about looking like a fool! You're in for some of the best experiences of your life.

So what does everyone else wish they'd known as newbies?

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I wish I knew how to sew buttons back onto my pants (nm) by Dark Brother 16 on 2016-01-28 02:06:00 UTC Reply

Wow, I meant "sow" (nm) by Dark Brother 16 on 2016-01-28 02:07:00 UTC Reply

What do pigs have to do with buttons...? (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-28 02:20:00 UTC Reply

I like to use bacon instead of thread (nm) by Dark Brother 16 on 2016-01-28 03:41:00 UTC Reply

So your pants... by Fasoula on 2016-01-28 04:35:00 UTC Reply

are hamstrung together?

I dunno. I'm very tired :( (nm) by Dark Brother 16 on 2016-01-28 04:59:00 UTC Reply

Wouldn't want to boar you. (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-28 05:03:00 UTC Reply

Oh, gamm on; that was awful. (nm) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-28 10:09:00 UTC Reply

Come now, was it really sow bad? I'm not persuided. (nm) by Fasoula on 2016-01-28 12:26:00 UTC Reply

Then we must persuade you! Chop chop. (nm) by Scapegrace on 2016-01-28 13:28:00 UTC Reply

Pig puns, really? Sorry, it's snout my style. (nm) by Matt Cipher on 2016-01-28 14:50:00 UTC Reply

I'm not much of a pun person... by Desdendelle on 2016-01-28 15:03:00 UTC Reply

So have a cute pig straight of GImages instead.

Don't be afraid. by Fasoula on 2016-01-27 16:19:00 UTC Reply

You are going to be stupid sometimes, and that's okay. You will not be everyone's best friend, and that's okay too. Do your best and make yourself known. Watching and waiting will get you nowhere, so take a breath, relax and make a friend.

Also, don't expect everything you write to be your magnum opus. This is a community, not a dissertation committee. A mistake or two could do you some good.

See you soon,

Someone who wishes he'd known better.

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Cannot think about anything who wasn't already covered. by Hardric on 2016-01-27 08:11:00 UTC Reply

I especially agree with Huinesoron's point. Once you signed in, you'll never go away, mainly because you'd have to be mad for doing this.
Pretty much three things. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-27 07:50:00 UTC Reply

1/ You will be here forever.

2/ There is no escape.

3/ And that is absolutely fine.

hS
Sometimes, chatrooms will be abandoned by Mister Shoebox on 2016-01-27 05:45:00 UTC Reply

but that doesn't mean that people aren't still buddies. Also sometimes good friends vanish for no reason only to be seen completely randomly in another chat, and that's going to be...kind of awkward. But fun.

Also you don't know how bad it's going to get - you Think you do, but you don't. So find a vet and ask for help.

Is the IRC still abandoned, then? by Huinesoron on 2016-01-27 09:15:00 UTC Reply

I know you said last month that it was dead, and July suggested you try to revive it. If that hasn't worked, I'd like to remove it from the Board header for streamlining reasons.

I'm not suggesting shutting down the website, or even deleting it from the Wiki. But... at the moment, we direct people to the IRC to 'continue a long discussion from the Board or just hang out and chat'. If that's not true, then the Header is, um, a lie.

hS

*Sighs* Yup...That might be for the best in the short term by Mister Shoebox on 2016-01-27 18:11:00 UTC Reply

The IRC, despite my best efforts, still hasn't brought in as much attendance as I would like. I think that a temporary removal from the board - temporary being the key word here - would be best. For now. Like you said, it's making a monkey out of the header.

Not going to give up, though.

Write the Mission Now by sjosten on 2016-01-27 05:21:00 UTC Reply

Seriously past me, you won't have time when you get to college. Write the mission now while you have time.

One more for the Never Wrote The Mission club by Tomash on 2016-01-27 06:19:00 UTC Reply

I've had some pretty busy semesters lately, so no time.

Don't mistreat other people just because they're being nice. by SkarmorySilver on 2016-01-27 04:27:00 UTC Reply

And that includes hurting their feelings without even realizing you're doing it. Everyone has feelings and if you harm them even without knowing it, they WILL be bitter with you over it no matter what you say.

And on the flipside, if your friends are doing something wrong and they haven't realized it, don't hesitate to tell them. It could save you and everyone else a lot of embarrassment later.

(I actually feel I should've known the first one especially since 2011, but c'est la vie.)
You don't actually have to write missions. by Calista on 2016-01-27 03:58:00 UTC Reply

I know, I know, I have permission and I have agents, but I've never written a mission.

What I didn't know at first was that that's a perfectly legit thing to do. I write nonfiction. I write essays; I summarize research. I like the PPC and I've worked on the wiki, and I read pretty much every new mission.

But it really was silly of me to think that I HAD to write missions if I wanted to be in the PPC community. If I prefer to write about facts and ideas instead of making up stories, there's nothing wrong with that, and I'm not lazy for doing it.

This is super very true. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-27 09:08:00 UTC Reply

Some of our oldest Permission Givers never wrote missions. BeautyID? Bjam? GreyLadyBast? Never wrote a single mission. For that matter, Miss Cam and Thalia Weaver only wrote cowrites with Jay, not anything of their own.

Many, many of the PPC's highest-profile members in the old days were not mission writers.

hS

Erm... by Voyd on 2016-01-27 02:54:00 UTC Reply

Probably something along the lines of "you're better than you think you are."
"You're not as smart as you think you are, or as sick." (nm) by Scapegrace on 2016-01-27 02:15:00 UTC Reply
I still consider myself one, but... by Matt Cipher on 2016-01-26 23:18:00 UTC Reply

The most important one would be "Don't overcomplicate things"... another one would be, "GET THE BLOODY HINT SOMETIMES!"
Wait your turn in RPs. No exceptions. (nm) by eatpraylove on 2016-01-26 23:11:00 UTC Reply

Clarification by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-01-27 04:26:00 UTC Reply

What's NOT waiting your turn in an RP? Spamming constantly?
Or is there some other rule that I don't know?
I haven't RP'd a single day in my life. I might also just be dumb.

Ping-ponging, mostly. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-27 12:54:00 UTC Reply

That is, "exchanging" posts between a couple of people without waiting for the rest of the RPers to catch up.

Right. Cheers. (nm) by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-01-28 04:44:00 UTC Reply

Mostly the same as your fifth point. by James Shields on 2016-01-26 22:42:00 UTC Reply

I wish I hadn't taken my sweet time in deciding to introduce myself. Because yes, this is the most amazing, most welcoming and warmest community I've ever been to! You guys are some of the best friend I have ever had and I wish had decided to be here sooner, so that I could have spent even more of this absolutely amazing time with some of you.
I'm still technically one, but... by DCCCV on 2016-01-26 22:13:00 UTC Reply

Don't get an account, and sign up for emails. I now refresh mine like every 20 minutes. Logging in is a pain.