You mean...

Subject: You mean...
Author: Desdendelle
Posted on: 2016-01-22 10:28:00 UTC

You have tea and rain and green stuff and generally good weather.

Jump to this post's position in the thread ↴

Wednesday Pluggage: News from Plort, & 2015's PPC. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-20 15:27:00 UTC Reply

Plort

Following his ousting as Protector of Ozerbord, Baron Huinesoron has gotten a bit... introspective, maybe?

The Lost Baron

As with most Plort stuff, this is semi-autobiographical. I've been kind of flailing about trying to decide what I want to do on the internet, and have found myself revisiting a lot of old stuff (the fact that my latest 'series' stars Dafydd Illian is part of this). But I'm not going crazy, promise. ^~ It's also, in part, an attempt to reshape Baron hS - he's only ended up as a political schemer because I needed his voice to do things.

The PPC of 2015

Permission statistics

Last year we saw 22 Permission requests on the Board, 10 of them successful. That's about average for the Board - if you look on the Graphs tab, you'll see that Yes and No replies have always gone hand-in-hand.

2015 in PPC Fiction

Last year, we collectively wrote 178 pieces of PPC fiction (ie, narratives set in the PPC Multiverse or one of its mirrors, and published off-Board - so no Plort, and no Board-only ficlets, but yes to OFUs and AUs and the like). 106 of those were missions, which is good! 59 of the total stories - almost exactly a third - were written or co-written by Iximaz, which is... terrifying? Astonishing? I don't know which. There's graphs on the relevant tab, again, which show you exactly when the top 6 writers (which is everyone over 10 stories) were actively writing.

Anyway, the point of this data, other than staring dumbstruck at Iximaz (^~), is that Neshomeh was floating the idea of an annual PPC Fiction Awards. If you want to do it, this is the data for you.

PPC Munchkin

There's an ongoing discussion further down about PPC Munchkin. Somehow I roped myself into making cards for it, and I figured this was a good opportunity to present:

Rose Potter

She's currently at Level 28. Good luck!

hS

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Apropos statistics... by Desdendelle on 2016-01-23 16:25:00 UTC Reply

Do you have newbie statistics? Specifically, how many of them stick around?

A graph! (Also for July) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-25 15:20:00 UTC Reply

H'okay, so.

-'Remaining' Boarders are anyone who posted from October-December '15.

-The PPC gets around 5-15 newbies per month; the blue squares show a fairly consistent spread. (Look to the left axis).

-Currently, we have 44 Boarders who joined in 2015 (that's off the chart). That's good! It means about five are staying per month.

-But long-term staying power is low, low, low. There are 15 people here from 2014, out of 139 who joined. And that gets worse with each year you go back. For 2004, 2006, and 2007, there is only one Boarder remaining. July is right.

Des, you're currently the 7th highest (recorded) poster of all time. You joined in 2012, which means you have four surviving yearmates. I joined in 2003, which means I have three yearmates! ... yeah.

(All figures are... well, actually all figures are precise, it's just that the joining figures include things like the Badfic Game, typos, 'Anonymous'... but those don't make any difference to the 'remaining's.)

hS

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Looonely~ by JulyFlame on 2016-01-27 20:07:00 UTC Reply

I am so looonely~

*cough*

But yeah, yikes, wonder what the deal is with 2006/2007 for there to just be two?

-July, proving that one is indeed the loneliest number
When did I join anyway? by Tomash on 2016-01-26 06:04:00 UTC Reply

I swear it was somewhere around 2012, and I lurk much more than post.

Unrelatedly, the "people remaining" curve looks exponential-ish. Hm. I'm not sure how not-good that is. I'm now somewhat curious whether this pattern is just us or other places on the internet.

July 2011. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-26 09:19:00 UTC Reply

On the -- hang on -- 25th, apparently. Though weirdly, your first post was the only one you made that day... usually I see massive numbers of posts as people reply to their newbie greetings. You seemed content to sit quietly.

2011 is one of our most popular years - you have nine compatriots! Good for you...?

I suspect that an exponential-ish curve is pretty standard for most places. It'll be different in the sort of place that build up an established membership and then stopped (so forums for old computer games, for instance), but for your standard internetty place, it sounds fairly normal. Not that I have data for that!

hS

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I switched names near my Permission request (nm) by Tomash on 2016-01-26 14:38:00 UTC Reply

Ah! Thou villain. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-26 15:01:00 UTC Reply

People who change their names are the worst. They mess up my numbers (and there is of course no greater sin).

hS

Hey! Coming up with a good username is non-trivial by Tomash on 2016-01-27 06:24:00 UTC Reply

And I'm sorry about your stats, hS.
*slinks away and hides* (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-26 20:41:00 UTC Reply

I'm still not talking to your first username. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-27 09:29:00 UTC Reply

"Why yes, let us use near-identical names with parenthetical clarifications, and on occasion omit the parentheticals! What a jolly jape it shall be!"

(^_~ All in fun. I'm fully aware that spreadsheets aren't as important as, er, most things. Also, the fact that your early posts aren't counted will let me stave off surrendering the most-posts-ever title a bit longer when the time comes... :D)

hS

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Three answers: by Huinesoron on 2016-01-23 17:12:00 UTC Reply

1/ Yes.
2/ But it's really depressing.
3/ And I'll give you them on Monday.

hS

I figured as much. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-23 18:25:00 UTC Reply

There are a lot of newbies who post once, then vanish.
Mmhm. by JulyFlame on 2016-01-23 18:05:00 UTC Reply

The attrition rate in general has always been fairly high.

-July, who's pretty sure she's the only one from all of 2007 remaining

I have a graph for that. ^_^ by Huinesoron on 2016-01-23 18:09:00 UTC Reply

... which I'll post on Monday. (I'm not [just] being difficult - my graph is in Excel, while my computer only has Open Office...)

hS

Professionalism by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-01-21 05:40:00 UTC Reply

This is so professional. Instead of taxes and whatnot, though, we discuss Munchkin and Plort.

Speaking of Plort, I imagine that one day I'll find context for that story, and it'll be so dramatic that I'll fall off my seat and smash my head open on the floor behind me. I'm fine for now.

Plort? by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 05:42:00 UTC Reply

We have a Wiki page for that.

In fact, have an entire Wiki!

Plort. by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-01-21 06:26:00 UTC Reply

Don't worry, I know what Plort is. There's a whole wiki!
(I find the Great Western Highway rather amusing. I live pretty close to something named exactly that.)
Though, I'm not entirely certain as to the series of events that lead to Huinesoron's shield based midlife crisis.

But Borrd is abandoned, by Jove!
That sounds bad!
Sorry if it's not!

It goes roughly like this: by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 09:46:00 UTC Reply

-Ever since Plort's creation, I've used Baron Me as a mouthpiece for making changes by diplomatic process. That's accidentally turned him into a scheming politician. See the Tale of the Election of Four Barons for an example (and The Eagle's Shadows for how the populace interpreted it).

-A few weeks ago, the Board and Other Board crashed due to the host being attacked. That's what led to Borrd being abandoned (temporarily; everyone's back now, because Plort is biographical, and everyone's back here now).

-In response to that, I suggested that T-Board be made the official Other Board. Which, in Plort terms, means Tomash becoming Protector of Ozerbord.

-Abruptly losing his position of power made Baron Me realise that he'd, y'know, been clinging to power with a death-grip, which isn't precisely what his coat of arms suggests he's like. Hence... well, this.

hS

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Whoa by Larfen J. Stocke, esq on 2016-01-21 10:15:00 UTC Reply

I honestly didn't expect real events to tie in THAT much. Cor. I'm impressed. I feel like that kind of stuff oughta be recorded somewhere on the wiki.

Also, I can't decide whether his transformation into a sneaky bugger reflects badly on you or politics in general.
Don't worry, though. I think you've earned to right to be a sneaky bugger.

Date Joined by Mattman The Comet on 2016-01-21 03:40:00 UTC Reply

I first posted my join date on April 27, 2015.
Yay, data! by Neshomeh on 2016-01-20 17:17:00 UTC Reply

... Now I'll have to go re-read that thread to remember why we needed it. ^^; Was it to see whether there were enough stories to support the awards? ... Or, the number of categories, was it?

In any case, my horrible memory aside, thank you for doing this. And also for doing things, which I initially typed instead by mistake. ^^;

Speaking of things, I was actually sort of hoping there might be another Ardolindi so I'd have an excuse to show you something, but I'll do it anyway. I recently discovered that there's an official soundtrack to go with the 1981 BBC radio dramatization of LotR, and it's all right here on YouTube. Dunno about anybody else, but that intro is instant nostalgia to me. Hearing the music in full is really, really awesome. Kinda reminds me of Ralph Vaughan Williams.

One of the things they did really, really right was to include a lot of the poems and set them to music, so there's bound to be something Dafydd might want to comment on, for better or worse. (There's a lot of good, but also some rather odd, if I'm being honest.) At least, I hope so. {= )

(Also, speaking of music, I finally got McCaffrey/Opland/Freeman's Sunset's Gold and listened to it yesterday, and it's great—even better than the Masterharper of Pern CD, I think. If any Pern fans out there do not have these yet, they need them, stat.)

~Neshomeh, who will try to comment more on this stuff.

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Several reasons. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 09:40:00 UTC Reply

Partly that, and partly so that people could see what stories were published last year. It's very difficult to remember what was early '15 and what was late '14, and if you've only read things in catch-up mode... eesh.

I have... never actually listened to the radio LotR; the only contact I've had with it is... was it Suedom that had that one chapter set in the radio dramatisation? I forget. I shall have to pull it up when I get the chance. Thanks!

Iiii actually got the Masterharper of Pern CD for my birthday! I haven't listened to that, yet, either, and now you're telling me there's a better one? Eesh.

hS

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Right-o. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 17:54:00 UTC Reply

Ooh, it seems you have lots of good listening ahead of you. ... And now I'm imagining us getting together, you with your harp, and having a good old Pern sing-song. ^_^

(Which, alas, probably can't happen this summer, as I'd hoped. My job situation plus a cousin getting married have thrown a couple wrenches in that plan. Le sigh.)

~Neshomeh

Yeeeees. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 09:27:00 UTC Reply

Though I will need to track down more of the sheet music to do that... also learn to play slightly faster than 'dirge'.

(Aww. :( What about the dim future year of 2017?)

hS
(Any chance I can put forth the argument for next year?) by JulyFlame on 2016-01-22 08:38:00 UTC Reply

(I'm just saying.)

-July, UKtrip or bust?

I support any year, personally. by Scapegrace on 2016-01-22 16:49:00 UTC Reply

Especially since it means meeting up with friends. =]

Oh, btw, hS, if you wanna do another Gathering for British Boarders then, well, take your pick as to the location. =]

Do we have anyone else left? by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 16:55:00 UTC Reply

You, me, and Kaitlyn, but Irish has gone all quiet again, and... is there anyone else? Haven't seen Cassie-from-Up-North in a while, so...

hS

... Huh. by Scapegrace on 2016-01-22 17:08:00 UTC Reply

That's... yeah. Well. My girlfriend has yet to join the Board yet, but I... can't really think of anyone else.

Ahem: BRITISH BOARDERS! SHOW YOURSELVES IMMEDIATELY! =]

I also support this. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-22 16:16:00 UTC Reply

Phobos and I were never coming for less than a week. What's the point of going abroad if you're not going to stay a while? {= )

Of course, it'll depend on the usual constraints of money and time off and money, but dammit, I am getting back to England eventually.

And hey, hS, you'll have plenty of time to work on your harping. There is an official songbook, btw, if you haven't seen it. Theoretically there will be one for Sunset, too, but it's already been a long time since the CD was released, so who knows?

~Neshomeh

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Hmmm. Time for email planning, perhaps? by JulyFlame on 2016-01-23 08:46:00 UTC Reply

To begin seeing what's workable? Mite early for 2017, but it is another country, across the ocean!

(I'm also trying to figure out how to visit relatives on that side of the pond too, so.)

-July, travel agent

Sure, can't hurt. (nm) by Neshomeh on 2016-01-23 23:16:00 UTC Reply
I've no problem with that. (nm) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-23 20:04:00 UTC Reply

I support this. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 09:23:00 UTC Reply

I mean, I support any year, including separate years. Come to England, people, we have... ehhhh... grey weather?

hS, not selling this

And greenery and all sorts of old things to muck around. by JulyFlame on 2016-01-22 12:41:00 UTC Reply

Making a mass gathering would be fun (again).

Which reminds me I really need to somehow get the report for the Well It Was Kinda A PPC Gathering 2012(?) done.

-July, who holds the record for organizing the longest Gathering if that is included.

Ya do not either. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 12:47:00 UTC Reply

Kaitlyn and I are in the seventh year of our Gathering. Beat that.

(Also, pfft, 2012? That's only... um... yeah, that's four years ago, you probably should. :-/)

I think if we managed a genuine mass Gathering it would be terribly depressing, because we wouldn't be able to make it as long as it ought to be. :( That... isn't where that sentence was supposed to be going.

hS

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Yes, well. by JulyFlame on 2016-01-22 13:05:00 UTC Reply

(Email me back.)

For one, I don't think it quite counts if you're cohabitating with them on a regular basis.

(Yeaaaah, I should. I think I've got the photos around... somewhere. Nesh, didn't you take photos, too? Maybe?)

Well, we could always aim for like a week or something; that's what the DC one was. And would possibly be feasible, too? What with us all being adults and things.

I'm still surprised that that worked out, all considering: A gathering of multiple PPCers, in one location, for that long a period, with most of them coming from out of the region, staying in one house without anything exploding except for a glass that Shoe touched.

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Totally does. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 13:12:00 UTC Reply

You're counting 'in one house for a week'; why can't I count 'in one house for years at a time'?

(Aw, c'mon, I emailled you like yesterday.)

The trouble with aiming at a week is that I only get four weeks' holiday a year; we'd be eating up a huge chunk of that. Of course, if you meant 'working week' and we crossed over a weekend, that might be more feasible... hrm. (Also, I approve of the fact that you said 'adults' instead of 'grown-ups'. ;))

hS

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Well, marriage does imply cohabitation! by JulyFlame on 2016-01-22 13:23:00 UTC Reply

I rather suspect that supercedes.

(I am a very needy person.)

Yes, well, I get 30 days a year (what a shocker, I'm nearly on par with a civilized country!).

And yeah, cross over a weekend- could do similar to what done with the DC natives, which is find a vacation house for lease for a week or so nearby you, have it run over a weekend (or even over a holiday weekend so you've a spare day off that doesn't count against?).

I've noticed that leasing a vacation house for a week is much cheaper than doing the same with a hotel, and allows for more space, ability to lie-in without questionable things going on by the other guests, and so on. Also, cheaper just by buying the groceries instead of constantly eating out.

(We are all adults, with adult money. And the same hobbies we had as children. Just with adult money. It's a terrible thing. You can buy the things! And then have less time for them!)

-July, who isn't plotting to buy a lightsaber or anything like that after deployment

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You mean... by Desdendelle on 2016-01-22 10:28:00 UTC Reply

You have tea and rain and green stuff and generally good weather.

OK, this soundtrack is awesome. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-20 18:27:00 UTC Reply

O Elbereth Gilthoniel sounds like something straight out of Purcell; Seek For The Sword That Was Broken is awesome, and Gil-Galad Was An Elven King is so sad. I really like this!

I'd plug Uriel Ofek's translation of LotR's song to Hebrew, but I don't think anybody here save for DawnFire will be able to read it.

Is it sung? by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 09:35:00 UTC Reply

Because I'm all for throwing Hebrew at Dafydd and having him struggle through on Google Translate alone. ^_^ (If it's not been recorded, though, I'm afraid it wouldn't work out.)

hS

Unfortunately, no. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-21 14:15:00 UTC Reply

Basically: the best Hebrew translation of LotR is the omnibus version published by Kineret-Zmora Bitan. The text itself was translated by Ruth Livnit; the songs were translated by Uriel Ofek. Immanuel Lotem translated the appendices and edited important things like not calling the Elves "Sons of Lilith".

However: I can attempt to record them — they're really fun to read aloud, after all.

I know tunes to some of the LotR songs... by DawnFire on 2016-01-21 20:11:00 UTC Reply

...including a set that Tolkien was somehow involved with. (I have the record! Pretty sure my dad bought it.) If you send me the songs and any of them match up (and can be sung with the tunes), I'm happy to give it a go.

~DF

The adaptation is awesome. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-20 18:59:00 UTC Reply

All thirteen episodes appear to be collected here on SoundCloud, which I've never heard of before, but I've never heard of a lot of things. ^_^

~Neshomeh

I remember these! by Scapegrace on 2016-01-20 20:29:00 UTC Reply

My mum had these on CD. We used to play them in the car on long journeys, whether I wanted to or not.

Also, it may amuse certain among the Board that Ian Holm plays Frodo in this version and Bilbo in the Peter Jackson films. =]

Okay... by Hardric on 2016-01-20 16:51:00 UTC Reply

Guess introspection is the better course of action for the Baron right now. Having been a politician and a schemer since the moment he appointed the new barons was really too much.

Thhat much Permission attempts?! This Board is really far larger that meets the eye. And Iximaz... This 100 missions objectves is comiing close at light-speed.

Rose Potter is pretty much perfect, and in a good way for once. Now, we only need the card combinaison for Rina and Zeb when they put her down...

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OT: I tried to e-mail you on Monday by Hieronymus Graubart on 2016-01-21 11:58:00 UTC Reply

" Beta Reading
Hello, Hardric,
I cannot promise that I will be able to do much before Thursday.
Hieronymus"

Just found the response:

" Undelivered Mail Returned to Sender, 20.01.2016 17:58
delivery temporarily suspended: host
smtp-in.orange.fr[] refused to talk to me: 550 mwinf5c45 ME
Service refuse. Veuillez essayer plus tard. Service refused, please try
later."

Trying again.

HG

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I finally received your second mail. by Hardric on 2016-01-21 17:12:00 UTC Reply

Did you receive my own mail, or the invitation for my document? Please tell me quickly if it's not the case.

Partial success by Hieronymus Graubart on 2016-01-21 18:55:00 UTC Reply

I received your invitation and can read the document, but Google expects me to login for commenting. With the link in the other mail, I'm expected to login even before I can read.

HG

I found a solution. by Hardric on 2016-01-21 19:18:00 UTC Reply

I created a new document and copied the fic on it. Link sharing is on and I send you an invitation for this one, so it shoould be okay. Just et me a few time for rebolding badfic quotes.

All done. (nm) by Hardric on 2016-01-21 19:34:00 UTC Reply

Yeah, I can comment by Hieronymus Graubart on 2016-01-21 22:09:00 UTC Reply

I'm going to do this tomorrow. Sorry for being so late.

HG

It's okay, most important thing was solving this matter. (nm) by Hardric on 2016-01-21 22:11:00 UTC Reply

Okay. by Hardric on 2016-01-21 19:03:00 UTC Reply

Invitation was saying you wouldn't need a signing in. How did you address the problem when betaing other GDocs? If anything, I can try to copy the text and mailing you, but I would like to know if there is another option.

Well... by Mattman The Comet on 2016-01-20 16:58:00 UTC Reply

Rina would probably have the Ranger class, as well as some form of a bow. Zeb would probably be a mount (while I do have need for steed I don't have it on hand atm), or a thief equipped with a dagger based weapon.

I was thinking about PPC Munchkin cards... (nm) by Hardric on 2016-01-21 08:17:00 UTC Reply

What have I created (nm) by Mattman The Comet on 2016-01-20 16:47:00 UTC Reply
O...K. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-20 16:41:00 UTC Reply

I did not expect to be sixth on stories published. Not at all.
Also, a 2:3 yes:no ratio. Wonder what that says about me.
Last but not least, reading the Plort piece made me sad. And feel bad for Baron Huinesoron.

Nah, he'll be fine. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-20 16:44:00 UTC Reply

Though at the moment it's a bit of a coin* toss whether he'll end up requesting that his barony be relocated (again) - partly for his own reasons, and partly because I've never really had much of a connection with the RPing side of the PPC.

hS

*Hmm, that reminds me of something...

Reminds you of something? by Desdendelle on 2016-01-20 18:28:00 UTC Reply

Is it more Plort, perchance? More Plort will be lovely.

I shall say nothing. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 15:14:00 UTC Reply

... that's a lie. But I'll say nothing helpful.

hS

I shall wait patiently, then. by Desdendelle on 2016-01-21 15:44:00 UTC Reply

Which reminds me: whatever happened to the ISpace Wars?

Good question. by Hardric on 2016-01-21 17:24:00 UTC Reply

I remember that Des' first mission with the Librarian is supposed to be the next chapter, but what about the sequel?

(Please send some fangirls to Naggaroth, Commorragh, Menzoberranzan or the Discworld. Pretty sure it will 'cure' them of their elves obsession. And any other diseases too.)

I know, I know. :-/ by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 21:08:00 UTC Reply

I'll get back to it, promise. (Though... 'the sequel'? To what? [Is confused])

(Actually, they started this whole thing by mucking about on the Disc. And they had 40K Eldar as allies at the time...

hS

Petition to send the goffik ones to Ghrond. by Scapegrace on 2016-01-22 00:00:00 UTC Reply

Witch Elves ought to deal quickly with fangirls and their ilk. Fanboys, of course, go to the Black Crag, and will mine for warpstone and... change in its fell presence.
I was talking about Des' chapter, by Hardric on 2016-01-21 21:12:00 UTC Reply

and any chapter which would follow. And that's just extra reason for letting ISpace fangirls to the good care of the Dark Eldars. If they really have to die quickly, Cerasts cults will do.

Including the fatal one called... by Desdendelle on 2016-01-21 20:53:00 UTC Reply

"Life."

Of course. by Hardric on 2016-01-21 21:00:00 UTC Reply

But before that, they make sure absolutely no other pesky diseases will impede their art. They're far too professionnal to kill them early.

Oho. by JulyFlame on 2016-01-20 16:05:00 UTC Reply

Things I can actually see! (And are short enough for me to read before passing out.) What a surprise.

Plort

There's nothing wrong with introspection. I rather like this piece, and all the floatful rumours within.

It definitely makes sense to me, and strikes a chord here on my end, too- while I've come back, I'm a completely different person than the person who joined, much less the person who had originally left. That, and y'know, that whole getting old thing. (Because we're all old now.)

Statistics

The breakdown by who's granted and denied is ahaha... a bit daunting, oops. I didn't realise I was that stringent?

I suppose the census resultscould also be crammed into that whole thing, too, now that 2015 is truly over.

59 is indeed a high number, certainly. I'm also surprised at how much (as in, anything) I have on there myself.

...Let's see how 2016 turns out!

Munchkin

I have no thoughts or input on Munchkin because I've never played and most of the images refuse to load. For this, I will blame the FCs. (Even though they have nothing to do with the internet.)

[Also also also email me back.]

-July, HTML'd.

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I... wow. Heh. ^^; by Iximaz on 2016-01-20 15:58:00 UTC Reply

Seriously, a third? Jesus, what am I doing with my life?

You're not the only one staring at me. O_o

(Other than that, poor Baron hS. I feel bad for the guy. :( And the combo for Rose Potter made me laugh. :P)

Iximaz! Entirely unrelated question: by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 14:01:00 UTC Reply

If Lady Iximaz of Plort had a signature, what would it look like?

hS

Like... by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 14:53:00 UTC Reply

This.

Thank you! (nm) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 14:55:00 UTC Reply

Mind if I ask what this is for? (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 15:08:00 UTC Reply

Forging official documents, obviously. ^_^ by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 15:13:00 UTC Reply

Don't worry, it's nothing bad. It's actually the same thing I'm refusing to tell Desdendelle about.

And you're not being singled out, either. Well, I mean, you sort of are - I'm not asking Nesh or - hang on a minute.... right - or Cassie for their signatures - but what I'm doing isn't unique to Barony Iximaz.

Clear as mud? ^_~

hS

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Depends. by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 15:28:00 UTC Reply

What kind of mud we talking about, here? :P

Mine. (nm) by Ye Scape-Grace on 2016-01-21 14:08:00 UTC Reply

For future reference, Barons... by Lady Iximaz on 2016-01-21 14:47:00 UTC Reply

If you see Ye Scape-Grace's signature wherein she claims to be acting in my stead, disregard whatever it is she wrote. I speak for myself, not through others.
... I don't think that's very helpful, somehow? (nm) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 14:15:00 UTC Reply

Slight error in the PPC data. by Scapegrace on 2016-01-20 15:41:00 UTC Reply

My missions with Doktor Trollenfisch und Gabrielle are both cowrites with Iximaz. So that bumps her total up to 61. Which is amazing and slightly scary.

Also: I think we should start listing Ix Numbers. For instance, those who have never collaborated with Iximaz have an Ix Number of 0. Those who have directly cowritten something with Iximaz have an Ix Number of 1 - so that'd be me, Des, people like that. Huinesoron, on the other hand, hasn't (too my knowledge) directly collaborated on a published piece of content, but he has done something with Nesh in the past, who has cowritten a mission with Ix. This gives hS an Ix Number of 2. And so on from there. =]

Ehhhh. by JulyFlame on 2016-01-20 16:11:00 UTC Reply

Ix Numbers strike me as cliquey, to be quite honest- while I understand that's not the effect you're intending whatsoever, there's still a distinct circle that would be created from such.

People who write massive quantities set in the PPC-universe come and go- Ix isn't the first, and she very likely won't be the last, though she's certainly made made a very impressive footprint in general.

But what we should totally have by doctorlit on 2016-01-21 03:03:00 UTC Reply

that I've been thinking about frequently, but haven't had the motivation to actually post about, is degrees of separation from the Original Series! As an example:

Agent Doc communicated with Elanor Laison during one of our mailbox RPs. (1)

Elanor appeared in Crashing Down, as did Vemi Fincaran. (2)

Vemi guest-starred in the JAAKSONS spin-off of Agents Nenya and Rosie. (3)

Rosie and Nenya met Jay and Acacia on their very first day in the PPC! (4)

So Doc is four degrees of separation from the Original. Not bad, considering I joined four? five? years after Jay left.

So, how about other folks? Remember, the Wiki is your research friend!

—doctorlit, nude while the laundry runs

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We actually already have this! by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 07:52:00 UTC Reply

And hs Numbers, and Neshumbers, and the framework for Ix Numbers, and any other numbers you could wish for!

The PPC Community Spiderweb is a map of which agents have appeared on-page with other agents. The image is up-to-date to the Master List, though the Master List is naturally outdated. But if you go and update the list, I'll cheerfully update the image.

The major nexii appear to be Dafydd Illian, Ilraen, and Jenni Robinson; weirdly, the biggest bottleneck for TOS Numbers is Acacia, who's only recorded as meeting five agents (Jay, Sean - who's inexplicably listed as DMS - Lux, Nenya, and Rosie). Jay has a few more, but I'm not sure any of them interacted outside that...

hS

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Y'know, there ought to be more for Jay and Acacia. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-22 16:09:00 UTC Reply

I just noticed they're not connected to Architeuthis, which they should be. Not only is she mentioned as having reported "Chosen," but she was at the barbecue—and so were a bunch of other people who joined up in the very beginning. Those connections ought to be added, perhaps when Iximaz is done doing what she's doing.

~Neshomeh
At least six for Acacia. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 16:33:00 UTC Reply

I connected Mirrad to her, because I made him the nurse she chucked her sandal at. It's just kind of impossible to trace the lines, since they overlap a lot, and you'd have to do a Ctrl+F on the Master List to find every mention of someone on there.

I have this terrible urge to organize the Master List alphabetically so it'll be easier to tell who's listed already. I should resist this urge, because I have lots of other things to do, but damn, do I ever want to. o_o

~Neshomeh

I know; I'm going to try and fix it. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-21 16:38:00 UTC Reply

I've never really been able to get a satisfactory Graphviz plot that both shows the lines and looks nice. Given the size of it, though, I may have to sacrifice looks.

Also: yikes I wouldn't recommend doing that. The work, the endless work... :-/

hS will make a new version at some point
I could do that. by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 16:34:00 UTC Reply

Alphabatize, I mean. I'm stuck at home unable to go to classes today, so I've got some free time on my hands.

Alphabatized list! by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:16:00 UTC Reply

Linklinklinklinklink

Posted some screenshots further down the thread for some goofs I noticed.

Erm... by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 18:33:00 UTC Reply

Names in a spreadsheet aren't gonna help much, I'm afraid. If it were that easy, I'd have just done it. ^^; <a href="http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/PPCCommunitySpiderweb/MasterList">This is the Master List. Did you read up on how it works? See, there's each individual with their color designation, and then there's all the connections...

As for the goofs, the first one is Lócë and the other is Canta Enquëo, but I don't know what to do about the software not liking special characters. Maybe hS can fix it, maybe not. I'd give Rosie Cotton Bomull her full name in all instances. Don't delete anything, just make sure William's name is spelled right where it's connected to Henry Robinson.

~Neshomeh

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Well, now I feel silly. by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:40:00 UTC Reply

You said alphabitize, so... ^^; Was not aware of the Master List. Whoops. :P

So, what exactly do you want? Every individual name listed with a sublist of all their connections?

Something like that. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 18:48:00 UTC Reply

I reckon the individual names should all go alphabetically at the top, and then the connections underneath. I'm not sure what the best way to group them would be, though. Alphabetically makes a certain sense, but on the other hand, I think there's a good argument for most connections to least, if you can sort that out. That would put Dafydd, Ilraen, and Jenni in some order at the top, and all Dafydd's connections would be together, all Ilraen's connections would be together, etc. You might have to change the order on some of them in the process... like, right now there's a line with "Ithalond" -> "Dafydd Illian", which would have to be switched to "Dafydd Illian" -> "Ithalond".

And you don't want to list any connections twice, so keeping track when you get back around to Ithalond is where it gets really hairy.

You should feel free to nope right the heck out at this point. ^_^;

~Neshomeh

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I'm bored, okay? by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:51:00 UTC Reply

Got all my homework done and the next Sue I'm planning on tackling is getting on my nerves, so it's alphabetizing next. :P

I'd just have to figure out a sorting system first... (and try to not get distracted adding my agents...)

Oh, and-- by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 19:03:00 UTC Reply

I've thought of an easy-ish way to see who has the most connections, which is simply to use Ctrl+F on each name on the Master List. In Firefox, at least, it'll tell you how many hits there are, which you can then record. One will be just their name, of course, but the rest should all be unique connections.

For the record, Dafydd and Ilraen are currently tied at 66 hits, and Jenni has 74.

~Neshomeh

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Sweet mercy. How? by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 11:52:00 UTC Reply

How does Dafydd have connections to 66 agents? Well, I guess a lot of them are probably from 'Woodsprite of the North', but even so...

I'm currently desperately trying to get Graphviz to spit out a readable map. I've figured out how to increase the separation between nodes, but even with 30 additional points of separation between them, the JeNuRaen cluster still looks like this:

The two solutions I can think of are:

1/ Give everyone who has over a certain number of connections a unique line colour. This is doable, and will certainly help with them, but might not make the graph as a whole readable.

2/ Organise everyone into clusters based on department, and route out-of-department connections around the clusters. This... might or might not work. I'll have to experiment. (With a subset of the graph! I'm not sitting through 10 minutes of processing every time I want to check it!)

hS

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Sample clustered graph. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 12:38:00 UTC Reply

Located here.

I... have no idea whether this will help. It would definitely make updating the list easier, since the names are held in departmental subgraphs and don't need their own colour codes. But it's also tending towards bigger and bigger files. This one, with 63 names, is nearly 1MB; Iximaz's alphabatized (^_~) list has 333 on it, so could knock up against 5MB.

I'unno. What do people think? I'm inclined to do it just for the structure. (The links are still a huge disorganised list, so Iximaz, if you're organising those, that's still useful!)

hS

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Ooh, I think I like that. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-22 16:00:00 UTC Reply

(Oddly enough, the first link worked for me, but the second one didn't.)

The department clusters do look nice.

But on the other hand, won't it get less neat when all the DMS and DF agents are put in? Also, the advantage of the way it is now seems to be that it shows who has close ties, or at least who shares similar ties, which results in closeness on the graph, right?

~Neshomeh

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Correct. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 16:14:00 UTC Reply

I've got the whole thing set up now (aside: Dear Neshomeh, Thank you SO MUCH for putting all the names in one place, it made my job ten times easier, sincerely, hS), and Graphviz is clunking through trying to render it. It'll get there - I just don't know whether it'll get there before I leave in 45 minutes.

But yes, the clusters will lose the 'groups of friends are close together' effect, and in the last trial I ran (using all the data before yours), the DMS cluster turned into a bit of a shambles. Also, it seems to space the clusters further from each other the larger they get, so...

In theory, we could add sub-clusters for divisions, but the big departments aren't all that well division'd. I'll see what it looks like after this run.

hS

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:-/ It crashed. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 16:38:00 UTC Reply

Will try it once more, but after that it's going to be Monday.

hS

Aw. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-22 16:41:00 UTC Reply

Well, if it can't even process department clusters, I guess that'll give us our answer to that. {= P

~Neshomeh

H'okay. Functionality restored. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-24 10:49:00 UTC Reply

But not clusters. :-/ What I've done is switched over to the "neato" layout, which lets the full graph actually generate (it takes ages, but it does work!). I've been able to increase the spacing so the lines are almost traceable.

Link 1 --- Link 2

It's still not terribly pretty, but it does at least show everyone. And it ought to be able to handle the Iximaz additions I assume are coming.

Also, the subgraphs are still there, so they still make adding people easier.

hS

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Nice! (nm) by Neshomeh on 2016-01-24 21:47:00 UTC Reply
First link gives me an error. by Iximaz on 2016-01-24 15:33:00 UTC Reply

Second one's blurry and won't let me zoom in. :(

First link... by Huinesoron on 2016-01-24 15:47:00 UTC Reply

... should take you to a thumbnail error, below which is:

'Size of this preview: . Other resolutions: | | | .
Full resolution‎ (6,176 × 4,098 pixels, file size: 5.47 MB, MIME type: image/png)'

The full-size link ought to work, though it doesn't copy across well.

hS

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Found the problem. by Iximaz on 2016-01-24 16:20:00 UTC Reply

Google Chrome turns the image up as blurry but it works fine in Safari.

I can confirm... by Desdendelle on 2016-01-24 22:44:00 UTC Reply

That Chrome doesn't like the fullsize. Firefox works fine, though.

It's the size. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 16:47:00 UTC Reply

It actually can generate a graph, and did so automatically on loading - using the dot layout. But that ranks everything into vertical columns, so it just gives a huge black tower running up the middle where all the links merge together.

What I want to use is the fdp layout, which is much more processor-intensive (plus those curved lines add even more time). I would try one of the others, but unfortunately, only those two render subgraphs...

hS, still tryin'

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((Something seems to have gone wrong with the link.)) by Huinesoron on 2016-01-22 14:31:00 UTC Reply

Relink

hS
I think this looks so much better than what we have today. (nm) by Desdendelle on 2016-01-22 14:20:00 UTC Reply

Alright, thankee. by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 19:04:00 UTC Reply

Let's see how much I get done before I go nuts and call it a bad job. :P

In that case, I recommend working in Notepad. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 18:56:00 UTC Reply

That way you don't have to worry about breaking it, you can reference the original list while you work, and you can copy the whole mess over to the wiki page in one go when it's done. {= )

~Neshomeh

*alphabetized, it's always something. >.> (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:17:00 UTC Reply

Ooh, yes. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 16:42:00 UTC Reply

And you can add your guys and their undoubtedly huge number of connections at the same time, which will probably make it easier. {= )

~Neshomeh

I love how you think I can remember... by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 16:48:00 UTC Reply

...which agents mine have interacted with. ^^;

Though luckily, I've got a Wiki for that. I'll post a thing later, I'm already working on the current Spiderweb list.

Pff, you think I relied on my memory? by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 17:20:00 UTC Reply

Heck no; I had to skim through everything on my site and then some to make sure I got everyone I could.

And yet, I have no idea how Nume and Ilraen are connected to Dafydd and Constance before the Hatching RP. I didn't add those connections. I'm guessing maybe there was another RP, or a party, or something like that?

~Neshomeh

Oh jeez, RPs are included, too? by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 17:25:00 UTC Reply

In that case, uhhhhh....

:P

(Am currently up to 177 names and about a third of the way through. Why's William Marshall on the map twice?)

Sure, if they're canon for both parties. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 17:45:00 UTC Reply

Dunno what you mean about William Marshall. I only find his "Name" [color] line once. Almost everyone is going to show up multiple times as connections.

~Neshomeh

Have screenshots. by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 17:50:00 UTC Reply

Ohhh, it's misspelled in one. by Neshomeh on 2016-01-21 17:56:00 UTC Reply

Looks like I mistyped it in Henry Robinson's block of connections. Mea culpa.

~Neshomeh

And another thing: by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:12:00 UTC Reply

Got two Rosie Bombuls in here:
So... by Iximaz on 2016-01-21 18:05:00 UTC Reply

Should I delete one of them? Make one of them William Marshal?

Also, help with a few others, please?

And

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Yeah, please let's not. (nm) by Iximaz on 2016-01-20 16:24:00 UTC Reply

If we are doing this in the same vein as Bacon Numbers... by [EvilAI]UBEROverlord on 2016-01-20 16:01:00 UTC Reply

Wouldn't it be more appropriate that Iximaz is the only one with an Ix number of 0?
But of course. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-20 15:50:00 UTC Reply

There were always going to be errors - I guarantee there's something missing in the entire year of posts I had to read back through. I went mostly by whose name was in the post, so I guess those were posted just under your name?

(Also, I only see one mission with them... did I miss one somewhere?)

Yikes. This is the sort of thing that needs to be mapped, isn't it? (It's also the reason I insisted so hard that the Riding of Sittorese should exist - seriously, there's this huge nexus of people who interact in cowriting and beta'ing to a massive extent.)

hS

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Indeed. It's another mission! by Scapegrace on 2016-01-20 16:10:00 UTC Reply

Brevity: Not Always the Soul of Wit, posted on 30th June. =]

Thaaat was already listed as a cowrite. by Huinesoron on 2016-01-20 16:15:00 UTC Reply

So she gets a nice round 60.

hS

... Well, now I feel dumb. by Scapegrace on 2016-01-20 16:24:00 UTC Reply

Apologies for the error, I just couldn't find the mission in there. =]