All good points, and very true.

Um Hi Newbie Bearing ...I don't think this counts as a gift? by RandomPasserBy on 2017-02-27 07:44:00 UTC Reply

Hi.
Um, I'm new here and really bad at social interaction, but I recently bought a new book and I thought I'd mention it to you guys because it seemed like the sort of thing you guys would like and after so long reading your missions but never joining in I wanted to give some entertainment back.

...Er, there is a mention in one bit that 'metaphorical Sue detecting devices tend to explode around cases of it' [multicolor eyes, FYI] which made me think it was written by someone who knows about the PPC, so it's possible that this is already old news to you all.
Anyway, there's a book just out on Amazon called Help! My Story Has the Mary-Sue Disease. http://tinyurl.com/j2j2j5l
I bring this to you because I thought some of you might like it. But then giving you guys a link to a shopping site might be a faux pas and ...you know? I'm just going to show myself out before I dig myself in deeper.

BOOK! by The Triumvirate on 2017-03-04 13:05:00 UTC Reply

You brought me a book. This book involves something possibly originating from one of my favourite groups of people of all time.

You are my friend forever.

I bring you a comparatively paltry Newbie Gift: a full set of Roleplayer's Dice. It's fairly standard - d4, d6, d8, 2d10, d12, and the ever-important d20. Please, accept my humble offering!

--Calliope
Welcome by Bram on 2017-02-28 18:50:00 UTC Reply

Have a purple glitter gel pen. Your agents aren't allowed to use it to fill out mission reports.
Hiyo there! by HerrWozzeck on 2017-02-28 17:49:00 UTC Reply

Welcome to the PPC! We're all a little crazy, so... stay! We don't mind people that dig in deep as long as they're not bad folks!

As a welcome gift, have this: https://youtu.be/AZra3ydYytU
Old news! by Larfen J. Stocke, esq. on 2017-02-28 06:05:00 UTC Reply

Well, I've never heard of it!

So it probably is old news. Older than three months or so, at least, which is about as far as my memory extends before everything gets all cloudy and wobbly and half-existent.

And I'm pretty sure it's not a faux pas, but maybe I've forgotten that, too. I dunno. If we have torches and pitchforks and we're throwing them at you and screaming 'And stay away from our daughters!' then it was probably a faux pas.
But that won't happen, because, not only is everybody here incredibly nice and accepting, but everybody here is too poor to throw expensive pitchforks and torches at people!

Looks an interesting book! I'll keep an eye on it, and probably not get to buying it until a decade or so, given my massive reading list!

Also, welcome!
Welcome aBoard, fledgeling PPCer! I hope you stick around! by Cat-on-the-Keyboard on 2017-02-28 04:40:00 UTC Reply

I remember I was bone-shatteringly nervous when I made my first post (a year ago). I revised it about ten times before hitting the "post" button.

~~Bribery to encourage you to stay and talk to us~~ My gift to you, in congratulations on your first post:

The book looks super cool. I haven't been around long enough to know if the author's a PPCer, but I'm sure they've heard of us, if they've done thorough research into those who fight against "the Mary-Sue Disease." After all, we're a well-known group. Practically famous. Aren't we? We're probably not. Still.

--Key, and a Tubecat
Interesting! Hey, guys, do we know an L.C. Morgenstern? by Neshomeh on 2017-02-27 21:34:00 UTC Reply

'Cuz they sound pretty cool to me. Check out the summary of that book, it seems like our cup of tea.

Thanks for dropping this by, RPB. Do come again. {= )

~Neshomeh

I'm willing to bet that's a pseudonym. by Huinesoron on 2017-02-28 08:58:00 UTC Reply

I can't be the only one who immediately thought of W. Goldman's abridgment of the classic Morgenstern novel, can I?

hS

I did have that thought, yes. ^. ^ by Neshomeh on 2017-02-28 15:08:00 UTC Reply

Buttercup is sort of a Sue, isn't she? Beautiful, snobbish, expects everything her own way all the time...

I guess she learns better in the end, though. More or less.

~Neshomeh

Expectations do not a Suvian make. by Huinesoron on 2017-02-28 15:42:00 UTC Reply

When you come down to it, I'd say most protagonists expect things to go their way (except the ones in hopeless wars, I guess). The key is that, for the realistic ones, it doesn't.

The interesting thing about The Princess Bride - book or film - is that virtually nobody actually given what they want, for vast chunks of the story. Instead, they spend their time getting captured, thwarted, stabbed in the middle of their climactic fight scenes, dying... come to think of it, even the framing characters don't get handed what they're after (such as 'people liking the Morgenstern' or 'the kid listening quietly').

What The Princess Bride does, and does exceptionally well, is take all of those 'I didn't get my way' and turn them into 'so now I'll make it happen myself'. Comedy aside, the characters are extremely proactive - even Buttercup, despite being a literal Damsel In Distress. They have to actually work to get to their goals. It's not something you see all that often, even in good literature (see: Harry "I was sneaking around for kicks and I stumbled across the ~~Philosopher's~~ ~~Sorcerer's~~ Philosopher's Stone).

hS

All good points, and very true. by Neshomeh on 2017-02-28 16:14:00 UTC Reply

I think what I meant was taking it for granted that things should go her way. A slight but important difference.

What does Buttercup actually do proactively? I ask because it's been a while and I really don't remember anything much besides "Farm Boy, polish my saddle" and "It doesn't matter. My Westley will come for me!", not because I doubt you. {= )

... Oh, wait, she does try to escape from Vizzini and them by jumping overboard and swimming for shore, doesn't she? That's one thing!

~Neshomeh

She drives a ton of the plot! (Obviously, spoilers included) by Cat-on-the-Keyboard on 2017-03-01 02:13:00 UTC Reply

She's the one who resolved the Tough Guy Stare-Off on the edge of the fire swamp by trying to compromise. An incredibly naive compromise which has exactly the opposite of its intended effect, but which determines the entire rest of the story. She agrees to marry Humperdink in exchange for Wesley's freedom. Later, she realizes that giving up the man who climbed the Cliffs of Insanity for her is kind of a jerk thing to do, and takes steps to get him back -- which fail, because again she naively assumes that Humperdink is a decent person who isn't plotting to kill her. The reason she expects Wesley to come for her is because she thinks he's in command of a fleet of pirate ships and has been sent a message explaining the situation -- the reason this is an unrealistic hope is because he's lying dead in a basement. She's perfectly proactive, but the problem is, her plans are inane. She spends so much time trying to think and plan: she's not that bright, but she shines what light she has constantly. I admire her a great deal.

--Key practically has the book memorized
Well, again: by Huinesoron on 2017-02-28 16:56:00 UTC Reply

If you take it for granted (and are wrong) that you'll be fine, that's a perfectly massive character flaw... ^_~

It's been a while since I saw or read it, too... doesn't she pull a 'I will kill myself and ruin your plan' maneuver at one point? It's a fairly Disney approach to the situation, but (assuming she can't actually fight or escape) it is moderately proactive.

hS

I assume that's not Kippur, right? (nm) by Desdendelle on 2017-02-27 23:13:00 UTC Reply

It's not the name they were using last time, no. (nm) by Huinesoron on 2017-02-28 14:40:00 UTC Reply