Um...yeah, I can't think of much.

New stories! (Also, several re-releases!) by Zingenmir on 2017-06-28 21:34:00 UTC Reply

What it says on the tin.

First, the proper story, with thanks to Karen DuLay and PoorCynic for their betaing:

In the interlude What'll I Do, Dawn turns to one of her oldest friends for advice. (Set March 2017).

--

Next up, the re-releases! These are all related to the Purim RP. I’ve been running it every year since 2014, and I’ve generally opened with some form of drabble. I thought it was about time that I gave them their own documents and posted them as semi-canonical. There’s also one in the list that’s never been seen before!

So, without further ado, save to say that I have no record of any betaing (but that if it happened, I’m quite grateful):

The Purim Party Invitation (2014)

Two Elves and a Song (2015)

Tales in the Nursery (2016)

Come As You Aren't (set Purim 2017), not previously posted.

--

As you may have guessed from both the last story on the list and the fact that it’s now almost July, I will not be running the Purim RP this year. Should anyone else want to make it happen, you’re quite welcome to; I ask only that you (a) check with me first and (b) let me look over the opening post for accuracy. I can also provide you with the collected past opening posts (and the partially drafted one for this year), if you want; I’m pretty sure all or most of them are now off the Board, and I’ve got the formatting preserved. Those contain the usual rules, as well as bits of introductions (like "what is Purim?" and "what happens at this party?")

There will at some point be a post explaining why the Purim RP isn’t going to happen (at least, not by me) this year, but I’m no longer sure when that’s going to go up. I’ve been drafting it since…well, it was certainly in the works by May. However, I then proceeded to go on vacation, and right now I’m in the last days of packing to go abroad for a year and don't have much time for anything else. At this point, it’s just going to take as much time as it takes: packing takes precedence.

In the meantime, stories! Enjoy? Comments welcome!

~Z

The dreaded nitpicker is back. by Hieronymus Graubart on 2017-07-02 13:51:00 UTC Reply

"Tales in the Nursery":
Owain looked up blue eyes bright in his pudgy little face.
Punctuation is my weak point, but I’m quite sure that there should be a comma between "looked up" and "blue eyes".

"Come As You Aren’t":
PPC gatherings are very important for building morale and, and cooperation between agents and departments.
I’m not entirely sure that the double "and" is intentional, although it appears to work for me (conveying that Dawn is excited and speaks a bit faster than she can think here?).

As always, I enjoyed reading your stories.

HG

Herr Nitpicker! Herzlich Willkommen! by Zingenmir on 2017-07-08 20:25:00 UTC Reply

You're quite right about the comma; I sincerely hope there originally was one and it got lost, but who knows. At any rate, it's in there now. Thank you.

And yes, the double 'and' is intentional.

Glad you enjoyed! And glad to hear you always enjoy! That's nice to hear :)

~Z

I liked the interlude by Tomash on 2017-06-29 06:59:00 UTC Reply

Hope Dawn manages to get a partner eventually.

I can try to scrounge up actual detailed feedback later, but I figured a post like this is better than nothing.

- Tomash

Actual detailed feedback is good. by Zingenmir on 2017-07-08 20:14:00 UTC Reply

Though yeah, even this post was nice to get. Also, it's entirely possible that actual detailed feedback is now hard to give without rereading, so don't feel obligated. Glad you liked it!

~Z

I figured that post was better than the usual silence (nm) by Tomash on 2017-07-08 20:16:00 UTC Reply

Indeed. The AO3 kudos button would probably be good for here (nm by Zingenmir on 2017-07-08 20:29:00 UTC Reply

Yeah by Tomash on 2017-07-08 20:38:00 UTC Reply

I guess we could try for culture change?

Like sort of agree that posting "I liked it (nm)" in response to a mission or anything else is, well, not ideal, but OK, and better than just keeping quiet. Or maybe even that, if you've posted that sort of general comment, going back later and leaving a detailed review is encouraged, but not obligatory.

- Tomash

It's a good idea, but... by Zingenmir on 2017-07-08 20:43:00 UTC Reply

...it takes more steps than just pressing a kudos button. You have to click for the option, then fill in three fields...it could take off, but it is a little unfortunate that no sort of 'like' button is a possibility.

But on the other hand, as no such button exists...yeah, that *would* be a nice culture change. I'd try to help start the trend (if enough people start leading by example it might catch on, right?), but I don't currently have so much time for mission-reading...maybe later in the year.

~Z

There's never enough time to read stuff :( by Tomash on 2017-07-08 22:41:00 UTC Reply

However, on the technical problem: I don't know how much control we have over site, but if we can sneak in <script> tags on every page, I can potentially make a thing that'll hack in a Kudos button.

Failing that, there's browser extensions that allow you to inject Javascript into pages which are fairly easy to set up once someone gives you the script. We could have a "Board Enhancement Script" that would add that (unless there's some things about how the Board works on the backend that would make it harder).

- Tomash, with the crazy ideas

...Can someone inform me what Purim is? by twistedwindowpane on 2017-06-28 23:58:00 UTC Reply

Sorry, I'm new to a lot of these Board traditions.

-Twistey

Purim... by Zingenmir on 2017-06-29 03:16:00 UTC Reply

...is a Jewish holiday. It celebrates the salvation of the Jews of the 4th century BCE's Persian empire, and of the Jews of the capital city Shushan (often written as Susa in English). King Ahasuerus' advisor, Haman, had plotted to destroy them all on a specific day; in the end, the actions of the secretly (until that point) Jewish Queen Esther saved them. There's a good deal more detail than that, which can be found in the biblical Scroll of Esther or in various summaries online.

Today, Purim is still celebrated all over the world. Its name comes from the word for 'lots', which were cast on Haman's orders to tell him which day to choose. The requirements are to hear the Megillah (scroll) read, to give gifts to friends and to the poor (generally food items for the first and just about anything for the second), and to have a festive meal. Traditions include dressing up (as anything remotely appropriate, with the Purim story's characters being popular especially with children--basically, anything goes but it's not generally like Halloween with its rash of "sexy ____" costumes), eating three-cornered cookies with filing which are called hamantaschen in English (via Yiddish...), and drinking until you can't tell Haman, the villain, from Mordechai, a hero (Esther's uncle who raised her after her parents died and saved the king's life once and--well, for all that he has two recorded bits of dialogue, he's quite important). The drinking is "ein ohNESS"--not obligatory. (The wording comes from a feast in the first chapter of the scroll--basically, there's plenty to drink but no one is forced to drink it.)

In the PPC... basically, it becomes a themed party RP. Somewhere, someone in the PPC is throwing an annual Purim party. And everyone is invited! Including Boarders, if they're a bit discreet--not that the agents know that. Permission is not required. Costumes are highly encouraged. Refreshments are provided. I keep meaning to put in a bit of personally recorded megillah reading--it's sung, as all Jewish biblical texts are--but haven't gotten past making the recording to date. Maybe I'll post it in the next one.

Hope that answers some questions! Past that--go forth and learn, if you so choose! (Or ask me more questions, I guess. That's a thing too.)

~Z

Ah! That clears things up! by twistedwindowpane on 2017-06-30 01:14:00 UTC Reply

(Meanwhile in my brain, Inside Out style...)
Joy: Restrain The Thing before we start typing, otherwise it might take over our keyboard.
The Thing: I am not an 'it'- *gets shoved in a cage*
Joy: Now, all of you stand back. I'm going to take the lead here.

Huh! That's actually quite interesting, and a pretty cool story, too! Stories from religious texts are always fun to hear. (I'm atheist, but I love learning about other people's beliefs.) These requirements sound almost too easy to be true (and yeah, I agree with your lament on today's Halloween trends), but I think I could probably join the RP if it happens this year, since I don't have any agents yet...

Joy: If we can keep The Thing under control.
The Thing: CALL ME BY MY REAL NAME! I REFUSE TO BE DISRESPECTED SO!
Joy: (looks back) Shut up! Now back to typing...

Anyway, are there any requirements I need to know about other than both what you said and keeping The Thi- I mean keeping myself from screwing up? Please respond ASAP, it won't stay in the cage for long and it's tiring for us to put it back in again.

-Twistey

Requirements for what? by Zingenmir on 2017-07-08 20:12:00 UTC Reply

The RP? Celebrating Purim? Something else?

~Z

(Apologies for the vanishing act--I just moved countries.)

(Apology accepted.) by twistedwindowpane on 2017-07-18 00:18:00 UTC Reply

I guess just any behavioral and costume standards. Aside from *ahem* the obvious. ;P

-Twistey

Um...yeah, I can't think of much. by Zingenmir on 2017-07-22 22:29:00 UTC Reply

Rules and guidelines for the rp exist in the previous opening posts, while for the holiday... It depends how traditional you are, but...yeah, I don't really know what to add. Characters from the Purim story are traditional, especially for kids (primarily Mordechai and Esther), it's a different atmosphere to Halloween, um...yeah, that's what I've got. Behavior is, well, have fun and... don't be disruptive at times when you're not meant to be, unless you're too young to know better? Don't pressure people into drinking? Regular appropriate behavior, really.

If there's anything more I can clear up, just let me know and I'll answer as best I can.

~Z