Subject: Ah, OFUSTÂ…
Author:
Posted on: 2012-11-03 02:06:00 UTC
Before writing OFAS, I checked to see if there was already a Star Trek OFU. I found OFUST, and I read it. It was decently written, I suppose, but it had several flaws, most notably no mention of minis and not being finished. So I felt justified writing OFAS.
Ooh! If you make your missions visible I can read them! In fact, I was considering offering to beta just so I could read it.
So, I'm writing the Official Fanfiction Academy of Starfleet. When I started it, I looked at the PPC Wiki and found that the minis for Star Trek were mini-Tribbles. I, almost arrogantly, decided that those wouldn't work for staffing an OFU because they're cute and fluffy, so I created my own Star Trek minis, the mini-Gorn.
In my defense, I didn't think I'd get involved with the PPC.
But now that I'm involved with the PPC, is OFAS the official OFU for Star Trek? If so, how can we reconcile mini-Gorn with the already established mini-Tribbles? Could the Star Trek mini be a shapeshifter, or can they coexist?
This is fanfiction. Write what you like, and as long as it's good (and not plagarism, etc), people will like it. Especially given how thoroughly abandoned OFUST:DS9 appears, I'd say you're free to use whatever minis you like.
Also, if there are still berths available, I can be on the next train for San Francisco...
...that you want to apply for OFAS, yes, applications are still open. In fact, I have very few applicants, since I posted it under crossovers. Your application form is in the second chapter. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8528580/1/The-Official-Fanfiction-Academy-of-Starfleet Hope you like it!
I don't know if you have any plans along these lines, but if you ever have a need for PPC agents in the story—extra security, fanbrat intimidation, the yearly catastrophe, whatever—Agent Supernumerary would like to be kept in mind. He is a quiet but devoted Trekkie and would love a chance to spend some time around something he likes for a change. He even took his name from a funny story about redshirts where they were all named like that: Ensign Extra, Ensign Cameo, Ensign Walkon, etc.
Ilraen wouldn't mind, either. Nume forced him to watch TOS and a lot of the other series while they were quarantined in the Macrovirus Epidemic, so he's qualified.
If you need fanbrats, though, I could probably come up with something. *g*
~Neshomeh, who has been trying to bring her knowledge of Star Trek up to speed for years thanks to Nume's insistence on knowing something she doesn't; has yet to make it through any one show in its entirety, though.
...I was trying to process your offer. See, I read a lot of missions on the wiki, and I read a lot of Harry Potter ones because a lot exist and I am a huge Harry Potter fan. (See my username). I stumbled upon some of Nume's missions, and he became one of my favorite PPC agents.
So, imagine my joy when I found that one of my favorite agents wants to visit my OFU! I'm already planning to have Cyba Zero's agents visit because she has a Trekverse mission, however, there will be a yearly catastrophe where some backup will be appreciated and welcomed. Of course, he could visit earlier, but I know that he can come then for sure.
That will be pretty far into the future, though--I'm still busy writing the first day of classes. In the meantime, your application is in the second chapter. http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8528580/1/The-Official-Fanfiction-Academy-of-Starfleet
Oh, and out of curiosity, which series are you and/or Nume familiar with? Favorite series, characters, episodes, alien races, etc.?
I'm flattered that you like him. I know he has fans, but it's still a little weird for me. I love him, but he's mine, so it doesn't count. ^^;
Anyway, anytime you want to bring him in is fine by me. Just let me know what you have in mind and we can talk details. Meanwhile, I'll come up with a fanbrat for you to torture play with. {= )
It's hard to pin down how Nume feels about the various series without being entirely versed in them myself, but I'm sure he's seen everything except Enterprise, and maybe even some of that, too. He's nostalgic about TOS, having grown up with it, but I believe the general consensus among hardcore fans is that TNG is the best of the spin-offs, so I imagine that's his second-favorite. He's probably willing to appreciate when things are visually/technically/narratively/acting-wise done well, but it's always hard to muster up real affection for anything if it's "just not the same" as your object of nostalgia. I know he hates the 2009 movie because of what they did with Spock (his favorite character) and Uhura. Something about them ruining the point of the character or some such.
I, on the other hand, love the movie, and I'm really looking forward to the next one. I've seen bits and pieces of all of the series excepting Enterprise, starting with DS9 when I was a kid. I think it was on after X-Files, which I watched a lot. I was a big fan of Odo and Garak, and I really want to go back and watch it through now that I'm older. Haven't gotten around to it yet, though.
I've made efforts with TOS, TNG, and Voyager, and gotten the farthest with TNG so far. Q (and John de Lancie in general) is awesome and I wish there were more of him. TNG in general has an immensely talented cast, which is no doubt what makes it a favorite. Patrick Stewart as Picard, Whoopie Goldberg as Guinan... and I do like Data a lot, too, though not quite to the degree of most of OFAS's student body. {; P Oh, and must not forget Geordi. Reading Rainbow... in... spaaaaaaaaace!
My favorite in Voyager is the Doctor, hands down. Nobody else even comes close, though perhaps surprisingly, I have a bit of a soft spot for Neelix, too. Kes is okay sometimes, annoying other times, but since both my favorites seem to like her, I guess she gets a pass.
As for TOS, I think my favorite is Sulu. This is mainly because George Takei is a godly human being and we should all be more like him, but you can't beat an entrance that involves running around with a fencing foil and no shirt on. Pure awesome. ^^ Also like Bones and Yeoman Rand, who is one tough lady, and of course everyone's favorite green-blooded, pointy-eared Vulcan.
By the way, are you aware of the Alien Voices audio dramatizations by Leonard Nimoy and John de Lancie? They don't seem to have it on the site, but try to find "Spock vs. Q" if you haven't heard it. ^_^
~Neshomeh
Since your OFU covers more than the one spin-off covered by the other OFU, I think you are justified in using a different mini type. However, that doesn't automatically mean the PPC will retroactively change what we've been using.
Unfortunately, may of the Star Trek missions listed on the Star Trek page of our wiki are either deleted or friends-locked. Of the ones still readable, one of Tawaki's is the only one that features mini-Tribbles. Further, I'm fairly certain we haven't had any ST missions in a good, long time. It will ultimately depend on what writers of ST missions choose to do, if and when we start seeing some again.
Anyone else with a more solid idea of the situation want to weigh in?
First of all, I read the DS9 OFU and it didn't include minis, so honestly I don't consider it a point. In fact, I see it as evidence that my OFU is the right one. :) A little cocky of me, yes, but an OFU without minis?
I didn't expect that the mini would be changed to accommodate me, I was looking to see how to reconcile the two. Maybe the minis are shapeshifters, or they change once they enter OFAS, or maybe both exist, and you can get either. The last would make it easier for Cyba Zero's agents to visit.
I have read all of the Star Trek missions, and my sister Apricot and I plan to write Star Trek missions eventually. We wanted to clear up this mini issue first. And, of course, Permission.
The DS9 OFU refers to mini-Tribbles, but we don't see any of them. And from the chapter seven reference, it doesn't sound like they would work as OFU guards. (Picard asks the students to return any mini-Tribble they find to his office.)
You've got Q on the staff of your OFU, maybe he altered the mini-Tribbles so OFAS wouldn't need to hire guard-minis from another continuum? That would mean any mini gained through OFAS would be a mini-Gorn, but minis found other places could be either mini-Gorn or mini-Tribbles.
Q is a good deus ex machina for Star Trek.
I must not have read carefully.
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2151276/7/OFUST-DS9
OFUST: DS9 Chapter 7:
Quote: 'Captain Picard spoke, "Unfortunately, there is another not-so-small problem. The mini-Tribbles have been either kidnapped or are on the loose. The Bog Kween and Dater are extremely fertile and will breed like mad if we do not find them soon. If any of you find a mini-Tribble, please return it to my office immediately. We don't want to become overrun by them. If you are Klingon, please disregard this, otherwise you may get bitten. They don't like Klingons you see."'
It is a fairly long one, and there are mini-Tribbles (which hermione of vulcan and I were planning to have invade her OFU in a crossover, but that could be tweaked). I might post it up soon and let everybody point out any errors, because I think firemagic mentioned in a recent post about being snowed under in the Real World.
We could come up with a reason for why which type spawns, although from reading OFUM recently, I thought I saw mention of a few minis of creatures other than Balrogs (the mini-Watcher being one I'm pretty sure I remember, and I reckon there were others too, just not many).
My thoughts: mini-Tribbles - common; mini-Gorn - rarer species preferring the specific climate of OFAS, or localised mutation due to Q/too much badfic/canon self-defence.
... there is OFUST: DS9. (Link: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/2151276/7/OFUST-DS9). However, the dates suggest it has been abandoned since 2004.
There is a list of OFUs here (link: http://www.misssandman.com/LOTR/ofum.html) but that seems rather old, too.
As the other Trekverse OFU is listed as DS9, and yours is very much Original Series/Next Generation/Voyager, I'd say you might get away with it. I would suggest seeking advice from more PPCers than just me, though - someone who has been here longer might have more experience of this sort of thing. That or an agreement on general consensus, I'd say.
If you somehow managed to contact Hellfire04, even better, but things are looking a bit quiet in that department, so I don't rate your chances of a response there.
Also, it looks like Firemagic (my beta), has been snowed under in the Real World (Firemagic correct me if I am wrong, but didn't you recently post something to that effect?). I was considering making my missions visible and letting any Boarder who finds errors point them out so I can fix them.
Before writing OFAS, I checked to see if there was already a Star Trek OFU. I found OFUST, and I read it. It was decently written, I suppose, but it had several flaws, most notably no mention of minis and not being finished. So I felt justified writing OFAS.
Ooh! If you make your missions visible I can read them! In fact, I was considering offering to beta just so I could read it.
...they should be visible now. Please tell me if they're not.