Subject: I've been pronouncing it Acara this entire time.
Author:
Posted on: 2022-02-13 00:22:01 UTC
Oops.
(For reference sakes, I've pronouncing it like the Neopet species that I keep mispelling Acacia as. First selection under Neopet at this page.)
-kA, who is aware of how silly this is. Their brain is just silly.
(Precise date uncertain)
Looking back from 20 years later, it's hard to know how popular Protectors of the Plot Continuum was when it first came out. Certainly, the first mission was a big enough hit that it received multiple reviews in the first couple of weeks it was up - and that HarpWire put in the time to write a second. Four days after "Rambling Band" went up, Acacia was talking about the second mission being in the works; our best guess is that it came out around the 10th.
As before, I'd like to invite you to read along with PPC+20, and experience the early days of the Protectors of the Plot Continuum in real time. I certainly will be!
The badfic was suggested by Architeuthis, and had been previously MST'd by Al's Waiter. If you want to read the full story (as far as it was ever written), I've archived it here: Chosen, by Kaos Girl
hS
I like heavy metal, and when I heard about Jay and Acacia listening to Rammstein, I decided to look them up.
Did any of you ever meet Jay and Acacia?
She dropped in... must have been late 2003, early 2004 to say hi.
I also spoke to her on MSN Messenger in 2004, after I posted "The Daughter of Jay and Acacia" on the Board. Someone had told her about it, and she messaged me to say she and Acacia both found it funny (and were okay with it existing). I think we talked a few times after that, though not at any length.
As you can imagine, I was extremely starstruck and probably borderline incoherent.
Kaitlyn, our still-occasionally-resident Ancientest of Ancientbies, tells me she remembers Jay (as Otik) still being an active poster when she joined - but doesn't remember Acacia posting much.
(From what I can tell, HarpWire was Jay's FFn account, with Acacia a co-author specifically for the PPC; so I'm not sure Acacia was ever as involved with the community.)
hS
(Precise date uncertain)
Once they got starting, Jay and Acacia clearly saw no reason to slow down. Probably in the same week as "Chosen", they released their THIRD mission:
As before, I'd like to invite you to read along with PPC+20, and experience the early days of the Protectors of the Plot Continuum in real time.
The badfic for this mission is lost - it was lost early, so early that Jay and Acacia's own records say "Author forgotten - story taken down". But more exciting than badfic is Jay's invitation in her A/N:
And if you want to write your own PPC... go for it! Boldly! It'd be great if it became a tradition.
It would not be long before people took her up on the offer.
hS
Ah, there's the [BEEP]! And with a lot fewer "E"s than we tend to give it nowadays. Pretty clear why this got changed: agents can easily sleep through a flashing light, but a loud noise is much harder to ignore for any non-deaf agents!
I didn't recall "Joan" getting mentioned here. She must not have gone on to do any PPC writing herself, and therefore didn't get the canonization treatment Architeuthis did. Still . . . I like to think there's a veteran spy named Joan somewhere in Intelligence . . .
The disguise generator gag is great, and they really commit to it throughput the mission, not only using it as an excuse to dress up as Ringwraiths for the assassination, but keeping track of the fact that the agents were mostly limited to verbal communication, and any motions that the hoods could communicate, once the cloaks were recovered.
They really were kind of mean to Makes-Things back then, huh? Partly because they were presenting Jay and Acacia as wacky, unhinged assassins, but yeah . . . I'm glad Makes-Things grew to be less timid over the years.
The funniest line for sure is in the ending notes: "We no longer have a famine of suggestions . . ." Partly because it's fantastic word choice, and partly because we never would again.
—doctorlit+35
We've got our first [BEEEP]! Hilariously, it's supposed to only be for urgent messages, so I guess the Flowers have just been slamming the panic button ever since.
I admire the fact that they were willing to shake up the format with the disguises so quickly. I would've expected several different actual disguises before they broke the generator, but this is mission 3!
We also see the first appearance of Makes-Things - a cowed young man, for all we've kind of kicked that characterisation to the side since - and the invisible yarn. I love the invisible yarn. ^_^
And the mission really crystalizes that the agents don't take on Suvians head to head. Why bother? Just be sneaky, it's easier. (Though admittedly Acacia does apparently solo the entire Fellowship, and implies she could have killed them if she'd been allowed. Maybe she was just boasting.)
hS
A couple years ago, I compiled a playlist of all* the songs referenced in TOS. For a more complete early-aughts experience, have a listen! Please be aware that some tracks are NSFW, especially the Insane Clown Posse one.
* Well, all but two. I left out "Kumbaya" for reasons of cultural sensitivity and "The Oscar Mayer Wiener Jingle" because it's only mentioned off-hand, sixty-one isn't as nice a number as sixty, and I am not unmerciful.
Let me know if anything is broken. You never know with YouTube.
~Neshomeh
Again, the console isn't said to make any sound; the mission is announced through flashing lights. I didn't remember that the [BEEP] wasn't present from the start, and I'm curious to see how long it takes to start appearing.
This entire mission forgoes direct quotes of the badfic! Not a single line of the original document appears. We only know what happens through Jay and Acacia discussing it. Nonetheless, we pretty much know everything that happens to break canon, some of it before the agents even enter the fic itself. This, again, allows the agents to just vibe their way through Middle-earth, contrasting with Phoenix's insertion into the thick of a major historical event and family. But also, wow, that body disposal method . . . I guess the authors hadn't imagined that Suvian glitter was dangerous yet—or maybe they hadn't even established Suvians being made of glitter in their headspace yet? I guess with the post-mission photo op in Orthanc, they remained orcs long enough that their stomach contents didn't make them sick when the disguises were removed . . .
"Civilian Architeuthis." We've of course worked this into Agent Architeuthis's backstory as a prelude to her entering HQ and joining Intelligence, but I wonder how much her author's fic rec here inspired the idea of such a department existing in-universe?
—doctorlit, re: re: rereading
I'm really looking forward to finding out when (if???) the [BEEEEP] shows up. I almost want to skip ahead! ... almost.
On the same score, I have a feeling Architeuthis actually worked it into her backstory herself. Didn't her first mission start with "and then they sent back a recruitment form"? Again... I'll find out soon enough.
I don't think Jay and Acacia ate the Suvian. There's mention of "a few orcs... enjoying a surprise dinner". That said... isn't "water" on the PPC substance menu, meaning just Suvian blood? I... hmm, it looks like the Substance List first appears too late for the preliminary PPC+20 list (it's attested from November 2003), but yes, it lists two different Suvian-based products. You can be allergic to glitter (lowercase g), but no other issues are noted.
hS
I'm not sure how to pronounce Acacia's name this whole time. Is it "Aca-see-a" or "Akasha"?
But actually like this. {= )
~Neshomeh
Oops.
(For reference sakes, I've pronouncing it like the Neopet species that I keep mispelling Acacia as. First selection under Neopet at this page.)
-kA, who is aware of how silly this is. Their brain is just silly.
Man, can't believe I missed that.