Subject: Talking on the forums
Author:
Posted on: 2022-11-30 04:31:30 UTC
So, you say that the way to end up with Permission eventually is by talking on the forums. But I don't see any threads where I'd be able to say anything worthwhile. They all seem pretty in-jokey.
Okay, the last time I mentioned getting Permission, it was... kind of a disaster. But it was a few years ago and I think I've learnt from my mistakes. I've also read the Original Series now, and I actually found it entertaining despite not being that into LotR. My favourite mission was the one with the invisible yarn and the skinning of the blue unicorn. So, here goes.
Agent 1:
Name: T'Lai
Species: Vulcan
Gender: Female
Age: 32
Home Continuum: Star Trek
Appearance: Tan skin and black hair in the traditional Vulcan-style bowl cut. She's about one head taller than Alexa.
Personality: T'Lai, being a Vulcan, is pragmatic and doesn't do much in the way of emotional responses barring the occasional bemused comment or eyebrow raise. She's also very patient and willing to show the newbie agent Alexa Perkins the ropes. She's not that interested in pop culture, though she takes it upon herself to research the continuums she's visiting. She was in the PPC for longer than Alexa, so she has a bit of a "seen it all" attitude.
History: T'Lai was recruited by the PPC a few years ago and was keen to join when she learned that fanfic writers have a tendency to make Vulcans behave illogically. She started out with a different partner, but when he transferred to the Department of Mary Sues, T'Lai got assigned to work with the rookie agent Alexa.
Department: Floaters
Agent 2:
Name: Alexa Perkins
Species: Human
Gender: Female
Age: 22
Home Continuum: World One
Appearance: Red hair in a ponytail and heterochromia.
Personality: Alexa is generally a very cheerful young woman, and pretty animated. When she and T'Lai are on a mission together, she will often be having the extreme reactions (laughing, getting angry, etc.) while T'Lai reacts with stoic bemusement. In her spare time, she likes to watch cartoons and crochet. She also sings in the bathtub, and she's very bad at analogies. Being the eldest of four siblings, she has a maternal side, and thus can be quite protective of child and pet characters.
History: Alexa discovered the PPC shortly after leaving home, after falling through a plothole. At first, she was apprehensive about joining, but when she was told she could still visit her family and that she could save her favourite cartoon characters, she took to it like a duck to water.
Sample of writing: Story
I feel that it represents my ability to A.) write satire/comedy B.) recognise the traits of a badfic, C.) mock said badfic traits, and D.) write from the perspective of a character who is not me.
Story to be sporked: Story 2
I feel that this story makes for a good mission, since it has a number of malapropisms, such as Archer's face being "filled with furry". While it does have a sex scene, I don't need to worry about being biased because of my asexuality, since it's blatantly charge-worthy (captain-on-ensign) and there are so many charges that crop up beforehand that the story would be a badfic even without the sex scene.
That's all. Bye!
I'll admit I haven't looked into things in too much detail yet but I do have some worries. Your writing sample doesn't look like it's going to tell me anything, it's a parody of a fanfiction of a continua that's not even where either of your agents come from. To be honest, that doesn't inspire hope in me. But I could be wrong.
I'm also worried as last time you mentioned getting Permission one of the main concerns raised was how well you would understand the PPC setting, and OK, you have now said that you've read TOS, and that's great. But I can't see anywhere anything that confirms that you understand the PPC setting beyond that.
Finally, personally, I'd prefer more flesh on your Agents Bios, from a quick glance you don't seem to be missing anything, but I wouldn't mind seeing a bit more.
Like I said, my PG Hat is firmly off at the moment, I haven't had the time for a good long look at anything just yet, so I don't want to make a judgement one way or another (and I'm happy to leave it open if another PG wants to swoop in here).
Nova
I'm sorry my writing sample was bad. Do you have any advice for a better one? Also, I'm confident that I understand now, but I'm not sure how to prove it to you.
You're mostly active on the wiki, as far as I know. Being active on the wiki is good, but only a handful of us pay close attention to edits, and it doesn't really help us get to know you as a person or how you'll write stories.
That said, for the benefit of my fellow PGs, I want to call attention to your most recent edit on the Mary Sue article, which may be viewed here. The previous version is on the left and the new version is on the right, with the addition highlighted in green (at least on my PC).
It's good that you cite TOS 22, "Elemental Crystals," for this. References are always good. My guess is that the relevant passage is this one:
Jay [in dragon disguise] eyed the sparrow [a shape-shifted Suvian]. "Looks like a tasty snack. Bet it tastes like chicken..."
"You know we don't eat Sues."
Your interpretation of the line, that "a Sue may not be eaten as an assassination method" as a hard rule, is plausible. However, that doesn't mean it is correct. Another possible interpretation is that Jay and Acacia have agreed between themselves not to eat Suvians because they personally consider it disgusting or unethical, not because it's a rule set by Upstairs. I favor this interpretation because it takes into account counterexamples such as vampires and other non-human agents who have been known to eat Suvians—not to mention human agents who don't consider Suvians human and thus wouldn't necessarily consider it taboo to consume them (though admittedly, most of them would still probably kill the Suvian before eating it).
I bring this up because it's relevant to Novastorme's point that there's more to the PPC than the Original Series. It's really awesome that you read and enjoyed TOS, but that by itself does not mean you understand the setting as it is now, twenty years later.
Grasping what it's like now, and showing the PGs that you do, means being involved. Might I suggest following along with the PPC+20 posts Huinesoron is providing? Chatting with other Boarders about the stories of then, and how things have changed since, would be a great way to get more familiar with the PPC and let us get more familiar with you. {= )
~Neshomeh
So, you say that the way to end up with Permission eventually is by talking on the forums. But I don't see any threads where I'd be able to say anything worthwhile. They all seem pretty in-jokey.
That’s why we recommend you go beyond TOS and read more people’s missions/other writings and respond to their Board posts with your thoughts. Not only do you learn the in-jokes, since more often than not we’re referring to people’s missions when we make jokes, but you also get people recognising you as someone who engages with other writers. Plus you get a sense of what PPC style writing is like, for your own request.
~Lily, whose Hat is still off
Thank you for the suggestion, but I'm not sure how to carry it out. I already have read non-TOS missions, but I can't see any Board posts about them, and most of the missions that do have Board posts are for works of fiction that I'm unfamiliar with.
But he still makes an effort to understand and review them. PPC missions are written with the intention that someone can go in canon-blind and still enjoy it. Which means that in a good mission, you don't need to know the canon to know why the fic being missioned needs that treatment--because the agents will tell or show you why.
Incidentally, Ls and Yuki have recently done a LotR joint mission, and I think most of TOS is based in LotR, so there's one right there that you can read.
If you want to share your excitement about a mission without a recent Board post, then you're welcome to make a post encouraging people to discuss favourite older missions and put it in there. I'm sure there's people who also want to talk about older missions, too. Say you're going through Ix's backlog; make a post about it, and people will probably flock to it.
I understand feeling intimidated by the sheer amount of stuff there is out there -- even I haven't read every single thing that comes out on the Board. But it sounds like my fellow PGs are concerned about your activity level, so demonstrating a proactive approach to engaging with the community (like Ls does!) will help with your Request.
If a mission hasn't properly explained itself so that someone unfamiliar with the canon can enjoy it, it's important to get that feedback so we can do better next time. And if our stories didn't make you feel anything, positive or negative, we need to know that, too!
Of course, the other end of the stick is that if you don't understand or enjoy many missions, past or present, then you'll need to consider the possibility that this just isn't the writing community for you. And as PGs, that's kinda what we're looking to see in how you interact. Is this community actually a good fit for you and your writing? Show us by how well you become a part of it. {= )
~Neshomeh
It's not that I don't like the missions. There are plenty I enjoy. And I haven't read the new ones, since I didn't want to read something about a work I'm not familiar with. But there's plenty of missions I do like, so I don't think it's that.
So... you like missions, but don’t want to read ones from a work you haven’t read?
...
Can you list examples of works you have read? If you really want, I’ll (try to) write a mission in one of those continua.
—Ls
Works I like: Star Trek (all series), Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Scooby-Doo, Arthur, Rugrats, The Loud House, Ghostbusters, Star Wars, Disney and Pixar movies, Animaniacs, Discworld, The Simpsons, Martha Speaks
One for Ratatouille, one for Tinker Bell/Disney Fairies, and a bunch for Twisted Wonderland.
I'd also personally rec the "Christmas Cuppa" mission (NSFW) and the "The Elf From Hogwrats" mission. Both are HP missions; the latter is a crossover with LotR.
They can be found here.
--Ls
All PPC stories feature at least one continuum you are familiar with: The PPC. Maybe thinking of it like that will help? {= )
~Neshomeh
I would definitely be down for going over old missions—that is, after all, what the PPC+20 project is! As Yuki, said, our cowrite is Harry Potter—which is also a TOS continuum. I do like being used as an example of interacting. And I review Yuki’s stuff too, and I’m also usually unfamiliar with the continua.
And, Discofurby, here are some other ideas for interacting; you could start threads about things you like, join the Discord (I think the link in the Pepekyky thread is still valid), offer to help beta for others. If you’d like me to help with your Permission Request, my email is linstarguy@gmail.com.
—Ls, interacter
But I on my own have done missions of a few LotR fics using the fairy team 😉
Ironic, given how much my brain has been picking HP apart lately.
From what I remember, TOS is all LOTR except the Implausible Crossovers into Harry Potter, Discworld, and Star Wars.
So... four canons.
—Ls
I was more thinking that besides LotR, HP was the 2nd most traversed canon in TOS? Since they did more than one mission that involved going there. But I might also be biased by the OFUs, since OFUM and HFA were the most well-known OFUs in their day and were actually completed. (I also completed the Hetalia OFU and got stuck on the sequel just like them, but I did that years after Cam and Brin.)
~Lily, who honestly doesn’t remember the finer details of these things and humbly apologises for any offence accidentally dealt
While HP is one of the two most popular continua for missions, (along with LOTR) the only TOS mission there, I recall, was Two Worlds. I could be wrong, though.
We could all probably use a re-reading of TOS.
—Ls
Most notably HFA which also showed up in Suedom so obviously the two biggest fandoms in the PPC at that time were LotR and HP, ergo Jay and Acacia went on some extra HP missions that exist solely in my head!
~Lily, who also has HP missions for Christianne that exist solely in her head
Is it possible to turn your links into actual links? There's a formatting guide linked in the posting page that can help you there if you don't know the html or the markup. I'm saying this because the markup has borked the link to your writing sample.
Thanks!