Um...

Subject: Um...
Author: HimochiIsAwesome
Posted on: 2012-04-02 20:09:00 UTC

I'm not the best person to answer, being new myself, but having read far too much of the PPC Wiki, I can say a bit.

For 3... It's probably best to get a beta. But proofreading it yourself beforehand is also a good idea, because they might miss something.

Now, for 4...
I'm not completely sure, but with the description thing, I remember reading... somewhere about a character who wasn't described, and because of that, had white hair and eyes, I believe.
I think that may have been an agent, but I really can't remember who.
I'm pretty definite that would class as a charge. I think you might be able to spork that fic anyway, just based on the terrible spelling and grammar. I can see quite a bit of humour potential.

Hope I was a bit helpful, even though I explained barely anything.

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Random questions from a newbie by the Irish Samurai on 2012-04-02 19:36:00 UTC Reply

I had several questions regarding all sorts of things PPC or mission related, and I’ve managed to get most of them answered by looking through the wiki, but I still have a couple left, and there’s one or two bits I want to check to see if I’ve understood it correctly.

1) Regarding the neuralyzer, my understanding is that it wasn’t used in the Original Series, because the damage wasn’t bad enough to need it back then, but it has now become a requirement in LOTR and others. I was considering having an agent that had been banned from using a neuralyzer, and so could only work in the more obscure continua as a result. I was thinking that further punishment could take the form of making sure that these rarer continua don’t degenerate to the point where neuralyzers are required, so having to sweep a forest with a metal detector to pick up all of those bullets that the ‘average guy/girl who fell through into a random fantasy setting’ left all over the place, and other stuff like that. Basically just going into a little more detail about the clean-up required, beyond just the assassination of the Sue.
So my questions for this really are; have I understood it correctly? And does what I suggested sound OK/entertaining?

2) I get that agents should bring as little non-canonical equipment on a mission as possible, but I'm just wondering how strict the definition of ‘non-canonical’ is. For example, in the anime Trigun various weapons are shown, mostly handguns of various sorts, as well as things like shotguns and automatic rifles, grenades are mentioned, etc. So the weapons technology is broadly similar to current levels. I can’t ever recall seeing any actual mass production sniper rifles, despite the fact that they should have the skills and technology to produce them. Does this mean that my agents shouldn’t take a sniper rifle into the Trigun continuum? (My personal feeling is that a sniper rifle would be OK, because they could well exist given what is known about the setting, but that something like a plasma-rifle would be banned, because there’s nothing like that at all in the canon). Just wondering what you guys think / if this sort of thing has come up before.

3) Regarding Betas and Permission; can I use a beta? Should I use a beta? To clarify; is the piece of writing I submit as part of my permission request supposed to reflect purely my own ability to physically write well, or does ‘writing ability’ include things like how well you listen to your beta?

4) Finally, I would like to claim this fic from the Old Kingdom for my first mission (assuming that I am granted permission) :http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4783265/1/bWhenbbMagicbCollides The story itself has a multitude of SPaG errors but I’m not quite sure about the nature of the OC(s) involved. The main OC appears to have access to a unique type of magic which is far more powerful (or he is a far more powerful user of it) than any of the canonical magic, and his influence does seem to be felt by the canon characters as they don’t seem to be quite as intelligent as they should be. Being male, he doesn’t have an overly speshul description (in fact, now that I think of it, I'm not sure he’s actually described at all), so I was suspecting a Stu. But according to the page for Stus they are written to be the ‘best’ at what they do. Now, this OC is a bad guy, so he’s probably going to be beaten by the OOC canons, which seems a bit self-defeating for a Stu (fic is unfinished and I’d hate to try and guess were it’ll be going). So my question is; is this some kind of rarer Antagonist!Stu that the DMSE&R might be interested in examining, is it simply a normal Stu and I’ve misunderstood the definition, or is it just a poor OC in a badly written fic?
Although I’ve said I’d like to claim this fic, I haven’t done anything about that the wiki, mainly because I'm not sure how to edit a page. I'm aware that there’s a tutorial on it, I just haven’t read it through it yet. Hopefully I’ll get around to that soon, as I believe that it’s OK to claim something before receiving permission?

Apologies for the massive wall of text, but I thought it was best to put all of my questions in one post rather than spamming the board with several at once.

Hello, and answers! by Caddy-Shack on 2012-04-02 21:35:00 UTC Reply
1. To be honest? It is up to you. If you feel that the remaining stuff is minor enough (a few bullet casings, handgun, etc, etc,) then you can have it fixed with the canon when the main offenders are removed. As for the scenario you proposed, you can absolutely use it! Having to sweep a forest completely for bullet casings would be funny for a punishment. Granted, no one wants to read the entire excruciating process, but a small scene with the agent bemoaning the fact that he/she has to (and possibly more) would definently be welcome!
  
  Being creative in how you handle missions is always a good idea!
  
  2. I have only briefly glanced at Trigun, but if the agents were to use the sniper rifle, and the canon (or the canon itself) could identify it as a sniper rifle, or gun, then you should be fine.
  
  Star Wars, for another example, has guns. Slugthrowers, and based on the wiki page, they have around the same variety we do. The only thing is they are less favored compared to blasters and other energy weapons. So, while using a gun would not violate any rules, it would be out of the norm.
  
  To be completely safe, do a bit of canon research and see if said weapon (be it gun, sword, or some other strange implement) have some basis in the canon, and wouldn't raise too many eyebrows.
  
  3. Yes, and yes. Betas are your best friend, and they are there to help you. It IS best to always go over your work first, as a habit. Picking off the easier mistakes makes their job all the easier! While not a requirement, they do give you an extra net for your work.
  
  As for your permission piece, using a Beta is allowed. It is ALWAYS a good idea to listen to your Beta's thoughts, and while the final say is always up to you, they are there only to help you.
  
  4. Claiming a fic is perfectly fine, as long as you leave a note mentioning that you still need permission. As for the OC... he COULD be a Stu. They don't really have to be the best at anything, it is more about being believable. Is his strength in magic (or that type) something that baffles others?
  
  I hope this helped. if not, feel free to leave a reply and I'll be sure to try and help some more! I can also be found in the IRC (link at the top) around 7PM or later most nights.
  
  Here is a link to the Beta Readers Directory, in case you need it. http://ppc.wikia.com/wiki/PPCBetaReader_Directory

Thanks by the Irish Samurai on 2012-04-04 10:56:00 UTC Reply

For point 1, I've had a few more thoughts about the possible reasons for doing that level of detailed clean-up, which are in my reply to ShatteredSanity's comments below.
I agree, actually writing out such a search would make for dull reading, so I'd probably just try and handle it with some dialouge once the agents were back in their RC, for example:

"Three hours! Three hours spent searching through that damn forest, just becuase 'Litte Miss Speshul' dropped her iPod."
"Well, would you rather waste three hours, or go ask the SO for a different punishment?"
"...the searching, I guess. But next time I'm bringing a metal detector."

For 2, cool; that question arose from a fic I read (can't find the link at the moment, but hoping to retrieve it for use as a future mission) that had a Sue that was so speshul she could stop bullets, with her mind, as opposed to the more traditonal method of body armour. She was also an ace gunfighter (obviously). I figured one of the best ways of dealing with her would be a surprise attack; one agent up close to read the charge list, with the other a long way off with a high powered rifle. Can't stop a bullet if you're not aware of it.
Sniper rifles should be OK in the canon, becuase just about every other type of gun is there, and there's no reason (that I'm aware of) that snipers couldn't exist in the setting.

I'm glad that I can use a Beta for my permission piece; I thought that'd be the case, given that this community is all about writing well. I wanted to make sure of that before actually asking for a Beta, just in case the permission piece was meant to be solely what I could do myself. Thanks for the link to the list of Betas.

As for point 4, I'll make sure to tag my claim as pending (as soon as I actually get over my nervousness and dare to make changes to the wiki). Regarding the OC, yeah a couple of canon characters that should know a lot about magic are surprised at the strength/ability displayed. I'm fairly certain now that this is indeed a Stu, which means that the agents I'm working on can find a home in the DMS.

Thanks again for your help.

Um... by HimochiIsAwesome on 2012-04-02 20:09:00 UTC Reply

I'm not the best person to answer, being new myself, but having read far too much of the PPC Wiki, I can say a bit.

For 3... It's probably best to get a beta. But proofreading it yourself beforehand is also a good idea, because they might miss something.

Now, for 4...
I'm not completely sure, but with the description thing, I remember reading... somewhere about a character who wasn't described, and because of that, had white hair and eyes, I believe.
I think that may have been an agent, but I really can't remember who.
I'm pretty definite that would class as a charge. I think you might be able to spork that fic anyway, just based on the terrible spelling and grammar. I can see quite a bit of humour potential.

Hope I was a bit helpful, even though I explained barely anything.

Re: Um... by the Irish Samurai on 2012-04-04 09:54:00 UTC Reply

First off, I think I may have missed your introductory thread, so just in case; hello and welcome!

I'm currently in the process of proof-reading my piece, and glad that I did so before starting to look for a Beta. Some very odd mistakes seem to have crept into it while I wasn't looking.

Regarding 4, now that you've mentioned that, I seem to recall something along those lines too. As you say, the SPaG alone makes it a worthy target, and I'm looking forward to being able to send my agents in to deal with it.

Thanks for your help; any opinions are useful.

:3 by HimochiIsAwesome on 2012-04-04 19:03:00 UTC Reply

Thankie~

It works best to proof-read it first, especially in my case, 'cause I have paraphasia, so sometimes I'll write the wrong word, and my beta doesn't pick up on these things... ^^' It gets awkward when your story says 'duck' instead of 'bookcase'...

You're welcome, I like t'help, even when I'm not that helpful~ *I think it's just 'cause I like talking, haha~*

Sort of answers by ShatteredSanity on 2012-04-02 20:01:00 UTC Reply

I'll try to answer to the best of my ability, but a more experienced boarder should make sure that these are correct.

1. My assumption is that canon snaps back into place once the main offenders have been taken care of. For example: In one of PC's missions, a character is in a high school setting when they aren't a high schooler. Once the Sue was killed, the character's clothing switched back to the way it should be.
For non canonical locations, I believe DOGA takes care of that. I doubt the agents would be expected to clean up every bullet in a forest, but the gun would remain and have to be taken out.

2. I believe that it would be okay. If a character from that canon looked at a sniper rifle, would they know that it's a gun?
Agents that go to the Harry Potter continuum CAN bring guns, because muggles use them, and muggles are part of the canon. I assume the rule is that if it's plausible for a weapon to exist naturally in the canon, then it's okay.

3. Beta's are allowed, but don't forget to go over it yourself. That's what I did. *blushes*

5. Wait no, 4. You ARE allowed to claim a fic even without permission. Just be sure to put it on the list and have a note that says something like "Pending permission" next to your name.
For the second part of your question, a Stu is a Stu is a Stu. They don't have to be the BEST at everything for them to be a Stu, that's just a common trait.
As for the wiki, I know what that's like. Every time I edit something I'm always scared i'm going to break the page. To edit a page, hit edit. You probably already knew that though. Then, just follow the examples of the things already on the page.

Thank you for asking so nicely, and for looking for the answers before you ask. Hopefully this will clear some of your questions up. If it didn't, feel free to ask more!

Thank you by the Irish Samurai on 2012-04-04 09:35:00 UTC Reply

Yeah, I'm often unsure whether or not to try and answer any questions posted here, seeing as I'm so new, but everything you've said makes perfect sense to me.

With regards to point 1, a personal theory that I'm working on (which one of my agents will probably hold regardless of whether it's actually true or not), is that after the all the major stuff has been dealt with, the canon can handle the little stuff. But that the way it does this is to absorb it, so the actual object disappears from view, and can never be stumbled upon by any of the canon characters, but it forms a sort of 'narrative cancer' that still damages the continuum. The more 'cancerous' it gets, the more outside stuff has to be removed before the canon can reassert itself. So by cleaning up as much as possible, rather than just as much is required, it's possible to keep the canon 'healthier' and stave off the time where it becomes necessary to remove memories and skills as well as the physical artefacts.

I'll probably just have one for two favourites that they obsess over cleaning up as much as possible, but deal with anything else in the normal way.

With 2, there is a slight difference between the worlds of Harry Potter and Trigun, in that HP is set in the real world, with a twist (in that magic exists), so anything available in the real world would be available in HP. With Trigun, they're on a different planet, so not everything from Earth is necessarily going to be available. But I think that seeing as how every other type of weapon seems to be there, the concept of a sniper rifle should easily exist, and so the canon shouldn't have any problem with the concept of sniping a Sue from half a mile away.

Thanks for confirmation on the Beta's.

With 5/4, I was fairly sure it was still a Stu, but wanted to check as it's going to be my first mission. Wouldn't have wanted to have written up a couple of DMS agents, sporked the fic, and then have someone say 'That's good, but it wasn't actually a Sue/Stu, so it'd probably have been better for agent from the Department of Floaters to deal with it', or something like that.
With regards to the editing; that's exactly how I feel. I mean, it's just text, so surely there's a limit on how complicated it can be, but I was just looking at it thinking 'what if it all goes horribly wrong?' Still, if I don't try it at some point, my only other option would be to pester people on the board to do it for me, and I imagine that would get annoying very quickly.

*goes away to contemplate that fearsome 'edit' button*