Subject: So, you're trying to tell me...
Author:
Posted on: 2013-05-23 16:52:00 UTC
That you're incapable of talking about your fandoms with other members, or giving someone else's story a review, or anything not to do with your character? Really?
~Neshomeh
Since my agent candidate has had a most tragic past (which I hope to never have to mention in depth and in story, as I believe it may lead to wangst or trajeck that promptly satirises itself in large doses, despite being quite logical in short bursts) it seems indeed logical to give him a certain cautionary instinct when dealing with other people - resulting in, yes, a lack of emotional display.
When occupied with his work, however, these restrictions should fall: Post-runaway (after recovering from the euphoric high brought about by being free of the parental-repression-from-hell that every teenager fears, which in his case was on crack, Pink Stuff and Deathsticks - snark) he focused all his attention on establishing his chances at a regulated life, becoming a survivor.
As he realised survival was going to hinge on successfully working a job he became a consummate professional, which became especially noticeable during his early military days where he would refuse to socialise with the rest of his unit and seemed most alive on missions - reserving, as some of his fellows sneered, more feelings for the enemy and the shots exchanged than them.
In his future at the Agency this will likely mean that unless FicPsy show themselves ready to take a good long look at him he will be a most boring RC-mate and a potentially overzealous mission partner.
I think it's becoming evident that while I can't wait to combat-spork some Sue I very much enjoy psychological banter.
Anyway, that was the second revision. Bicker away! (Useful bickering only, please. I need to keep my own hypocrisy rates up.)
As Neshomeh said earlier, you just got here. You don't need to come up with some agents right away (time to Permission is about one month), so sit back and enjoy the Board's mayhem!
Personally speaking, I feel a bit iffy about this proposed character. I've always seen PPC agents as pretty normal people who just wind up in crazy scenarios and do silly things to cope with the madness, and not so much as I've-been-through-twenty-seven-kinds-of-nasty professional grim hitmen.
In pictures:
More of this
and not as much this
Oh, and it's actually called FicPsych, not FicPsy...
How would you suggest handling a PPC Agent with an origin as an Evangelion alternate-universe OC? Would I be better off not doing it?
If it helps, her reaction to trauma (like her reaction to most things) is usually to put up a cheerful front, so she shouldn't come off as excessively gritty or grimdark. In her original story she actually didn't do much of note except try and make friends/get the other pilots to get along. (Without much success in the second)
That probably sounds a bit Suish from the description, combined with some of her other character traits, but it'd be more a case of her hiding her problems well (they started to stack up towards the end) and basically using cheer as a defense mechanism. Her being silly or bantering would make perfect sense given her personality.
Is that too grim or do you think that would work?
And the fact that I hate the Rabbids more than anything else in existence only makes me even more angry now that you reminded me that those horrific things exist.
I'm sorry.
Nothing deserves to be compared to those brain-dead abominations from the bowels of bad-idea land.
...though that fantastic reboot that was Origins. Did you see the new trailer for Rayman Legends?
Raving Rabbids was UNFORGIVABLE.
Also, I feel like viciously attacking everything you said, but I'd rather not in fear I'd look like even more of an idiot than I already do.
...but I couldn't stand with your opinion of RR being unforgivable anymore because of your violent behaviour.
Sociology sucks.
"I feel like viciously attacking everything you said[...]"
Not sure how I feel about that.
I really do. Therefore I'll be coming up with something I haven't yet said. Or, eh, written.
As far as my reading of the original series has shown: PPC agents are anything but normal. They approach normal, they resemble normal, but they most definitely are not normal.
They are in sanity's uncanny valley, which creates their comedic capabilities - they act similarly to normal people, but have, for instance, far greater aggressive tendencies (and consequently, violence tolerance).
Next item on the list: I will be using the term FicPsy because my keyboard is about to fall apart and two characters are enormously significant to its continued existence.
This isn't true, but I'm stubborn like that, so fire away.
I will also be sending my guy to FicPsy (ha!) in order to have him turned into an uncanny-normal person, his de-crazyfication will be executed in a comically serious manner in order to provide the spirit required.
Or he'll just waltz out of there with everything already fixed because things will be like just now and I'm too tired to write up the necessary backstory.
For some reason I am under the impression removing his restraints actually may be more likely to turn him grim. I can't logically comprehend this, so I'll just ditch it and go to bed.
Anyway, don't you guys worry. For whatever way you've found he could conflict with PPC canon I have a workaround that guaranteedly will leave someone unhappy! (wait, wasn't that supposed to read "leave everyone happy"?)
I think people have already told you that you should hold your equines in terms of Permission. You don't need to do anything now.
And I've got to agree with SeaTurtle in terms of trajeck (or not) past. Adding backstory later on works, but I'm not sure about starting out 100% grim and making fun of his dire situations (since that can also be seen as trivialization).
Not to mention that I'm not sure how FicPsych would "de-crazify" him or "turn him into an uncanny-normal person." That sounds like brainwashing to me.
Also, I think I'm going to call you Demonfriend. It's not how you spell it. My fingers just refuse to type it like any other way. This isn't true, but I'm stubborn like that, so fire away (ha!).
That is fine by me.
Anyway, I was not quite in control of my memories the other day, and therefore rather than mentioning (incorrectly so, indubitably) the precise procedures of psychotherapy required employed generalisation.
Since space-time isn't uniform in HQ he could spend quite a while in Medical being treated (and I'm certain he will require it), brainwashing is likely not needed if you have plothole-powered time distortions and highly trained professional doctors.
As to why I'd have him sent there in the first place...
I simply feel compelled - if not forced - to include this whole bit about changing his state of mind since I can at this point not easily rewrite his backstory in the 'verse he came from, neither can I accept a humourless and crazier-than-myself person as my potential representative.
Anyway, not doing anything seems awfully...can you offer a meaningful tautology here?
There has to be something I can do. The suggested month hardly is a required stretch of time to pass doing nothing at all here before posting a certain request, it has to be used for something.
Notice that I don't say "the month before." It's not actually a month; it's however long it takes for you to settle in with the community. Some people have waited multiple months or even years before asking for Permission.
What that time is for is to interact with us, to get to know us and let us get to know you so we can all see if we actually get along, to talk about whatever subjects interest you (surely you're interested in something besides your own characters?), and to learn our ways and established conventions.
That last bit is important. If you're going to ignore the advice of other members and throw our conventions out the window because you're "just stubborn like that," you will not be on the road to Permission any time soon. I have a particular fondness for FicPsych, so if you specifically want to annoy me, by all means keep spelling it wrong, and make sure you go "ha!" every time so I know you're being deliberately disrespectful.
On the other hand, if you actually do want Permission at some point, you could try taking the good advice people like SeaTurtle and Ellipsis Flood are giving you, and you could own up to the mistakes you make instead of, for instance, blaming the forum in all-caps.
~Neshomeh
...judge me as deliberately sociopathic-slash-immature.
It tends to strain my ability to not take the entirety of the world, including myself, seriously.
Either way, I do not think that as non-acknowledged part of the organisation I can mention anything other than my own creation. After all I am not officially involved, it would cause a metafictional breach. Surely you will not be interested in yet another plothole in the form of, say, medicaton invented by no one at all.
You're not a non-acknowledged part of the organisation. The organisation, Protectors of the Plot Continuum is fictional, as are the written parts of it.
The PPC Community is made up of real, live, factual people, geeky friendly writers who enjoy writing meta-fanfic in a comedic style. What we're asking you is to get to know us, the authors of the (continuing) organisation, as a fellow-author and part of the group. And in that sense, you're not a non-acknowledged part, you are a functioning member.
We prefer functioning members of the group to react respectfully to fellow members, and talk about things other than their characters. If you need a refresher, check the Constitution for a basic guide on community social norms, and suchlike. Don't think of us as a focused office of people trying to organize our Serious Business! We're more like a room with a bunch of people hanging out and talking, while writing and doing other stuff as well.
Perhaps the issue lies in a simple misunderstanding?
DemonFiren, the PPC board is not actually a part of the PPC universe. The agents are not aware of the board (mostly)* nor are the people who post here posting as their agents (again, mostly)**. Yes people post about their missions here, ask for betas and advice, you can seek permission here after a while and once you have permission (or are close probably, but I wouldn't swear to that) you can ask for help tweaking your agents. But mostly it's a place to socialize with other people who have similar fandoms and interests, much like most forums online, and a place to commiserate about bad fic with people who feel the same about it.
*There was that one (or couple) time(s) which kind of ended less than ideally for the agents involved. If you would like to read about what happened when they did find us, Huinesoron chronicled it here
**Sometimes there will be an RP thread pop up and people RP as their agents, but not as their agents on the board, just as if it were happening in HQ.
After all I am not officially involved, it would cause a metafictional breach. Surely you will not be interested in yet another plothole in the form of, say, medicaton invented by no one at all.
I'm not sure what you mean by this, but if it's because, as I was thinking you maybe weren't aware the board was not a part of the PPC universe, then have no fear, it's not! So as
As Neshomeh said hang around, ...interact with us, to get to know us and let us get to know you so we can all see if we actually get along, to talk about whatever subjects interest you, and to learn our ways and established conventions. I've hung around since February and I don't have agents yet, unless you count the less than fleshed out one that will be based on a friend that was only named on the LiveJournal mini-Balrog adoptions because my friend who the agent will be based on wanted her agent to have a mini-Balrog. Regardless, I've been posting here and there since February and haven't got any agents, nor have I applied for permission yet due to the amount of posting I've done, I feel I need to participate a while longer (or much more actively for a shorter period) before taking that step. And I don't believe I've created plotholes by existing. (Please someone tell me if I am, and therefore am doing something wrong!) The point is, you don't have to have an agent or more to hang around and talk to us, so relax, be active, get to know us and vice versa and maybe try bringing these things up again in a month or two. :)
I apologize if I'm wrong and you already knew all this, just thought I'd toss it out there in case. If you were already aware of this, I shall leave you to continue working it out as you see fit. :)
That you're incapable of talking about your fandoms with other members, or giving someone else's story a review, or anything not to do with your character? Really?
~Neshomeh
...I've yet to find a thread, or someone willing to listen.
If you feel you're lacking the opportunity to interact with the threads open at the moment, you could hang out in the IRC? The link's right at the top of the Board. It tends to move quicker than the Board does, and if there's nothing really going on (like at the moment), it's not really an issue if you start a conversation -there's no threads to bump!
I post a reply of the same title at the same time, I wondered how on earth you could be replying to it already! XD I think I need more sleep...
Anyway, excellent point/idea Tray-Gnome, the IRC is a great place to hang out for more faster-paced conversation! :D
Get to know the people.
Specifically, this one, which you started earlier today, is still active, and is on the exact same topic. Each new thread started pushes older ones further down the Board and finally off the front page, so double-posting is rather frowned upon.
Repeatedly emphasizing Permission-related topics such as agents when you just got here is also frowned upon, which I believe I mentioned in one of my replies to that thread.
~Neshomeh
I was not quite aware that mentioning potential post-Permission plans counted as "Repeatedly emphasizing Permission-related topics", as for that other thread, I was quite unaware of its existence.
Continuing from that second point: consequently I must blame the structure of the board. GET A PROPER FORUM >:O Or, eh...something.
But I'm a little confused. How can you be unaware of the existence of a thread you started?
I was only not aware of the existence of a thread that has been mentioned and linked to by...whoever first replied to me. Memory failing there.
So yeah, I think we're talking about the same thread?
Or I'll find my way around this board's mechanisms and try to get it to remind me. There's got to be a checkbox around somewhere.
All you have to do is fill in the email field on your YourWebApps account.
It has been the source of a big contentious debate and honestly, I'd rather not have that one again, myself.
If you stick around long enough I assure you this Board format will become quite familiar.
Or at least tried to signal that I wasn't.