Good luck with this.

Subject: Good luck with this.
Author: Hieronymus Graubart
Posted on: 2014-03-26 11:52:00 UTC

Just reading everything PPC (no OFUs) linked on the Wiki took me more than a year, and this was during a phase of my life when I had lots of time to read while I was sitting in the office, waiting for some work showing up to be done. Now imagining that I had spent time on finding publishing dates to do this in order, and then reviewing everything – five years may be a good guess.

I really hope you can do it.

HG

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It's the end of the Age! by Techno-Dann on 2014-03-26 03:36:00 UTC Reply

*clears throat*

Sing now, ye people of the Tower of Anor,
for the Realm of Sauron is ended for ever,
and the Dark Tower is thrown down!

We have, once again, reached the most important day in LotR fandom! It's been a long time since LotR was the biggest fandom on the Board, but I'd like to take a moment to point everyone back towards our roots.

Thirteen years ago, not coincidentally in the same year that the first LotR movie was released, two writers sat down and created something new. It wasn't perfect, and their partnership didn't last forever, but that's not the point. They inspired literally hundreds of us to write in the universe that they generously shared, and to go on and write our own stories. They created a community that I've been proud to be a (quiet) member of for a very long time now. And I can't wait to see what everyone on here does next.

In short: Go forth and be awesome. And don't forget to send links!

(And I can't believe I beat hS to starting this thread this year.)

Wow... by LightDarkPheonix on 2014-03-31 13:40:00 UTC Reply

The PPC is almost as old as I am *stares in awe*

I'll try to go forth and be awesome, though currently I have a wonderful case of writer's block on my mission.
We'll see how it goes.

*gives brownie*
HOORAY! by Legacy on 2014-03-29 18:56:00 UTC Reply

Happy PPC Anniversary, everybody! Have some nms & nms from my actually monstrous stash. It seems that whenever I end up writing some, nobody takes any. Humph.

But anyways, who brought the cake?
-Throws Confetti- by Lily Winterwood on 2014-03-27 06:12:00 UTC Reply

This time back then I think I might've just stepped off the plane from China onto the US.

Wow.

Lots of turning points here.
And many happy returns! by Sevenswans on 2014-03-26 18:22:00 UTC Reply

... Wow. I was nine in 2001.

Don't worry. I was, uhm, two. (nm) by Ailavyn Siniyash on 2014-03-26 20:01:00 UTC Reply

Yay! by Herr Wozzeck on 2014-03-26 12:32:00 UTC Reply

I'd celebrate with some music, but I'm having a hard time finding anything that isn't cliched by this point...

Music by Desdendelle on 2014-03-26 15:51:00 UTC Reply

I don't know if it fits your taste, or if it's clichéd, but I really like the Prelude to JS Bach's first cello suite.

Woot! by Iximaz on 2014-03-26 12:20:00 UTC Reply

And was that really yesterday? Heh... I was asleep when the thread was started.

But that is kind of mind-blowing when you think about it, how Jay and Acacia changed so many of our lives. This is definitely a date to mark on the calendar.
*wanders in late* by Cassie on 2014-03-26 10:39:00 UTC Reply

I celebrated this over on Tumblr, but I can't believe I forgot to check in here!

Cassie! by Neshomeh on 2014-03-26 15:26:00 UTC Reply

I was hoping you'd pop in for this. {= ) I sent you an e-mail, but I'm worried you didn't get it. Did you? If not, may I have your current e-mail address?

~Neshomeh

Hi there! by Cassie on 2014-03-26 22:28:00 UTC Reply

Ack! I thought I'd replied to the email you sent, I swear I thought I had. I did get it! And thank you so very very much, it is a wonderful shiny picture and I will keep it and love it and call it Precious. =3

Yay! by Neshomeh on 2014-03-26 22:37:00 UTC Reply

I'm glad you got it and like it. ^_^

I definitely can't find your reply, though. Weird. Must've just gotten lost between servers or something.

*hugs*

~Neshomeh

That is weird. by Cassie on 2014-03-27 10:11:00 UTC Reply

But yes, it's here. ^_^ *huggles*

In fairness to hS . . . by Kaitlyn on 2014-03-26 07:50:00 UTC Reply

. . . he's spent the last three days in bed with the black death. I'm pretty sure that's what it is, anyway. He's not even reading (I offered to phone an ambulance, but he said no . . .).

However, I will remind him that he should celebrate today. He probably won't throw a pillow at my head. Maybe.

Black Death? by SeaTurtle on 2014-03-26 19:33:00 UTC Reply

We're not talking bubonic plague here, are we?

Regardless, get better soon, sir!
Thank you, everyone. Doing somewhat better now. (nm) by Huinesoron on 2014-03-26 19:33:00 UTC Reply

As to how ill I was... by Huinesoron on 2014-03-26 19:39:00 UTC Reply

... earlier today I couldn't remember the capital of Arnor. I was dying, I tell you.

(It's Annuminas. I didn't have to look it up. Told you I was recovering)

hS

In the interim, I might have taken over your duties... by Lily Winterwood on 2014-03-29 18:14:00 UTC Reply

...as resident walking Tolkien encyclopaedia.

I'm currently at the University of Virginia for a tour thing with the glee club there, and they have interesting nicknames for each other. One of the guys was named Athelas, and I immediately figured it was the plant, and everyone else was like THAT TOOK US A YEAR AND A HALF TO FIGURE OUT.

/shakes head
*offers a hug* by Iximaz on 2014-03-27 11:28:00 UTC Reply

Just don't breathe on me or anything!
Glad to hear you're on the mend! (nm) by Cassie on 2014-03-26 22:29:00 UTC Reply
I'm glad you're well again! (Or getting better, at any rate) (nm by Ailavyn Siniyash on 2014-03-26 20:04:00 UTC Reply
Man flu, the most insidious of the weapons of Melkor... =] by wobblestheclown on 2014-03-26 19:42:00 UTC Reply

Glad you're back in the land of the living.

I don't think... by Huinesoron on 2014-03-27 12:24:00 UTC Reply

... 'man flu' makes you throw up repeatedly throughout a day and renders you unable to sleep the following night. But then, I'm no doctor, so...

hS

Ah. Wasn't cognisant of the other symptoms. by wobblestheclown on 2014-03-27 18:29:00 UTC Reply

I only meant it as a joke. Sorry if I caused any offense.

Yeah, yeah, I know. by Huinesoron on 2014-03-28 08:17:00 UTC Reply

Sorry for being grumpy - I'm still not feeling all that good, which is why I'm still mostly not posting.

hS

We'll hook you up to an Entwater drip. =] (nm) by wobblestheclown on 2014-03-28 15:29:00 UTC Reply

Wouldn't that turn him into a giant? by Outhra on 2014-03-29 06:16:00 UTC Reply

Grob knows the sort of horror that would wreak. Oh no, it's the Attack of the 50-Foot Tolkien Trivia!

"Say, did you know that before joining the Quest to Erebor, Bifur worked as a toy maker? I've written a four-page paper on what that detail of his individual history means regarding his familial relations. Since I've become fifty feet tall, the printout of those four pages is now large enough to crush the spine of a mid-sized woodland animal and smother a large-sized one!"
"Giant Huinesoron, no! Stop ripping sheds and small houses out of the ground and arranging them into a scale replica of the city of Minas Tirith!"
"Hey, I let you talk during that whole call you made to the Home Guard. I should at least get to enlighten you on the intricacies of a literary masterpiece. Now help me paint this tool shed so that it looks like the Gondorian barracks."

A++ would LOL again. by Kaitlyn on 2014-03-29 08:13:00 UTC Reply

(hS says, "HOOM." Make of it what you will)

Hope You Feel Better Soon Hs (nm) by sjosten on 2014-03-26 17:29:00 UTC Reply
Feel better soon, hS! (nm) by doctorlit on 2014-03-26 16:48:00 UTC Reply
Aw. {= ( by Neshomeh on 2014-03-26 15:22:00 UTC Reply

You guys have athelas in the house, of course? There's always the "steaming it in a basin" approach, which is good for brightening up the room considerably, but if you can get him to take some in a tea, so much the better. {= )

(But seriously, I hope you're better soon, hS. *hugs*)

~Neshomeh
Here's hoping he gets well soon. (nm) by son_of_heaven176 on 2014-03-26 14:41:00 UTC Reply
Get well soon, hS! (nm) by Antigone68104 on 2014-03-26 12:37:00 UTC Reply
Oof. Well, hope he gets better! :) (nm) by Iximaz on 2014-03-26 12:17:00 UTC Reply
Hope he gets to feeling better soon. (nm) by Miah on 2014-03-26 10:10:00 UTC Reply

Don't forget to note... by 99Hedgehog on 2014-03-26 07:02:00 UTC Reply

...on TA 3019, May 5th, the One Ring was seized by Gollum and he fell with it into the Cracks of Doom. Sauron's power was gone forevermore and he could never again take physical form or interact with the world.

The Emperor Protects!

? by Techno-Dann on 2014-03-26 07:06:00 UTC Reply

Not sure where you're getting that date from, my copy puts it at March 25th.

Yup, definitely 25 March by Elcalion on 2014-03-27 01:21:00 UTC Reply

Although using the Shire calendar, 25 Rethe (March) actually falls about 10 days earlier than in our calendar (because Shire "January" begins just after the winter solstice).

That said, it's much much easier just to celebrate on "our" 25 March.

Elcalion, geeking out

Further research by Elcalion on 2014-03-27 01:31:00 UTC Reply

from http://www.elvish.org/gwaith/calendars.htm shows that 25 Rethe = 18 March.
Also, Bilbo and Frodo's Birthday falls on 14 September.

I MEANT MARCH 25TH (nm) by 99Hedgehog on 2014-03-28 10:19:00 UTC Reply

I think the confusion... by Huinesoron on 2014-03-28 13:38:00 UTC Reply

... is that that's what Dann was posting about, too. The lines of verse he posted are from the song the eagle sings over Minas Tirith to announce the fall of Sauron.

The further stuff about Jay and Acy isn't tied to a specific date (mostly because we don't know it); I think the switchover from 'March 25th' to 'PPC History' comes around 'I'd like to take a moment to point everyone back towards our roots.'

hS

*much cheering* by Ailavyn Siniyash on 2014-03-26 05:22:00 UTC Reply

Honestly, I'm not sure I've said this, ever, or maybe only once, but I love this community so very very much. Everyone here is just the epitome of wonderful, and I just, well... I guess I just wanted to thank you all, and to thank Jay and Acacia, and to thank all those who came before and are no longer here for making this place the wonderful place it is. And oh, look, I'm crying. Why am I crying? *hugs you all*

Much love,
Aila
Happy New Year! by Snowy the Sane Fangirl on 2014-03-26 04:41:00 UTC Reply

Behind the the seat upon the right floated, sable upon white, a great arrowhead directed skyward; upon the left was a banner, argent on black, a naked sword glinting in preparation for battle; but behind the highest throne in the midst of all a great standard was spread in the breeze, and there a white tree flowered upon a sable field beneath a shining crown and seven glittering stars.

(Mostly) taken from the chapter in The Return of the King entitled "The Field of Cormallen."

Surely a day for celebration! Praise to J.R.R. Tolkien and many other authors for gifting us with worlds to play in, and to the mighty Jay and Acacia for beginning the tradition of defending these worlds!
Yes, let us look to our roots. by World-Jumper on 2014-03-26 04:25:00 UTC Reply

Indeed, let us look closer look at the stories that started it all.

This week, in honor of the 13th anniversary of the PPC: TOS, I will begin my review series of the Stories of the PPC. I want to practice reviewing, so what better way to do so then reviewing PPC work over time? I will not tie myself down to a schedule, as my own schedual is all too hectic right now, and I guarantee I would break it before it had time to get established. However, I feel I can say that a review of the first mission ever will be out some time this week. I will post directly onto the Board, and then copy what I put there on my wiki journal. After that, I will try to review every mission or story in relation to when it was released. The wiki is going to be a valuable resource indeed.

Let the celebrations begin.

May I make a request? by Neshomeh on 2014-03-26 15:19:00 UTC Reply

Take notes? Lots and LOTS of notes? I'd absolutely love to have a timeline of all the spin-offs, even a sketchy one. *starry-eyed, drooling slightly*

Er, sorry. ^_^;

I'd also suggest that after you get your practice on TOS, you maybe work backwards, focusing first on giving reviews to people who are actually around to appreciate/profit from them. That way, if it takes forever or you have to quit for some unforeseen reason, the past is no worse off than it was before and the present still gets to enjoy the feedback. {= )

If it helps, I drew up a guide to reviewing for a game I hosted a couple years ago. I wasn't able to finish hosting the game, sadly, but I still think it's good advice.

~Neshomeh
Every single story, in order? by Outhra on 2014-03-26 05:55:00 UTC Reply

Good luck. It'll be easy with the well-known spin-offs, but the first three years or so were stocked with plenty of lesser known series, containing stories that are now missing, stories that contradict one another, stories that embrace the killing-of-Sues aspect above all else and don't try as hard for originality, humor, or world-building, stories that all cropped up and were taken down so many times that it is by this point impossible to tell which spin-offs came first, and other various factors that add up to make it an odd time in PPC history.

Plus, finding and sorting all of the old missions is going to be very difficult. From all appearances, even the wiki gave up on that, dumping most of the earliest non-TOS material that its editors could find onto the Glossary because said material was too scattered, too non-descript, or simply provided too little information to make pages about. We didn't have a shared universe back in the early years, and from what I've read, spin-offs were more or less copycats of Jay and Acacia's work at first rather than people trying to take the concept in new directions or at least tell it in new ways. Once you get to about 2005-2006 it'll start to look more organized, which sort of makes sense because I know the first Board would have definitely been around by that time, but even then you'll have a lot to go through.

Once again, good luck. There are a lot of forgotten and unnoticed stories early on, and while I'm glad that someone might be bringing attention back to them for what is probably the first time in years, it will be a lot of work.

Or were you just talking about reviewing all of the Original Series?

Oh yeah, it'll be work all right. by World-Jumper on 2014-03-26 07:25:00 UTC Reply

This will probably take a year, or two, or five, but my intention is to try and read each and every one. Now, if it is way too far lost, sucked into some digital void beyond any sane hope of restoration, I'm leaving it the heck alone. If it is not on the wiki somewhere, I may give it a read if somebody links it to me, but otherwise, I'm assuming lost to the void. If it has mention on the wiki, and a link, but the link is broken, I will try the Wayback Machine or some equivalent to find it. If that does not work, then it has been lost to the void.

Also, I will try for approximate time for release, rather than exact. If the first three years is just a giant cluster-buck of insanity, I'm just going to go with the order that makes the most sense or alphabetical or something. Whatever I go with, if the date seems dubious, I'll use some simple meathod for organization. If I learn later that I was wrong and I read a story out of order, it's honestly not that big of an issue. What's important is that it gets read and reviewed at some point.

Also, this will include OFUs. No, it will not include every single OFU ever. Heck, I may cut the PPC stuff down for the sake of my sanity, I am not going to read even 1% of the mountain of stories credited as an OFU. I am only going to read/review complete OFUs, and even of those, only the influential ones. I may dabbe into complete, non-influential ones, but it's not looking like I will.

This is going to be tough. It may well be impossible. I may drop it like so many other projects. But darn it, I am going to try!

Regardless by Snowy the Sane Fangirl on 2014-03-26 18:32:00 UTC Reply

I'm looking forward to reading it! However long it takes, and whether you finish it or not, I'm sure it will be good.
Good luck with this. by Hieronymus Graubart on 2014-03-26 11:52:00 UTC Reply

Just reading everything PPC (no OFUs) linked on the Wiki took me more than a year, and this was during a phase of my life when I had lots of time to read while I was sitting in the office, waiting for some work showing up to be done. Now imagining that I had spent time on finding publishing dates to do this in order, and then reviewing everything – five years may be a good guess.

I really hope you can do it.

HG

Praise them with great praise! by Neshomeh on 2014-03-26 03:53:00 UTC Reply

Frodo and Sam, Jay and Acacia, and everyone else out there being awesome. {= )

~Neshomeh