Subject: "Why would authors spin in their graves"
Author:
Posted on: 2014-03-04 20:52:00 UTC
Wikipedia has an article on that particular idiom.
hS
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Newbie Righting a Wrong by
on 2014-03-03 15:03:00 UTC
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OK, um, I accidentally caused somebody to think I was a regular by replying to a post about Fairy Tail minis. I apologize; I am, in fact, a newbie, but borrowing my deviantART username. That said...
HI! Like I said, I'm eatpraylove over on dA. I found out about y'all through TV Tropes and have done a LOT of pre-reading; Caddy-Shack, Herr Wozzeck, TOS (and the Constitution), Miah & Cali...this will be fun. (Oh, I read PPC: The Musical, too. :D)
My main fandoms are Pokemon, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Disney/Pixar movies, Studio Ghibli films, Sherlock, and Doctor Who. I have experience with lots of other stuff and want to help out however I can.
So. Today I learned not to reply to a post if I don't have a Board "account". ^_^; -
How y'doing? by
on 2014-03-08 15:55:00 UTC
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Have a fluffy velociraptor!
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Welcome! by
on 2014-03-05 02:57:00 UTC
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Have a seventeen foot long, multicolored, wool-knit scarf (curly wig not included) and a bag of jelly babies. Please use
IRresponsibly. -
Re: Newbie Righting a Wrong by
on 2014-03-04 14:38:00 UTC
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Hi, have some fudge!
Are you a NewWho fan, Classic Who, or both? -
RE: "RE: Newbie" by
on 2014-03-07 20:45:00 UTC
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Thanks! *nom* I'm watching New Who right now (Eccleston is absolutely brilliant), and what I know of Classic Who I learned through the Internet (this site in particular; classicwhoblog.livejournal.com) and my book of all things Doctor Who.
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Newbie, yay! by
on 2014-03-04 04:16:00 UTC
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Have a supermagnet, and a lasagne! And a purple pen!
Also, Sherlock. -
Oh hi! by
on 2014-03-03 19:54:00 UTC
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You have a lovely list of fandoms.
As a Newbie Gift, I give you a gift of a lifetime supply of either Bleeprin or Bleepolate. -
Re: Oh, hi by
on 2014-03-09 17:49:00 UTC
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I'll take the Bleepolate, please.
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Hello, hello! by
on 2014-03-03 19:45:00 UTC
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How are you doing? I hope you enjoy your stay on the board, no matter how long that is.
Oh, hey, another brony! Awesome! /)
Have you been watching season four? What do you think of it so far? I love it so far, with some of my favorite episodes of the entire seres being in here. So what if it made Printworthy (my agent who is, erm, was, the author of Daring Do) uncanon, so what if near every episode makes fanfics burn, I love it.
Now, for a gift. Since you are a brony, I give you a crystal statue of your favorite character from MLP. These statues are special though, as they are enchanted with a part of the character's personality. For example, Fluttershy makes you feel nicer and a greater urge to show kindness, Rarity inspires creativity and a wish to give onto others, ext. Yes, background and antagonist pony statues are available. Just let me know which one you want, and I'll detail it's ability. Just be warned, the statue may or may not attract evil shadow pony kings. -
RE: Hello, hello! by
on 2014-03-07 21:01:00 UTC
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Yeah, season four is really great! (\ The only one I don't like so far is Twilight Time, but that's just because Diamond Tiara is way too young to be such an annoying...well.
A magical crystal Fluttershy statue sounds like it would come in handy (maybe it would restore my agents' sanity XD). What about a Twilight statue, what would that do? -
RE: Hello, hello! by
on 2014-03-09 09:37:00 UTC
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Whoops, sorry about forgetting you there, man. The shipfest started, then life kicked in, and...
Good, glad we agree on season four. The one that bothered me so far was Rainbow Falls. I don't hate it, but I have plenty of problems with it. Enough to write a scathing review if I wanted to. But I don't. Yet.
Ah, Twilight Sparkle. This unicorn statue gives you a stronger focus and a greater thirst for knowledge. It also makes the world slightly clearer, as things just make more sense to you now. (This statue is totally not based off of the statue of Twilight Sparkle from Fallout: Equestria. Nope.) -
That sounds lovely. by
on 2014-03-09 17:32:00 UTC
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All right, I'll take the Twilight statue. It'll definitely come in handy =)
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What is Daring Do? (nm) by
on 2014-03-04 20:12:00 UTC
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Daring Do is popular in-universe literature. by
on 2014-03-04 20:38:00 UTC
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Out-of-universe, it's an homage to/parody of Indiana Jones, but within Equestria, it's a popular book series in which pith-helmet wearing pegasus and esteemed adventurer Daring Do removes magical artifacts from temples and undoes the sinister plots of assorted legendary creatures, most notably an Ahuizotl from Aztec mythology. The series was introduced in the second season during the show's "reading is fun!" episode, and Daring Do became a popular character in the fandom, with several fanfics created in which she is brought to the physical world and fights monsters with/is shipped with one of the main characters, usually Rainbow Dash.
Two seasons later, it was revealed that Daring Do's adventures are thinly fictionalized accounts of actual events, and Daring Do herself sends the books out under the name A.K. Yearling. It wasn't made clear whether A.K. Yearling was just a pseudonym, or if it's her real name and Daring Do is just what she calls herself while adventuring to keep from being tracked back home, but either way, it established the origin and author of the stories. The reveal episode was pretty predictable and underwhelming, IMO, but it established that the universe of Daring Do and the universe of Equestria are the same, which means that Daring Do badfics would do direct damage to the My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic canon. -
Wait a second...you're a brony?! (nm) by
on 2014-03-04 23:47:00 UTC
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Yep! by
on 2014-03-05 00:15:00 UTC
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Have been since around the start of Season 2. I mentioned it in my newbie thread, remember? You were there. You gave me a bleen Voyager uniform.
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*looks back at newbie thread* by
on 2014-03-05 03:45:00 UTC
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Wow! In six days, it will have been a year since you introduced yourself to the Board. Incredible; hwo do you feel about having gone from newbie to beta (and working on getting Permission) so quickly?
Speaking of betaing, how's progress with the Vexos Chronicles? I know that I usually give you about a week after I send you a chapter to beta, but since I'm talking to you now, I might as well ask, right? -
Start of season 2? by
on 2014-03-05 03:04:00 UTC
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I came in about two weeks before Over a Barrel. I remember Derpygate clearly. Was part of it too, though I'm not proud of it.
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Derpygate? by
on 2014-03-05 04:00:00 UTC
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Are you referring to the whole debate over Derpy's name?
And if so, I think that a few scenes from Turnabout Storm spoof the controversy quite well, don't you think? Some of the scenes in question can be found here between 47:09 and 52:40. -
The name, the voice, the eyes, the censorship... by
on 2014-03-05 04:38:00 UTC
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Yes, that event is what I'm referring to. Do you want a full history, or just the short version of what happened? Because Derpygate actually gets rather complicated the more you look into it. I'll tell you the short one for now, but if you want me to break it down, I'd be happy to.
Basically, as a nod to the fandom, the show allowed fan favorite Derpy Hooves to become canon. She had aperences in the show with her defining wall-eyes, had some minor shenanagins in the background, and played Wheres Waldo with the fandom. Then Over a Barrel happened. Derpy spoke, had dialouge with Rainbow Dash, and had her name canonized. The fandom rejoiced. iTunes then took down the episode a day or so later, and re uploaded it with brand new dialouge, straightening her eyes and removing her name. The fandom EXPLODED. Apparently, Derpy was seen as offensive to mentally disabled people. The fandom disagreed. The fandom did some realy stupid things, making us all look bad. In the end, Derpy remained nameless, the scene is still censored, and everybody involved (brony and Hasbro alike) looked awful.
If anybody wants, I can give a detailed version of what happened, though be warned, it will be long. -
Thought so... by
on 2014-03-05 15:02:00 UTC
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Yep, that's what I thought. The short version I know about, thanks in part to the crossover I mentioned before. Though I think that you have your episodes mixed up: According to what I know from the MLP Wikia, the episode that caused the controversy is The Last Roundup, not Over a Barrel.
But what exactly happened when you refer to "[t]he fandom [doing] some really stupid things"? -
I have forgotten the name of the episode. by
on 2014-03-05 16:45:00 UTC
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To preserve my family's brony honor, I must now perform the rite of honorable suicide.
*Watches the cutest scenes of Fluttershy without insulin*
HHHHHHNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGG!
Anyway, sorry about that. For some reason, 'The Last Roundup' and 'Over a Barrel' get mixed up in my mind. I should have checked, but why on earth would I need to double-check something? /sarcasm.
The stupid things the fandom did... Quite a lot. Naturally, we had flames spread across the internet, righteous fury consuming message boards acrossthe web. We complained to show staff, mostly voice actors, as they were the most accessable. We sent angry letters, emails, and videos directly to Hasbro, demanding they change her back. More then one death threat was sent to just about everybody at Hasbro. And then.
The Site.
The website that shall live on in infamy in the fandom.
#savederpy was a common hashtag during Derpygate, spreadng outside of twitter as the cry of angry bronies across the interet. The Site desided to take that cry and make that its name. It was a petition, demanding Hasbro to change Derpy back. However, what nobody knew at the was how it told them. Every click on the website sent an email to Hasbro, sign or not. If you did sign, it sent two more. This site shut down Hasbro servers and created a flood that took weeks to clean out. I signed. I had no idea what it was doing, but I signed all the same. I checked the webpage several times for updates. That is what I am ashamed of with Derpygate. Well, that and the vitriol spread across the internet, but that was probably the worst. -
O...K... by
on 2014-03-05 18:52:00 UTC
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hmm...
Talk about Fan Dumb. You think that you are signing a petition, and all that you are doing is contributing to a flood of (possibly unattributed) e-mails. <sarcasm>Yeah, real smart.</sarcasm> Especially since the name Derpy was given in acknowledgement of the fandom!
*sighs*
Well, thanks for the history lesson. -
So why is Printworthy the "canonical" author of the books? (nm) by
on 2014-03-04 20:52:00 UTC
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He's not. That's the problem. by
on 2014-03-04 21:37:00 UTC
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The identity of the author of Daring Do was unknown for a good two years, not even a hint coming out as to the identity of the writer. So, I made an OC that was my version of the author. He wrote Daring Do as more-or-less Discworld for adventure rather then fantasy. Over time, what started as a silly parodist adventure book turned into a long seres where he explored topics and questions relevant to Equestria through a pegasus adventurer who lives for excitement, and takes things in much more stride then she probably should.
Printworthy filled a gap in the canon, and allowed me to explore an author's reactions to badfic. Yes, there was a fanfic involving Printworthy as the main character. No, I will not show it to the world. It's was never finished anyway, and what was done was not that good either. Basically, Printworthy visits Ponyville, Rainbow Dash shows him her fanfic, it sucks, he helps her re-write it. They grow closer and shipping is teased (though it would never amount to anything) and Printworthy get a new appreciation for fans. It was fun to think about, but not much more. Then, I dropped him into the PPC with this fic in mind, and proceeded from there.
Then, season four and the comics happened. While the comics was an insinuation, and I could ignore them for the sake of my character, I could not just ignore the show. Printworthy became uncanon in one fell swoop, and while I like the episode, it created some problems for the character. However, hS seems to have found a solution... -
Not to fear... by
on 2014-03-04 13:45:00 UTC
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If Printworthy were a canon, how did he fall into the PPC in the first place? Perhaps he was from a 'fic written before Season 4 and fell through a plothole to the PPC.
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I know, but, you see... by
on 2014-03-04 16:48:00 UTC
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There is a difference between being non-canon and being decidedly uncanon. He could have filled a hole in the Canon, not officially recognised, but there, being acceptably original and non-canon. Now, he directly contradicts it. He is uncanon. Normally, this would not be much of a problem, and would only have a minor retcon and some identity issues. However, I had a plan for a mission where Marvin and Printworthy enter a Daring Do badfic (probably created for the mission) and Printworthy has some interesting reactions.
Naturally, Printworthy gets angry at his world being corrupted, but he also starts having these strange bursts of powerful magic. This is particularly strange, as he is a rather weak spellcaster, yet now he can open passageways that did not exist before, and cause changes in the weather. As it gets closer to the climax, Printworthy has more bursts, and begins to hear voices in his head. Eventually, he would command the fic to stop, rise into the air with a white glow in his eyes, and begin speaking in the voice of The Author. The Author is the creator of Daring Do, yet who has no Canon form. Printworthy acts as the Author Avatar, and begins to remove the effects of the badfic as he charges. At last, when The Author is satisfied, it leaves, dropping Printworthy to the ground. The mission ends as his vision fades, and he falls into darkness.
...He'd be fine. Just got magical overload from being an Avatar for a god. However, now that there not only is a Daring Do author, but the adventures actually happened in real (Equestrian) life, it makes that idea impossible. Perhaps I can still do something similar, but as far as I see it now, that idea has to be scrapped. Oh well. -
You know, I could possibly help with that. by
on 2014-03-05 09:26:00 UTC
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Around two years or so ago, two of my friends and I adopted badfic personas and started writing crossover trollfics for the purposes of dramatic reading and topping one another's poor writing decisions, in a fun competition sense. I never actually published any of them anywhere, but I still have the text document for a Daring Do/Pokémon/Kirby trollfic on my computer, and I could send it to you if you'd like. It'd save you the trouble of writing a new story to send Printworthy into for his trans-authorial encounter, and your reactions could be more genuine. Well, sort of more genuine. Most people don't admit that a fic was purposefully bad until they become Internet famous. Don't worry; Printworthy would have plenty to rage about. I ship Daring Do with Meta Knight at the end, for instance.
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It could still sort of work. by
on 2014-03-04 17:00:00 UTC
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Bear in mind, Printworthy still is the author - to himself, if to no-one else. That's not just a belief of his - when he came into existence, it was as the author. I don't know of precedent for 'this was once true; now it is false', but it seems like an interesting notion. (By contrast, since Doctor Who was revived, Morgan has started remembering various things about Gallifrey. But she's never had a confirmed fact about herself that was abruptly made untrue)
I don't think the fact that 'the adventures actually happened in real (Equestrian) life' is particularly relevant; actual events get written down and fictionalised all the time, without us claiming that the written version is anything other than a standard canon. Obviously I don't know the details, but the usual event>author>fiction dynamic could well still hold.
And this might actually make it more interesting. If there is now a character who is The Author of Daring Do, and Printworthy walks in as The Author - well, it seems distinctly possible that the 'verse would indeed try and conflate the two. This isn't a 'so-and-so believes this'; Printworthy actually is the author. Only the other author is canonically The Author.
If I were doing it, I'd probably have a semi-possession - have Printworthy take on attributes of the actual author, and also - given that he's in the 'verse written by said Author - the aforementioned godlike powers. You'd have to change some things, certainly, but the basic idea holds.
Also: I wonder if the DoDAEG is related to this line of thinking? We power our anti-badfic efforts by the spinning of dead authors in their graves - and there may be dramatic effects by taking living authors into their own works - that sounds like scheming, to me.
hS -
Hmmm... by
on 2014-03-04 19:54:00 UTC
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That... That could work... Of course, I have to deal with A.K. Yearling (the pseudonym for Daring Do) being both author and main character, and the consequences thereof. The personalities of Printworthy and A.K. would clash, but it would give me an opportunity to do a Rincewind type dialouge between A.K. and Printworthy. Oh, but the comics insinuates that the author is Twilight Sparkle's mother. So that's some psudo-canon as well. Hmmm... Perhaps The Author could yet exist...
Well hS, you've given me some ideas. Interesting, as it was Morgan's change in history that made me decide that Printworthy could not be the author anymore. Still, I suppose there is a bit of a difference between changing memories and changing who you are. So, I suppose he is the author, just from an AU, or something. I'll have to think more on this, but that mission may yet happen.
You know, I always thought DoDAEG was a little silly. I know this is the PPC, it's supposed to be silly, but really? Dead authors spinning in their graves to generate power? It's funny at first, but when you realize how inefficient it must be compared to other means of generating electricity, it becomes just silly. Besides, why would authors spin in their graves anyway? How would that help anything? However, if it has something to do with Authorial magic...
Perhaps the bodies of the dead authors spin because the body is trying to wring out enough Authorial Magic to maintain order in the continuum. Now, perhaps they only release a little of that magic, and normally that energy just seeps into the earth and does not actually help. However, if the PPC learned how to harness not only the kinetic energy of the spinning bodies, but this Authorial Magic for use in fighting badfic, now DoDAEG has a greater purpose. That would explain how plotholes could stabilize into portals, or how Agents can just kill Sues and Stus who's main ability is to warp reality around them. Perhaps Authorial Magic gives an edge to Agents so that they actually stand a good chance against the things. And now, Printworthy shows the ability to generate this energy directly, and in great quantities... Ooh, ideas are forming!
Feel free to use this idea for DoDAEG and Authorial Magic if you want, whomever is reading this. Feel free to make a more clever name for the magic too, if you want. But unless somebody directly contradicts this idea, I'm thinking this is the real purpose behind DoDAGE's existence. -
The comics aren't canon, so don't worry about that. by
on 2014-03-04 21:19:00 UTC
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I've been sort of influenced by the Sweetie Belle Chronicles and Pony POV interpretation of fanfiction in-universe(which may have affected the way I view the PPC as a whole, too. It's certainly helped me quantify it.) as a series of alternate possibilities for the way a world could operate, each existing as its own separate entity, but all under the sway of the Heart World, or the actual canon, in that changes in the Heart World can create changes in the deviations from it. No one would have included Breezies in fanfiction back in Season Three, but now that they've been introduced, they're going to start popping up in a number of places, but not necessarily in all places. However, that does not automatically invalidate the fanfictions written before the introduction of the species or the fanfictions that decide not to include them, just like Twilight getting wings at the end of Season Three doesn't invalidate any future scenarios that show Twilight without wings at some point late in her life.
Therefore, everything not canon is, by default, AU to some extent, and the stories that are labelled AU are the farthest-flung from the Heart World while keeping to its... I suppose the best word would be orbit. To get back to the point, I think that Printworthy interacting with his role as it would have been as opposed to what it is now would be a great idea for character development. He is from a world where he is the author of Daring Do, and both has to come to terms with the fact that the advancement of the Heart World has blocked him off from one of the certainties of his past, and to terms with what he is now as a PPC Agent and a divergence from canon that still seeks to defend it. Also, the idea of canon trying to reassert itself around Printworthy as the "author" and placing him in direct conflict with/partial fusion with A.K. Yearling could provide plenty of fodder for comedy, and could give you a third voice to comment on the badfic with if you want to.
Actually, the authors spinning in their graves is a humorous extension of a popular idiom. When someone does or says something that completely goes against a famous figure's work and accomplishments in life, people may say that the person is "spinning in his/her grave", suggesting that even the dead body of the figures would be so affronted by the transgressions that they spasm in their coffins out of sheer rage. The sheer number of terrible fanfictions in the multiverse would, therefore, mean that the author would be ragefully shifting and convulsing around more or less constantly.
DoDAEG discreetly exhumes the corpses of particularly maligned authors and replaces them with body doubles, then wraps the body in a special material that regulates their spinning and allows the body a full range of motion, and then straps those bodies into several large machines, which act as generators by collecting the energy of that constant motion. There's no magic involved. Just defilement of graves and some extremely dubious science. Then again, this is a setting that stabilizes plot holes and uses them as a mode of transport, so science isn't really the top priority.
I doubt that the author generators are the only source of power in DoDAEG, especially since the Power Cut that the Black Cats created back in 2006 showed everyone how vulnerable they were, but they're still the most well-known and prominent ones, since they're part of the name of the Department after all. -
I know the idiom. by
on 2014-03-04 21:39:00 UTC
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I'm just saying it makes no literal sense, that's all.
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"Literal sense"... your agent is a talking horse. (nm) by
on 2014-03-04 22:29:00 UTC
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And no one can talk to a horse, of course... (nm) by
on 2014-03-05 04:39:00 UTC
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Not only that, by
on 2014-03-04 23:32:00 UTC
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But the presence of a magical energy that seeps from the bodies of dead authors is just as implausible as the "spinning in their graves" power supply, if not more so. The thing is, most of what the PPC does doesn't make much literal sense. Even from a standard perspective of fiction, we can get away with a lot more than we otherwise might be able to by, paradoxically, using our knowledge of good writing to apply aspects of bad writing to our advantage. People can have unexplained powers because of an oddly-placed typo. Concentrated plot contrivances written down really quickly by plants provided the fuel for the first portal-creating devices. But it's none of it taken too seriously, because as a great man once said, what's the fun in making sense?
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Hold on, let me explain. by
on 2014-03-05 00:08:00 UTC
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I was in a rush and just typed the first thing that came to mind. I had a minute to say something, and rather then be smart and wait to say what I meant. What I meant to say was, yes, I get the joke. Yes, the PPC makes no sence. Yes, we are in a community that loves puns. So do I. However, I like the idea that there is a second, more useful use for the authors rather then generating electricity based on the kenetic rotations of their dead bodies. My question is, why do they roll? Because they are mad or insulted. Right, so what does sombody do when mad about somthing? Try and fix it. How do they fix it? By repairing the world with the energies they used to make it. So, their bodies relese that energy, in an attemt to fix it. Does that not make some strange sence? Certainly make more sence then using the bodies for a morbid way to get electricy when there are much better systems in the multiverse. That is what I meant by 'in the literal sense.' I will admit that I phrased it in the absolute worst possible way, but that's the way it is.
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"Why would authors spin in their graves" by
on 2014-03-04 20:52:00 UTC
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Wikipedia has an article on that particular idiom.
hS -
Welcome! by
on 2014-03-03 19:25:00 UTC
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Another Pokemon fan? Yay!
*rummages in Trainer Bag*
*pulls out 18 Pokeballs*
Have your choice of Starter Pokemon! -
Hello. by
on 2014-03-03 17:24:00 UTC
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There are some things you may have to learn too. Whenever you have to post new things or comment, you have log-in, again and again. If not, it will be Anonymous, and we can't know if you're the one actually talkig about it.
It is preferable to 'hijack' a thread to report badfics. You may ask a question on a new thread. If the question has past behind the main page, try hijacking another, well-filled thread instead.
To welcome you, I present to you a can of virtual beef soup on a pillow. Certified 50% to contain meat of possibly bovine origin. -
Sorry for the typos, though. (nm) by
on 2014-03-03 17:25:00 UTC
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Welcome by
on 2014-03-03 16:32:00 UTC
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Please enjoy is bazooka. It's amazing in pillow fight
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Just read that message by
on 2014-03-03 17:52:00 UTC
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And realized my grammar was horrible. The morale is clearly don't post messages in a rush
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*waves* by
on 2014-03-03 16:31:00 UTC
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Hello and welcome!
I give to you a lined Infinite Notebook, complete with urple covers and wilver binding.
Enjoy!
-Aila -
Oh hi there! by
on 2014-03-03 16:23:00 UTC
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Welcome to the PPC! We love newbies, so come on in, take your shoes off, and leave your sanity at the door!
As a welcome gift, I now give you some music by Pierre Boulez: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF-F6-VFCWM -
Hi! by
on 2014-03-03 15:41:00 UTC
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I'm a big Pokemon, MLP, and Doctor Who fan, too! Not that I wouldn't welcome you if I wasn't. ;) Brohoof! /)
Okay, gifts... gifts... um...
*rummages in closet*
Here ya go! It's a very warm and fuzzy TARDIS blanket! *drapes it around your shoulders* Welcome to the Board! -
No wrongs shall be righted! All fall before us! by
on 2014-03-03 15:29:00 UTC
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... no, wait, that's wrong. I meant to say: hi! Welcome a'Board! Hope you have fun.
hS -
hS, no sacrificing the new people. =] (nm) by
on 2014-03-03 16:19:00 UTC
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