When will you PGs be implementing this new system, and when will the Wiki page be updates to reflect this change?

Everyone down below pretty much summed it up for me.

The random prompts are even good enough to be used as interlude material on their own...

Something I would do when asking for permission.

(On another note, I do have an idea for my agents and will ask for permission soon-ish.)

The Emperor Protects!

I would totally vote for you as Dictator and Ultimate Authority. ^^

I like this new idea, provided I have understood it correctly. It would mean that people would have to show not just that they can write, but that they can write something that fits with the PPC. I have seen (not a lot, but it does happen on occasion) people seeking permission, being asked to submit a second sample because their first sample, while good, was also very dark or humourless.
And it will show the agents interact as people, rather than just submitting them as little more than character sheets to be checked for Sue-tendencies and inconsistencies.

I agree with

I agree with Lily that sometimes a prompt is good to get the creative juices flowing. And given that good PPC writing requires a certain...insanity, should I say?...this is certainly a good way to determine if someone can write good PPC stories.

I seem to remember to have read "somewhere" that the writing example should preferably be something not written specifically to get permission, but this is definitely not in the Wiki page On Permission to Write PPC Stories linked at the top of the Board, nor is it in older versions of this page I’ve checked, back to a time when I definitely didn’t know about the PPC. Anyway, this seemed plausible to me, because it would show a general ability to write good fiction, not just the ability to write parodies set in the PPC environment. Also, I was surprised when the responses to the 2014 Boarder's Review Fest below revealed that many PPC’ers didn’t actually publish much fan fiction that isn’t a PPC mission or interlude.

There may be some potential for accusing us that we don’t really know how to do what we criticize. But of course this is a silly accusation anyway, and I should shut up because I never even considered writing fan fiction before I considered getting Permission.

On the other hand, I do understand that the ability to write parodies set in the PPC environment is what the Permission Givers need to see, and you found a good way to get this. But of course I will fudge my dice roll if I don’t like the prompts I’ll get :-)

HG

If you guys don't remember, I was the one who posted a series of letters I wrote to a former teacher as my writing sample.

...Yeah, I'm not sure how I got Permission, either.

I like this, because:

1) Sometimes people need a little prod in one way with a prompt in order to write something.

2) This gives us a basis to see how the applicant responds to that prompt instead of being linked to a writing sample that might require a little more deciphering (like my letters, or someone who posts a fic for a fandom none of the PGs are familiar with, etc).

3) It helps give us a sample of how the applicant would write in a PPC setting. I write angsty drama sobfics all the time, but that's definitely not what I'm going for in a PPC setting (I know, I wrote two scenes of Christianne suffering from her tragic backstory; it does bleed over sometimes).

4) Even if it makes Permission harder to get, it only means that the difficulty of the application means that the applicant pool is narrowed down those who are dedicated to the idea of contributing to the PPC-verse with their own writing. It forces people to ask themselves exactly what their purpose is in joining the PPC.

5) University applications have people writing to prompts all the time. This is honestly nothing different. If anything, it's good practice for younger PPCers, since they'll have a lot of write-to-this-prompt stuff in the future, and about things that are less interesting than the PPC and their Agents.

Speaking of applications, I need to get around to revising my application to the Fulbright Summer Institute at King's College in London. Wish me luck, because if I get in we should totally have a Gathering.

... and not just because I'm terrified of the spike pits.

I can't think of any amazing improvements, but wanted to share my agreement with this idea.

Elcalion

But in all seriousness, I strongly support this proposal. It promotes out-of-the-box thinking in regards to creating characters and situations. The six points you touch on are, to my mind, vital to understand if you want to write for the PPC.

I also intend to contribute some prompts of my own to your list. Once, you know, I think of some good ones.

As someone who still hasn't gotten 'round to applying for Permission, this sounds intriguing, and might actually get me motivated to do so. Or maybe not. Hanging around the Board is fun too.

But still, I like what you've done here, and I can't think of anything to say against it.

Maybe you could make submitting an outside bit of work a sort of optional extra, for situations where someone really wants to share something of theirs that's non-PPC but that they thing showcases their writing abilities perfectly?

-Aila

...so I'm definitely in favour of this. It'll make it clearer as to exactly what PGs look for when granting Permission and ensure that prospective Permission-holders can write specifically for the PPC as well as simply being able to write well.

I asked for permission earlier today using the current method, but if you need a test subject, feel free to use me.

It seems like a much more helpful system than the one we already have.

It's a good system and prods people into writing new things. I think everyone else has got the comments covered, but I figured that my lovely PG Hat meant I should at least weigh in. :P

Clean, systematic, and gets people writing fresh things rather then previously prepared pieces. I probably would have been denied Permission if this were in place when I applied, but who knows, I might have kicked it in gear and actually pushed something through. Coincidentally, I'm far too busy right now to get my next mission written at all, so that's a little telling.

However... I think I'll give it a shot anyway. What the heck, later on, I'll put Jumper and Sarah through this permission test. We'll call it a test, hmm? It won't be Marvin and Printworthy, so I have to write something new for the control prompts, and I can explore them through the second test.

Should I put something on the line for this? Not my permission status, I'd rather not have my license revoked. However, there should be something... Hmmm... What do you guys think?

...but that's not necessarily a bad thing in your case, now, is it? So whatever.

No, these new permission prompts seem like a pretty good idea, actually. I especially think it's a good idea to get the random prompts in there, as it does sort of make you think about other ways of approaching a situation in writing. God knows I could've used something like that when I first got permission...

But yeah, I'm on board here.

Considering I've been co-conspiring and all. I think it removes ambiguity from the process, and that's always a good thing.

~Neshomeh

P.S. If you become the Dictator and Ultimate Authority, can I be your Grand Vizier and Trusted Adviser? I'm totally not holding a poisoned dagger behind my back. I promise. *g*

Let me break down the pros and cons, as I see them.

Pros:

-Less work for the person asking for permission. 400-1000 words total for the writing samples is less than one day in NaNoWriMo, and far less than most writing samples.

-Two samples gives the PGs more diversity to look at when making a decision, which gives us a better idea of the writing skills and voice of the asker.

-It is not a total overhaul of the system, it is more a focusing of the system. The only real difference is that we are being more specific about what we want in the writing sample portion of the request.


Cons:

-We are losing the ability of someone to post a really awesome non-PPC piece. That was what got me permission, back in the day. I do think your six points are a pretty good rebuttal to this point, though.



As you can see, there aren't a lot of Cons in my opinion, and the single Con is fairly weak. So, I think it is a good change.

-Phobos

ps - I advocate for pits filled, randomly, with either spikes or Jello. One never knows what one will get.

What if a certain scenario would be OOC for both agents? For instance, I couldn't see Cyba and Eagrus arguing over 'shipping.

I love the prompts list. I've seen most of those come up at some point or another in missions and interludes, and they have been some of my favorite agent-based bits of PPC writing. A lot of them are the kind of thing that lets the agents grow as characters, and that's a good thing.

I think your list of six points is a good justification for the change, as well.

Based on the old system, many Agents are already doing only one mission. Others will take some time to craft their mission reports. By adding this system you are going to increase quality while decreasing quantity of sporked fics. Only the good enough of the best will be doing missions. Which can be a good thing or a bad thing. Or both.

Also, a marking system would be good too. At least, rejected permission-seekers can know their weaknesses and improve on it.

Thus IMHO. A Marking System.