-Middle-earth as the 'main character' of Lord of the Rings (or at least a major character).

-'Serenity' as the tenth main character of Firefly.

There's two ways this can be applied, really: either the setting is so frequently and lovingly described that it can overshadow the animal characters (Tolkien), or the 'setting' is a frequent plot-driver with its own quirks (often this is a spaceship - both Serenity and the Millennium Falcon count, I think).

Can you have 'Sue versions of these? Well, in the latter case, probably yes: if your characters are pretty good, but the spaceship (or whatever) just keeps suffering from 'coincidental' breakdowns in just the right place to advance the plot - and then they fix themselves without the characters having to - that's a Setting-Sue. Usually we'd call one of the characters on it (for manipulating their environment), but if they're not Mary-Sues in themselves, it might well be better to pin it on the setting.

The former case is a bit more tricky, because it overlaps so completely with urple prose. That said, I think it could work - a location that gets Suvian levels of description, and possibly is personified to some degree ('Silvermoon will miss you!' 'The power/spirit of Silvermoon is with me!'), could well be referred to as a Setting-Sue. Again, this is a new term, so yes, we've previously called it other things - but I think it works.

And for my money, they'd be DOGA's responsibility. Apart from Alumia, I don't think we've ever had to exorcise a location before - but we've certainly assassinated them. ;)

hS

Did that involve a random Predator showing up, and a sword that was about 10 miles long?

I'm sure I can remember reading something like that.

I can email it if anyone wants to read. It's a bit on the NSFB side, if I recall.

I believe this is the link: http://vgdivision.dreamwidth.org/2599.html

We know a lot of people in HQ who don't actually work in the department find DAVD agents kinda creepy, and in such a massive place with so many beings bumping shoulders every day, with the kinds of stress levels agents build up, you're going to have people who don't like each other, so I could imagine sometimes people from different departments make up derogatory nicknames.

I'm again sorry for the whole "sadism" fiasco, but I've decided to just own up to it before I have to go for a few weeks (thanks to impending technical problems) instead of run away like a coward right now.

Anyway, with THAT cleared up...

The Disturbing Acts of Violence Department would I guess be Medics (after the class from TF2).

They're there when a Suethor or badficcer has done actual physical harm, possibly in lethal quantities, to a canon and its characters, far beyond what the rest of the PPC, even with FicPsych and Medical, can fix, and THEY can set things right in those scenarios- expecially when the canon doesn't snap back of its own accord like it does in Cupcakes/Snapback (which, in my opinion, should've been handled by the DAVD.)

That miraculous quality is from its medical team, DAVD(m). From one source, DAVD(m) can reglue on a decapitated head and the character comes back to life. Try getting Medical to repeat THAT feat and see what you get.

On top of that, a DAVD(i) or DAVD(a) agent has to witness a LOT more violence in one fic than many Spies, Assassins, Exorcists, Unentanglers, ect. have to deal with in thier careers, and DAVD(a) usually would have to deal with Mary Sues, Sue-Wraiths, Replacements, ect. that can fight back, as opposed to an Assassin's Mary Sues and Replacements, or an Exorcist's Sue-wraiths, which usually don't.

Hence, a name based off of the name of a class in a violent first-person-shooter video game.

With that being said, I suggest the divisions take on medical-sounding names to fit with that theme.

For instance:
>DAVD(a) could be "Battle medics" (after the nickname used in TF2 for Medics that fight the enemy directly instead of healing teammates), since they actually confront the Sue or whatever directly as well as get the bodies/wounded to DAVD(m))
>DAVD(i) could be "diagnosers" (or "diaggers" for short, this one should be obvious)
>and DAVD(m) could be "Doctors", which relates both to the fact that they're aparrently a lot better than the Nurses from Medical and to the "mad-scientist-crazy" cures they perform (I mean, gluing a decapitated head on? Really?)

Hopefully these suggestions are a lot better than the insensitive "sadies" thing...

... if the Pyros were nicknamed for their department, I'd've had to call them 'Doggies'. ;)

hS

...that and the accidental italicizing of half the board down below...
...at least THAT got fixed, but unfortunately this can't...

I'm an absolute idiot.
I'm sorry.

Well... there goes that...
I was thinking that the sadism would be protective on the agent's part. If they weren't, it would be extra stress on thier sanity...
...
However, after reading your comment, I'm definitely dropping the sadism thing.
I'm an idiot for even thinking it.

Also, yeah, I need to read those.
*pulls up PPC Wiki*

At least, so says the guy with two DAVD(A) agents who's working on a mission for them among many, many other projects. It probably needs reworking though so it could be a bit, and either way I look forwards to seeing your DAVDers in action! It's not my call really, but for what it's worth I kinda like your patch ideas.

(Incidentally, why not "Daves" for a nickname?)

That would be adorable and sadistic at the same time...

I ask because I can't quickly find evidence of that, and also because if they do, then I'd like to propose that the Troll Division gets one too...

Oh, hey, actually, yeah, there's a precedent. Specifically, both ESAS and SIELU--divisions of the Department of Floaters--have their own patches, as do a number of other divisions. I just got confused upon looking at the many divisions of the DMS and not seeing separate patches...although the DMS simply has so many it might not be worth it. Although I can definitely see an agent designing one, wearing it, and causing a panic among the rest of the division...and possibly a 'design a flashpatch!' contest...hm.

Any ideas for what sort of patch the Troll Division might have?

~DF