I don't know why it was necessary to insult both my fandom and my friend, Neshomeh (the condescending "should maaaaaybe clue you in" implying that she is somehow slow of wit), but I assure you it won't convince anyone here to support your argument further. I am also confused by your attempts to knock me off a pedestal that no one put me on in the first place. Not a soul, to my knowledge, was praising me as the Second Coming or criticizing others for not swooning at my feet, yet you seem to imply that my name is somehow sacrosanct. (Given that I am the resident PPC infidel, that would be quite the accomplishment.)

I am sorry that you view Pirates of the Caribbean as yet another junk popcorn movie. In my opinion, it is remarkably intelligently written and acted, and to reduce Jack Sparrow’s character to a Keith Richards impersonation is to engage the movie on only the most superficial level. While none of the PotC movies are perfect and the sequels are inferior to the first, there is a wealth of characters, lines, effects, myths, and music to sink one’s teeth into. Might I add that what makes a fandom worth protecting is not whether the canon is considered a classic, but whether it has earned our love and respect? There is no hierarchy of PPCing where, say, Lord of the Rings agents are considered to be of a higher caliber than those of Independence Day or The Matrix. To do so would encourage a highly undesirable PPC caste system, unleash a flood of canon hatred as people from less popular fandoms jockey for power by criticizing works higher on the food chain, and, worst of all, invalidate the fan experience of boarders who find value and meaning in less critically acclaimed material. (Though the first PotC, with its 79% tomatometer rating and five Oscar nominations—one of them for the very Johnny Depp performance you derided—does not fall into that category, so I’m afraid you’d still be stuck with it.)

I don’t feel that my agents need defending, so I shall not attempt to do so. I am proud of them and what they have done, and will leave it up to the community to decide whether either of them are, indeed, still “famous.” Since fame was not my objective in writing them, the DTE making the "Prominent Agents" list at all is an unexpected pleasure.

~Araeph

Which I think still matter, because they contributed to making the PPC what it is today:

1. Pioneered a new department that was actually a new department, with its own MO, not just another DMS in a new fandom like lots of the "new departments" back in the day. Note that this is not just inventing random new things and shoving them in. This was a whole new concept.

2. Starred in seventeen stories. Yes, a few others have passed this number; most haven't even come close.

3. Officiated at the Sue-Smiting Ceremony. Lots of folks were involved. It was a big deal.

4. Her spinoff is bloody well-written, and she's a good character. I feel like I've heard that this matters somewhere else in this thread.

4.5 It's also responsible for introducing the PPC Crash Dummies, which are staple equipment today. Inventions that actually passed the test of time and stuck around strike me as worth recognizing.

5. Oh, look, her author IS still around. How 'bout that.

I don't object to Rina being added. In fact, I've just done so. I object to the existing members of the list being derided by people who haven't bothered to read them and somehow feel that their ignorance is evidence of something. It isn't.

Also, PotC was extremely popular when it first came out. Just because you don't like it doesn't mean people who enjoy it are somehow less worthy than thou. It's okay to not like things, but don't be a dick about it. Don't be a dick about the things you don't like.

~Neshomeh

I can honestly say that you are one of the reasons I found the PPC. I look forward to wherever you go with the DTE! :D

Will the DTE be making a comeback? *crosses fingers and smiles hopefully*

Also, take this plate of SPaGhetti as a welcome back gift!

Also, hi! Feels like I haven't seen you around in a while... although, to be fair, I went on hiatus for a bit myself. How've you been?

~DF

Way I see it, while the list is a great way to see who was a prominent agent while they were still active, half the list hasn't done anything for years and one of them has all but completely retired. I think it might be a good idea to expand that list and bring it a little more up to date.

And so what if we have this same conversation in two years, and again two years after that? It doesn't make the slightest bit of difference. New agents will rise to prominence and old ones will fade. Say, for example, if one of them took down a slew of Legendary Badfics that culminated in a six-part epic that succeeded where at least one previous set of agents failed. Surely that alone would be worthy of inclusion, never mind the fact that they kept going afterwards rather than take the month of accrued vacation time to mainline antipsychotics and sit dribbling by a window while the sky glowed pink.

Agent Rina Dives shows up everywhere, and she shows up in quality missions, and she shows up in quality RPs, and basically? She's exactly the kind of agent we should be promoting. Rina Dives is an excellent character, and all the better for being a prominent agent.

Consider this me seconding Voydymort's nomination.

Just think! It means that we've got a lot of creativity going on here :)

So yeah. Not all bad :) That's the bright side to it.

~DF