Subject: Welcome back!
Author:
Posted on: 2013-02-08 03:57:00 UTC
Yay, you're back, you're back, you're back!
Also, I feel totally tactless for bring this up in a welcome-back post, but I need some help figuring out how DTE missions work. Like, can the DTE take on badfics that aren't Sued so much as plagued with bad spelling/grammar/characterization/punctuation/etc.? Say, a badfic sort of like this?
Hello, everyone!
As Cyba Zero said, I did indeed get snowed under with work...but with the blizzard headed in my general direction tomorrow, the snowing under will probably be more literal. At any rate, I've stopped being quite so busy in the real world and am ready to finish the group mission...if the volunteers here are still interested.
For those of you who have completed your missions in my absence, thank you for keeping the ball rolling! I'm sure we can find some inter-mission connective tissue to tie your missions to the ones that are still upcoming. Most of all, though, thank you for your patience as I sorted things out on my end!
Good to be back,
Araeph
How's the blizzard going? Are you enjoying all the snow? I'm in the not particularly unique position of being abroad for the year, so I haven't seen any snow this winter--which is...both strange and nice, seeing as I normally live in Canada.
I'll save you the, quite frankly, fangirling of someone who grew up on PPC stories (and learned quite a bit about writing in the process), and say only that I quite like Mara and Isaiah and have a question for you as someone who knows more about the PotC time period than I do.
I'm currently looking at badfics (my poor brain!), trying to decide on one to be my first mission, and one of the ones I've found is a PotC badfic that seems to think that Elizabeth has 'peaceful, ladylike dreams' and Will knows (and uses) modern-day speech patterns. The Sue's name is Rachelle Swann (Elizabeth's adopted sister, apparently). That was definitely *not* a common English name at the time, right? Or was it already the done thing to give children names from other cultures?
Also, would 'Rachel' have been more plausible? Or was it also not a particularly common name at the time?
Thanks,
~DawnFire
Yes, I am very much enjoying all the snow...although with public transportation, not so much. And we're supposed to get more today and this weekend. Oh well...
I know what it's like to miss an entire winter--I spent a semester in Spain my junior year, and, well, let's just say Cordoba is not the snow capital of the world.
Feel free to fangirl all you want! I love getting feedback on my stories, especially after I've let them sit for so long. (Grew up on them? Wow, I feel so old...)
Rachelle Swann is not the worst Swann name the PotC fandom has been graced with (that honor belongs to "Bella Swann"; yes, like Twilight), but it certainly isn't something a British colonist would usually name his daughter. The English and French aren't on particularly good terms at this point in history, and only if the Sue had a French mother would you see her named something like that. At least, in the world we know and love.
Peaceful, ladylike dreams? Ha-ha ha-ha.
Oh, and Rachel would have been much more plausible, as it's the English version of a Biblical name. Also it happens to be mine. :)
I give you fangirling/feedback!
I love your missions! I read them all over the span of a few days and I was so sad when they were over. I love how the agents interact with the canons a little bit - kind of what I was planning for my Star Trek missions, actually, because Star Trek characters have a habit of finding out when there are people sneaking around their ships. And all the humor that comes from bad SPaG, like Urple Clouds and implausible eye colors are so funny! (I found a Star Trek Suefic where the Sue's eyes were described as being "Like fire and ice melting together." What color is that, exactly?) And Isaiah/Quen is awesome! Mostly because Isaiah is so awkward. I quite like your LOTR missions - normally I get bored, because there are so many of them, but you handled it well, especially since you had the agents point out how that wasn't so common for them.
I look forward to reading any new missions you come out with.
I didn't actually use the term fangirling. :P
And yes, my mission count has climbed slowly but steadily--I have fifteen done, which is more than most agent pairs have, sadly. And yes, I plan to go out with a bang, but that is for a little while down the road. I too love the humor that comes from bad spelling and grammar. My favorite eye line is probably, "There was a spark of something in his chocolate orbs, but it disappeared as soon as it appeared." There are so many bad eye lines in PotC fic. Really, I've only scratched the surface.
Like fire and ice melting together...um, hate to tell the Suethor this, but fire doesn't melt. Maybe she meant melding together, which makes it very ironic that she avoided that word in a Star Trek Suefic. But fire and ice coming together would be, uh, steam. So the color would be grayish white. ...Exotic?
Ahahaha, yes good ole awkward Isaiah. I still keep in touch with Quen's author now and then, so the saga might not be over yet. Glad you like the LotR missions! I do try to space them out, because as you said, what hasn't been done there? (Just go down the list of Assassination Methods on the wiki, for instance.)
The group mission will be a nice return to form, if I can get the blasted thing going again. Now, to have a look at that spreadsheet...
...picture me jumping up and down and grinning like a loon because I'm actually *talking* to *Araeph*. (For even more mental pictures, add in the one of me occasionally giggling somewhat hysterically because I'm *actually a PPCer*, which, believe me, is not something I ever thought would happen. Mostly because I thought the PPC wasn't very active anymore, but boy, have I been proved wrong about that!)
Ugh. Snow+public transportation=slush on the buses, in my experience. Although nothing can beat the time my dad drove me to school and I slipped and fell backwards into a snowbank on my way over to the sidewalk. That was hilarious at the time...actually, it's still pretty funny (at least to me). Try to focus on how pretty it all is (before the cars ruin it, of course).
Ooh, Spain? Sounds fun. I'm in Israel, hence the occasionally strange posting times. I got tanned last week. *Tanned*. It was insane(ly awesome!)
Fangirling/comments specific to stories would be...well, I recently reread some of the missions (mostly the earlier ones), and the vacation at...bother, I've forgotten the name. The OFU for PotC, anyway--that's got to be one of my favorites. I mean, what hasn't it got? Interactions with IC canon characters, interactions with students, Misspelled Monkeys, Mara and Isaiah being mistaken for students, Isaiah getting fangirls, and the entire Isaiah and Quen storyline--yes, it's got it all! Hence, favorite :)
I did catch the 'Bella Swann' thing...which, of course, is a pretty bad name unless she's actually Spanish.
On the plus side, 'Rachelle' is not 'Michelle'. Then I'd have to 'terminate with extreme prejudice', for the cause of ruining a Beatles song that I love.
(Grew up on them, spent 'formative years' reading them...same difference :) The story is that I discovered the PPC somewhere around 4 or 5 years ago, probably through OFUM--or perhaps through PPC spin-offs on FFN--and then spent at least two years reading PPC-related fiction, MSTs, and such-like. Eventually, that boiled down into just being pretty well-versed in Sue-related things and keeping an eye on Deleterius. And then, several months ago, I got it into my head to reread the Original Series, and OFUM, and Suedom, and then I found out that the Board/PPC was still active, so...I decided to say hi :) And now, here I am, one month and one day later, putting together a Permission request. My, how time flies...)
Well, jury's still out on whether her real mother is French--all I know is that she's adopted and has some sort of connection to sea voyages, which, coupled with the summary, means pirates, which means Jack Sparrow, which means I get to yell 'SUE!' and hopefully send agents out after her.
...I think I'm in the very happy position of knowing that it is *extremely* unlikely that a Sue will ever steal my name, just because it's such an uncommon one that I hardly ever run into anyone who even knows it, although there have been a few close encounters. In fact, this year (well, last year, now) marks the first time that I have ever personally met someone with the same name, and it wasn't even the name she goes by. So...yay, uncommon names! I can sympathize, though. Have you run across many Sues named Rachel? It doesn't really seem like a Sue-ish name--not speshul enough (note how this one is 'Rachelle')--but you never know...
Yup, "peaceful, ladylike dreams". Exact quote. I believe my reaction was, "Ahahaha…excuse me, you do *not* know Elizabeth. Charge for being Elizabeth’s adoptive sister and not knowing anything about her personality." (I tend to make notes of potential charges while reading through badfic. It's therapeutic, and gives me an idea of how good it would be for sporking material--or for how much it deserves it. If I gather a page's worth from reading two paragraphs, then I start thinking about claiming it. My theory is that having these lists will make it easier to write the missions, but I have no idea if it will work in practice…hopefully it will. If nothing else, it gives me a good laugh to reread them, and helps me remember what’s in each badfic.)
Well, that got pretty long. Hopefully you don't mind. Nice talking to you (and hopefully not *at* you).
~DawnFire
Weird. Seriously, it feels really weird to be a well-known someone, even in a small subsection of fandom. Also, I felt the exact same way when I first joined the PPC--I had to work up a bit of nerve to start chatting with Miss Cam and Greyladybast.
Yeah, the public transportation has been slow that it's probably faster just to walk home. Which I thought of doing before coming down with a cold that's been going 'round the office. Fun times!
I have indeed come across a Sue named Rachel...in this charming self-insert fic where six fangirls beat Middle-earth's finest a volleyball. Urgh, the memories...they are not so easily suppressed.
Nice talking to you, too! I feel like I don't know the newer members as well as I should...hopefully I'll remedy that soon.
~Araeph
Volleyball? *Volleyball*? In Middle-earth?
You know, that actually sounds vaguely familiar...
Oh, that one. Makes sense--I would have read the mission a while ago. I'm pretty sure I read all of Mara and Isaiah's missions at some point.
*reads further* ...ouch...this is painful. Isaiah has my sympathies. (So does Mara. So do you, actually. It hurts. And I don't think the actual story has even started yet!)
Ugh, colds are no fun. One of my roommates has a mild one right now, actually. Try to stay warm and drink lots of tea (rosehip if you can get it--it has vitamin C). Also, echinacea, ginseng, and oil of oregano are very good. -end un-asked for advice on herbal medicine-
Yes, that does sound pretty nervewracking. And, well, enjoy your 'well-known someone' status (since there really isn't much of anything else you can do about it). :) It does seem like something that would feel weird, though. I keep thinking how I'd feel if I were Jay or Acacia, and I was curious to see if the PPC was still running and came to check it out, and then found this huge fandom...It's pretty impressive, you know. And amazing, for that matter. Quite inspiring :)
Well, this newbie is quite happy to talk. I like talking. I'm even the Queen of Babbling (self-proclaimed). So, yes. Quite happy to talk, mostly because you seem quite nice.
You know, it's funny. With the Rachel mission, I only vaguely remember that there was volleyball somewhere in it, but the picture at the top is very familiar. Interesting what the mind remembers several years later...
By the way, quick question--can bad songfics set in one fandom with no non-canon characters (or at least no Mary-Sues) be given to DMS or DIC agents? If not, who handles them?
~DawnFire
Actually, I'm a tea drinker normally, although I'm not much for echinacea and ginseng. There is a wonderful lemon and ginger tea from Twinings that I like, though.
If you'd like to chat more, I'm on AIM (as Araeph). As I've said before, most of the PPCers I know are oldbies, so it'll be interesting to get a new perspective on things.
Hmm, bad songfic, one fandom, no Mary Sues...that would fall under the Department of Technical Errors. Now, if your agents are in DMS/DIC, that's fine--you just have to get permission from your Department Head for a temporary transfer (and clear it with the Department of Personnel). Agent Rosie Cotton Bomull, for instance, was a DMO agent, but she helped out Agent Mara for the (very satisfactory) demise of one Felina Wisebriar.
~Araeph
Well, personally, I don't drink echinacea or ginseng in tea, although I'm sure it's possible. Lemon and ginger is very good, though.
Oh, wow, AIM. I haven't been properly on there in a while--I just have the email address set to forward messages to my main email. I'll see about going back, though--I actually wouldn't mind chatting with an oldbie :) I seem to mainly be talking to newbies (which, of course, is quite fun, but the different perspective would be good to see). I'll figure that out...sometime this week, I think. Hopefully.
DTE, huh? Alright...Who do I, personally, have to talk to? I mean, is it just the SO or the Lichen signing off on a temporary transfer and the Marquis de Sod agreeing that it would be alright, or do I, DawnFire, go to another Boarder and ask? (Also, I'm assuming the mission's charge list would follow the DTE's format?)
(And do the agents have to want to do the mission and request the temporary transfer, or can it be Orders from Above--er, from the Flowers? Because I can't see any agents in their right minds actually *wanting* to take this one on. It actually seems more plausible as a punishment, really. That's not to say that it wouldn't make good sporking material, though--I think it could be hilarious, for anyone who isn't one of the agents assigned to it).
~DawnFire
Well, the nice thing about all of these intricate PPC procedures is...you can make 'em up as you go along.
In all seriousness, a lot of time PPC procedure varies from spin-off to spin-off, as there was next to no procedural gobbledygook in the Original Series (outside of the mission formulas themselves). If your agents came across a fic that you really wanted to PPC, you would probably just ask the S.O.'s permission and he would forward the transfer order to Personnel. If you were assigned to it, the S.O. would transfer you himself and let you know about it...eventually...probably at the least convenient time. :P Basically, if it feels like something the PPC would do, then you're probably on the right track.
And hooray for chatting!
~Araeph
Ah, I see. A very free--albeit occasionally confusing--method of storywriting. Awesome :)
I have noticed variations, actually, in things as small as the behavior of A/Ns to as big as...well, I can't think of an example right now, but I know there are plenty. Thanks for the clarification, it's going to prove very useful :D (Insert the agents backing away slowly...)
Chatting! I logged onto AIM for the first time in...a while, and I added you as a 'buddy'? I have no idea if that worked, how it worked, etc, but if you get the equivalent of a friend request from a DawnFire360, let me know. They've changed the format since I hung out there, so I'm sort of feeling my way around somewhat confusedly.
~DawnFire
I didn't recognize your name, so I went and looked you up on the wiki. I've been reading through Mara and Isaiah's missions, and thoroughly enjoying them! And it's been a while since I've seen PotC, so consider that high praise that I am still enjoying them. I might write for the DTE sometime, it sounds fun! Anyhow, welcome back, and I can't wait to read any new missions that come out.
I have written a few missions in the meantime, although I have been quiet for a little while waiting for the right kind of badfic for my next mission. (In short: a technical-error-ridden badfic in the LoTR/Hobbit continuum, for Eagrus' reaction.)
It is good to see you again. I look forward to the results of the group mission!
So I'm more than willing to collaborate with anyone who still hasn't managed to have a mission done yet.
Little House on the Prairie badfic? What in the name of Camp 80's bad food?
If there's no-one around familiar with the book, I'm willing to try and write the mission(s) for those 'fic. It'll have to wait for a week or so, though.
Glad to see you back. Also, snow sounds awesome, but I guess its not so great when you have to drive. Heavy snow's a bit of a novelty for me, seeing as its been pretty mild in Virginia this winter.
My family just drove up to Vermont for the weekend. Despite the governor, radio, and pretty much everything saying 'no seriously DON'T GO DRIVING' we got up here pretty well. Hopefully the friend who we got to watch our animals will do well (there's a lot of food and a generator so she should.)
Ah, I don't think I'll do one of the group missions. I have a giant backlog that I need to get to, so...
Vermont, wow! You guys are adventurous. I'm near Boston, so I'm certainly in the thick of the action, as it were. But so far, it's been more of a slow, steady accumulation than a big whiteout that wallops everything in its path. Here's to the power staying on!
I think we'll be OK with the volunteers we have for the group missions...and hey, I could always recruit other unsuspecting newbies fresh PPC faces to help out...
I too am experiencing this blizzard, though in my area it's more of this gross snow/slush combo. Anyway, nice to see you back!
I'm sorry you got so bogged down for so long! I am certainly still game for missiony action.
(Ironically, I'm pretty bogged down with work shifts now, do to the zoo getting understaffed, but with those badfics so short, I should still be able to work through them with you in a relatively timely manner.)
I'll probably do a follow-up reply post to my initial post, trying to sort out where we are. :) Should be interesting! And yes, it's a good thing those missions are so short. Otherwise our brains would explode we wouldn't have time to do them.
Yay, you're back, you're back, you're back!
Also, I feel totally tactless for bring this up in a welcome-back post, but I need some help figuring out how DTE missions work. Like, can the DTE take on badfics that aren't Sued so much as plagued with bad spelling/grammar/characterization/punctuation/etc.? Say, a badfic sort of like this?
And don't worry...I'm flattered that you want to know more about the DTE!
As you can see in this mission, a Sue is not necessary at all for a fic to be eligible for a "visit" from the Department of Technical Errors. One thing, though: bad characterization alone wouldn't cut it; it would have to be that in conjunction with technical errors, since it's not a main focus of the DTE. The fic you linked me to was certainly not one of the best, but I'm not in the fandom, so I don't know how many logical flaws it has. Usually the DTE goes after fics where the bad writing jumps out and tries to strangle the readers. :)
You're right, this might not be a good DTE mission. The biggest problems I see with it are the paragraph formatting and the entire fight between Tigerclaw and Ravenpaw (which I remain convinced would have been even more unbalanced in Tigerclaw's favor, because Ravenpaw was terrified of the tom and would not have been able to fend off even another apprentice due to being scrawny and jumpy). I'm not sure how well the DTE would be able to take it down... Hmm, I shall have to find another fic. A worse fic.
Anyone taken down Starkits Prophcy yet? I know where it's rehosted. XD
(I kid, I kid, although that one should die if it hasn't. Thanies for the help, Araeph, and again, it's good to have you back!)
If you are familiar with Pokemon, then maybe you could consider this crossover. Technical errors aplenty, with a slight dose of OOC.
However, I've managed to find my worse fic! http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8939093/1/Snowkit-s-torture
THIS one I know can be sporked. I grr.