In her guise as battlefield medic.



Fun fact #1: Based on this lovely Shutterstock image. It took a surprisingly long time to figure out the lie of her shoulders under that headscarf.

Fun fact #2: Baron Kaitlyn is of course in medically-appropriate garb, including the flag slung practically across her back, arms bare below the elbow, and a helpful bag (which she tells me is mostly used for carrying pens).

Fun fact #3: Unlike NeshBosh (sorry ^_~), Kaitlyn doesn't carry a token from Huinesoron - it would be an infection risk.

Fun fact #4: Would you believe 'woman with crossbow' also resulted in lots of photos by people who think that's sexy? Oooof course you would, it's the Internet.

hS

...So ASoIaF is a Tolkien AU fic.

I'm sorry, Scape, but... what? I'm trying to think of how that makes sense. And I don't think it does.

I mean... By that definition, pretty much every fantasy novel is a Tolkien AU fic.

Which I find hypocritical, given that he wrote Dark!Edgy!AU fanfic of Tolkien (to the point of nicking his R.R.) and medieval history, and that his personal style makes him look like the child of an Mpreg fic shipping Walt Whitman and Captain Haddock from Tintin. Let us also not forget Anne Rice, who has herself written what amounts to pornographic BDSM fanfiction of Beauty and the Beast under the name A.N. Roquelaire and published it. The missus has them. =]

I also don't agree that a given author can dictate the content of their fans' works, only that they do not monetize them. As an author, ngl, you should not be reading your fans' fic anyway because that way lies madness and potential lawsuits. Since you're not involved with it, and since you're not reading it, what harm does it do you that people make your characters do the horizontal lambada with aplomb and a worrying amount of latex hosiery?

It all brings to mind a quote about Ray Bradbury. In an interview, he was asked what he felt about Hollywood always adapting his books into absolutely atrocious movies and thus ruining them. Bradbury got up, walked over to a shelf full of his novels, and spread his arms wide.

"Look at them," he said. "They're all here. They're fine."

Authors do have a right to control their intellectual property to some extent.

Anyway, if you think that's bad, you clearly haven't read George R.R. Martin's views on fanfiction. At least McCaffrey lightened up eventually.

~Neshomeh

Because a) the alternative was 'no fanfic at all', b) the only thing she forbids content-wise is pornographic sites (not even material - just entire sites devoted to it), and c) don't call the Dragonlady petty. [Frownyface]

hS

This is the song River, as filtered through the lens of Jennotari shipping. Yes, it counts. =]

---

It's coming on Christmas
And the Christmas Tree's
Been putting up reindeer and
Singing songs of joy and peace
I wish there was an AU
I could run away to

But it don't snow here
It's just Generic Grey
In corridors that go on
So long you can't run away
I wish I had an AU
I could run away to

I wish I had an AU so wrong
That I could teach my feet to fly
Oh, I wish I had an AU
I could run away to

I made Nurse Jenni cry

She tried hard to help me,
You know, put me at ease
And she laughed and joked and it
Made me weak in the knees
I wish I had an AU
I could run away to

But I'm so hard to handle
I'm selfish and I'm sad
Now I've gone and lost the only
Love in this place I've had
I wish I had an AU
I could run away to

I wish I had an AU so wrong
That I could teach my feet to fly
I wish I had an AU
I could run away to

I made Nurse Jenni say goodbye

It's coming on Christmas
And the Christmas Tree's
Been putting up reindeer and
Singing songs of joy and peace
I wish there was an AU
I could run away to

Liebe Arceus, that has to be the most smug, presumptuous, petty-minded thing I've ever heard. And I live with me. On a 24/7 basis. =]

"If you didn't want to be mistaken for a Middle Eastern country, you shouldn't have placed a sickle moon on the head of your war-staff."

Or... something. :D

hS

I'll put out a few more this month, but for now, have these two.

"I Saw Dafydd Kissing the SO", to the tune of "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus"

I saw Dafydd kissing the SO
Underneath the mistletoe last night
They didn't see me creep
Down the hall to have a peep
They thought that I was tucked up
In my RC, fast asleep

Then I saw Dafydd tickle the SO
Underneath his fronds so fresh and green
Oh, what a laugh it would have been
If Constance had only seen
Dafydd kissing the SO last night

...Wow, I could have sworn that one was longer than it is, but it just keeps repeating. Hrm.

From the Aviator's an estranged ex-partner's point of view, to the tune of "Same Auld Lang Syne". I kept a bit too much of the original for it to really count as a filk, I think, but I like it all the same.

Met my old partner in the courtyard
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the grassy fields
And I touched her on the sleeve

She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she fell on me
And we laughed until we cried

We stood there, awkward in the moment now
The silence longer as we stared
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation slowed

Went to have ourselves a drink or two
Sat ourselves down at Rudi's pub
We bought a pair of beers made a toast
For the days we both had lost

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how

I said I'd had myself a daughter
She said she had herself a girlfriend
We both wished things had turned out different
But it worked out in the end

She said the years had been long without me
And that she missed me every day
I said I missed her, too, so very much
But didn't want to intrude

She said she saw me in the tabloids now
And that I must be doing well
I said insanity wasn't too bad
But the infamy was hell

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness
But neither one knew how

We drank a toast to innocence
We drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence
Another 'auld lang syne'

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a hug to me as we both left
And I watched her walk away

Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned into rain

I gave you the old RP rules. Here are the latest rules for fanfiction and other fanworks that I'm aware of: http://pernhome.com/aim/anne-mccaffrey/fans/fan-fiction-rules/

~Neshomeh

I was going to do a crossover between Supernatural and "Horse from a Different Sea." I like Mpreg if it makes sense, but Alpha/Omega is just so character-breaking it might as well not be fanfiction.

I have them on my old RP sites, here and here. Please forgive the ancient, crappy site design.

Out of curiosity, why do you ask?

~Neshomeh

I heard that Anne McCaffrey had special rules about writing fanfiction in her worlds, but the link seems to be dead. All I could find were advertising rules that should be universal for all fanfiction.

One could be forgiven for thinking Wechi is a Middle Eastern country.

Or, given the color scheme, a certain popular coffee chain.

I've been meaning to say how awesome this all is, but I lack more words than that. So, just: thank you, Scapegrace, and thank you, hS, for being awesome. ^_^

~Neshomeh

Iximaz was kind enough to remind me that yes, it is in fact December already, and that means it's time for the PPC Holiday Filk Game!

As usual, the following guidelines apply:

1. Pick a seasonal tune that strikes your fancy—anything you like, even if it's been used for this before.
2. Write new words for it with a PPC theme.
    2a. I encourage you to seek for a topic that does not involve Sue-slaying, because we have lots of filks about that. If that's what the muse dictates, though, go for it.
    2b. What I'd really like to see are more tunes about actual holiday stuff in Headquarters. There are lots of holiday filks about PPC stuff, but not too many holiday filks about PPC holiday stuff. Odd, ne?
3. Post your filk here in this thread for us to enjoy and comment on.
4. If so inclined, share a recording of yourself singing a filk or two.
5. When all's said, sung, and done, I'll add this year's entries to the PPC Holiday Songbook unless you specify otherwise.

As usual, I have yet to add last year's entries, but I shall do so forthwith. Meanwhile, have fun!

~Neshomeh

1: A Protagonist



This is Connie Sims, leader of the Interspecific Animosity Intervention Agency (IAIA, pronounced "Ia! Ia!", as in "Cthulhu fhtagn"). She and her team are officially licensed by the British government and the Sidhe Queen to mediate between humanity and the mythic races.

This is her "Trace, can't this wait until after coffee?" face.

I've accidentally-on-purpose given myself the additional challenge of making all my pictures of characters based on my wife ^_^. Sorry, Kaitlyn, you're just going to have to get used to it...

hS

Because Baron Phobos needs his lady (to keep him under control... ^~)



Fun fact #1: Baron Neshomeh's outfit is loosely based on Eowyn's, with a leather jerkin over a long dress. I'm picturing it in black and white, but that could vary.

Fun fact #2: Neshomeh is not based on a pole dancer (^~), but on a photograph of a native Mexican woman from 1928.

Fun fact #3: 'woman with flag' as a Google search introduces you to the fact that an alarming number of people think flags are designed to look sexy with. For... some reason.

Fun fact #4 (I'm going to regret making this a tradition...): Of course she has a token from Phobos in return!

hS

Knight Eatpraylove


Knight Filius Caeli (sonofheaven)


Knight Hardric


Knight Hieronymus


Knight Mattman


Knight Storme of Hauk (Nova Storme)


And finally... some weirdo whose name escapes me. Wobblestheclown or some such thing. =]

Ok, I am a day late posting this, but I am going ahead anyways. So, December has begun and I am here to here to announce the beginning of another monthly challenge called Character Drawcember. Yes, this is an art challenge not writing challenge; and PPC is a writing community. However, I think writers benefit from this particular challenge as well, especially in terms of characterization. I'm probably going to do this over two months because exams.

The rules are pretty simple, there are basically no rules. You can use whatever medium, whatever style, whatever characters you want (you could use your agents or even the results from that superhero round robin we did).

Here is the link for the prompts:
http://laurenwallaceart.tumblr.com/post/103949352875/introducing-character-drawcember-this-is-a

I highly encourage you guys to try this out, especially if you are in the middle of creating some characters. You don't have to be a good artist to do this; art is art regardless of technical skill, I'm not a good artist myself. You don't even have to finish it on time, I'm probably going to do this over two months.

(Trope reversals FTW)

-Twistey

Huh! I hope that we can be of use with that reviewing thing!

Anyway, hi, I'm Twistey! I haven't been here too long, but am pretty active and try to help with anyone I can. I'm in too many fandoms and have too many original stories, but that's fine. I'm rather strong with evaluating characters based on bios and sometimes with writing itself.

Anyway, how about you? I guess I shouldn't get you started on listing fandoms, so I'll ask you some other questions: Any agent ideas? Any notable works of fanfic or original fic? What do you plan to do with your time here, aside from getting writing help? I'd love to know more! :)

As for your newbie gift, here, have an egg. It looks like a chicken egg, except it's the size of an ostrich's egg. (But it's chicken egg shaped.) Who knows what will hatch out of this?

It's nice to meet you! I hope you have a wonderful time here and welcome to the PPC!

-Twistey

I got my account back when you could explore the books (I forgot, did that get removed? I thought it did?), got stuck in the middle of Chamber, and stopped using it because I was, well, stuck. All I remember of test taking is that I'm a Ravenclaw. I probably am also in Horned Serpent for Ilvermorny (since that's essentially the Ravenclaw of that school), but I haven't actually taken the test. I didn't take the patronus and I don't remember my wand.

But let me tell you a funny story. I have a big friend group that I encountered completely by chance, and there's this one guy who thinks he's dark and edgy but is really more like a sad puppy in nature. Everyone else in the group knows it. So we all got into a debate with him about his Hogwarts house, and to prove our point, one friend got out her laptop and had him take the Pottermore test. The results confirmed it, he was a Hufflepuff. It was great to see his reaction. Didn't do anything to make him stop denying that, though.

-Twistey

House: Gryffindor. (I'm known for my dashing bravery. Key word: dashing.)

Patronus: Osprey. (I didn't google what an Osprey was, you did!)

Wand: Well, you just have to ask nicely to see my wa- Redwood wood (redundant wood) with a Dragon heartstring core, 11 3/4 inches and brittle flexibility.

Baron Huinesoron stood in front of the line of flagpoles, looking up at the banners flapping in the wind. "They're... alarmingly good," he admitted.

Ye Scape-Grace gave him something that can only be described as a leer, but her tone reflected none of it. "Surely this is because the great Spelin Tam-Ara hath guided mine hand," she declared. "Praise be to the Well-Written Word of Spelin."

"Er, yes." Huinesoron glanced at the Temple Warden's great hook-headed staff. "Praise be. Um..."

"Thou seemest uncertain, o faithful Son of the Temple," Ye Scape-Grace said pleasantly. "Tell me what ails thee, and by mine art I shall strive to aid thee."

"Don't push it," the Baron muttered. "But... two questions. Why is Baron Phobos' flag on a spear?"

"Ha!" Phobos strode in from the westward road. "Just the sort of question I would expect from you. I have a spear because I am a warrior!" The bearded Baron grabbed hold of the flagpole and yanked it from the earth, waving it overhead.

Baron Neshomeh came scurrying up behind him. "Put it down, dear," she chided, "you're going to hit someone."

"Quite the picture they make," Huinesoron murmured as Phobos planted the spear back in the ground. "I guess that answers that."

"Strange are the workings of Spelin," Ye Scape-Grace agreed. "Open thy heart and mind to me, and She will answer all that you might ask."

"Right." Huinesoron pursed his lips. "So... why do we need these flags? We've already got coats of arms."

"And fair indeed they are, if a trifle overwrought." Ye Scape-Grace lowered her hood and gazed up at the flags. "But they serve only to identify the knights who bear them, while these can serve as standards for an entire army - or to symbolise a Barony in the halls of Otik."

"I'm... not entirely convinced," Huinesoron admitted. "But they are very good."

"Indeed they are!" Sir Hardric, bearing his own shield of the eagle, sword, quill, and die, pushed through the crowd to the front. "And as a faithful convert to the worship of Spelin, I demand more!"

"More?" Ye Scape-Grace blinked. "Tha says what?"

"Oui, more!" Sir Hardric turned, arms outspread. "Let every Knight of Plort have a banner to call their own, that they may wave above the battlefields of the League and strike terror into the hearts of the Marizu! And-" He seemed lost for a moment, before rounding on Baron Huinesoron. "And let each and everyone one of us be commemorated in portraiture!" he cried. "For all know the work of Baron Huinesoron, how he has decked the castle formerly known as Retben in artwork of his own making; let him share the skills of his art with all, and not stop until every knighted soul of this isle is remembered."

Baron Huinesoron and Ye Scape-Grace shared a look which was, for once, in perfect accord. Huinesoron took a deep breath. "That's... an interesting idea, Sir Hardric..."

~

I'd actually forgotten Ye Scape-Grace had been proclaimed by a certain over-impulsive baron to be the Temple Warden of Spelin - because of her flag-making abilities. This all fitted together amazingly neatly when I remembered that.

As for portraits: I don't know what you look like. ;) I can't even do all the barons - I don't know what VixenMage or Juliette look like, either. (Technically I have a very old picture of Delta Juliette somewhere - you remember it, Juliette, it's the one with the rose - but I somehow doubt it's still accurate all these years later.)

But you'll probably get at least a few more before I get bored and wander off to something else.

hS