The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

Ooh! Thanks for letting me know about the typo - fixed it!

They weren't a Thing, but it's something I've wanted to play around with for a while. Kitty came out of there with a physical change in the form of some magical scarring, so it's only fair that Alec gets some weirdness, too. :V His Valcentica counterpart, however, does have the phoenix mark.

The crossover-fic backstory is also a new thing since I'm retconning a whole bunch of the old Phoenix stuff. Got a lot of it written out, and Alec's is first up. I plan to post the first of those soon...

"All of them, Dicebag! And don't call me Callie, this is a masquerade. I have a mask on. My identity is concealed. You can't prove I am who you say I am."

The Hostess then promptly realized what Spanky was doing. The crackling of the air intensified and spread outwards a little, and her eyes went... strange. If the Hostess had been unhappy before, she was clearly angry now.

Poor Alec. I do think taking a nap is the most realistic first response upon getting home. I'm sure that's what I would do. I shudder to imagine the backlog of messages that must be on the console after three years, though . . .

Ah, so that's what he was keeping out of those reports. Sure wasn't expecting that, though that's partly because I wasn't aware he came from a crossover fic. I can't wait to start hearing some of Kitty's side of things; I'm sure her experience in Valcentica was even more wild than Alec's!

I thought for sure the summary was just being metaphorical, so I was surprised by the facial reveal at the end. Were facial marks a thing in Valcentica? I would say, "hopefully, he can get it removed" but I doubt you would have written it there if you intended to remove it . . .

There's one sentence where you've got "Flower" with a lowercase f:
"His console had messages from just about every flower telling him to report in . . ."

—doctorlit, finally caught up on commenting on current stories . . . FOR NOW

Regarding the "Crim acting comically full of himself" thing: he mostly does it because he finds it amusing. He doesn't really have any deep reason for doing it, nor does it somehow tie into his backstory (well, not in any clear way, though it presumably came from somewhere), it just strikes him as funny.

As to Crim and video games, yes, he mostly takes on Fire Emblem fics. This was especially true before being partnered with Cynthia, since she's familiar with enough video game continua to fill him in on why a fic is bad, aside from the obvious stuff.

The "Cynthia's ponytail" bit... actually, I can't say I entirely recall why I included that, aside from the fact that I clearly must've found it amusing at the time. Erm.

Anyhow, I'm pretty excited to be able to mission stuff. Without an angry mob forming and making me take down my unofficial missions by threat of maiming and/or death, anyhow. (That is how we enforce Permission, right?)

And here is a little gift: a self-updating guidebook of all the deathtraps in the multiverse.

And to go with it, here is a self-updating guidebook of all the deathtraps in the multiverse.

Thank you, thank you! You have convinced me I should let you live.

And thanks for putting in the effort to try to morph my name, I suppose. I imagine that is a long and arduous process involving Noodle Implements, perhaps including the occasional badger.

And I don't think you missed anything; it's just that Ix is used to having her body hijacked and she's left not in control of it, but other people commenting on her looks strikes a very, very raw nerve.

Ix would like to be brave enough to go outside of the RC in a disguise he's comfortable in, but she's not yet ready for that, hence the hesitation.

Thanks for the review.

This was nice! Goes to show my own lack of emotional depth: I assumed the encounter with Randy would have been a lot more hurtful to Ix than Apecian's offhand comments, so I was rather startled when Ix admitted the opposite was true. I'm glad that Charlotte talked Ix into confronting her fears and leaving the RC. I also like that the conversation segued into Muggle combat, and gave Ix an opportunity to show off some of her talents, as we don't get to see her shine much compared to Charlotte. (Or at least, I haven't since I started up reading again.)

One thing stuck out as a possible contradiction to me, though. Early on, Ix said she doesn't, "'want to go out without being a boy.'" But then, when Ix changes her mind about going out, she points to her currently male chest as a reason for staying in. Am I missing something?

And finally:
"'I know I'm not good enough for her,' Ix began, but qualied when both Charlotte and Olivine began protesting."

—doctorlit knows when he tells a qualie, it grows and grows, until it becomes plain as the quanose on his quaface

"Why Callie, dear!" it exclaims, returning to its cheery persona. "I was wondering where you'd gotten to! Can't go abandoning your own party, naughty." It rolls off of the piano to stand in front of the Hostess, and lightly swats at her masked nose. "As for why I'm here, well, your parties are always so lovely, I couldn't stay away! Besides, what party isn't better with a clown, especially one with a funhouse as fun as mine!"

THE SCHOLARS (Scholar's Empire)
Infantry Civilization

Unique Bonuses:-
Hunters do +10 damage to animals and work 25% faster
Militia units upgrade for free
Units with a specific armour class gain +2 to that armour class

Unique Technologies:-
Vandam Tactics
Scholar foot units and all allied Unique Units gain +33% movement speed.
Researched At: Castle
Cost: 300 Food, 300 Gold
Base Research Time: 60s
Available At: Castle Age

Scholasticism
Scholar and allied Unique Units gain the effects of other civilizations' Unique Technologies.
Researched At: Castle
Cost: 1200 Food, 1000 Wood, 750 Gold
Base Research Time: 300s
Available At: Imperial Age

Team Bonus: The team bonuses of allied civilizations are doubled and affect all military units (where applicable).

Unique Unit:-

Van Guard
"A stalwart defender that excels at taking down other infantry"
Unit Type: Infantry, Spearman
Trained At: Castle
Available At: Castle Age
Cost: 40 Food, 40 Wood
Base Training Time: 18s
Base HP: 65
Base Damage: 5 Melee
Attack Bonuses: +5 vs. Infantry, +5 vs. Spearman, +5 vs. Eagle Warrior, +5 vs. Archer, +5 vs. Gunpowder Units
Rate of Fire: 2.83
Base Armour: 2/0
Armour Classes: Infantry (10), Spearman (10), Unique Unit (10)
Base Speed: 1.1
Base Line of Sight: 4

Upgrades to: Elite Van Guard
Base Upgrade Cost: 1100 Food, 700 Gold
Unit Type: Infantry, Spearman
Trained At: Castle
Available At: Imperial Age
Cost: 40 Food, 40 Wood
Base Training Time: 16s
Base HP: 85
Base Damage: 6 Melee
Attack Bonuses: +8 vs. Infantry, +8 vs. Spearman, +8 vs. Eagle Warrior, +8 vs. Archer, +8 vs. Gunpowder Units, +6 vs. Unique Units
Rate of Fire: 2.5
Base Armour: 2/2
Armour Classes: Infantry (13), Spearman (13), Unique Unit (18)
Base Speed: 1.2
Base Line of Sight: 5

===

The Scholars' Empire has that rarest of things, a trash UU that's actually decent. While it might not do the most damage, remember that it has a boatload of defensive prowess and gains the bonus from the Scholars', and therefore everyone else's, unique technologies. The Empire's a real team player, befitting its lineage as a centre of learning and receiver of tribute from far-off lands; its units, while advanced technologically, suffer for it. Their Stables is particularly woeful, lacking both Scale and Plate Barded Armour as well as Hussars, Camels, and Paladins, so if you fancy yourself a fast knight rush, pick someone else. Anyone else. Their real strength lies in early Feudal Age M@A harassment and fending off Dark Age wolf rushes. They're exceptional hunters, too, so luring Boar and ambushing Deer is very easy for them to do efficiently. Their University is completely full, giving them good defences, and they have Ring Archer Armour and Plate Mail Armour for their foot units. However, they lack the Arbalest and, crucially, the Cavalry Archer line at all. This is not a civ for horse lovers. Navally speaking, they're pretty decent, with an almost complete tech tree that skips only Fast Demolition Rafts and Fast Fire Ships. Their Monks are pretty good, lacking only Heresy and Illumination. Finally, they lack Stone Shaft Mining, giving them a pretty excellent economy tree overall.

Everyone - and I do mean everyone - loves being on a team with the Scholars' Empire. In one on one matchups, they can rely on the strength of their Elite Van Guard, but in 2v2 or more, the Van Guard line gets a huge boost. The Mongols give units +4 line of sight. The Indians give +10 damage against buildings. The Malians let everyone research University techs 160% faster. The Persians give +4 damage against archers. The Goths give a 40% bonus to Barracks output speed. And so on. It. Is. Insane.

Being such a team player does have its benefits for the Scholars as well. Their love-in with the Malians continues as both the Gbeto and the Van Guard get +5(!!) attack from Farimba, while the Magyars become very strong indeed when they remove the gold cost from all allied Unique Units. The Turks also appreciate the boosts to Janissaries now that both their unique technologies (+1 Range and +20 HP) apply to them. Finally, a team with Vikings, Aztecs, and Berbers gives fantastic unique units, as Genitours, Berserkers, Jaguar Warriors and Van Guards gain seriously potent regeneration and bonus damage across the board.

===

So yeah, thoughts? =]

That is, I've sent you an invitation? Let me know if it doesn't work. Thanks for volunteering to beta!

~Z

It's impervious to lasers - it's actually part of him now, since he's been combined with his Valcentiself. The trials and tribulations of being a double-canon character, one supposes...

And maybe yes, maybe no. TUNE IN NEXT WEEK TO FIND OUT :V

Haha, I've been bit by the PPC bug again! You're right, they were all straight canonicals before, but Yikes™ that is so embarrassing these days, so I'm tweaking some things. (There was part of the RP that actually was an Alec/Sam/O'Neill love triangle, complete with pre-RP fanfic, though it wasn't quite like that. It had the PPC involved, but I, uh...changed that for th purposes of this.)

Expect some retcon interludes soon (and I mean soon as not in terms of geological time).

Alec just can't catch a break, can he? Poor man.

But it's *here*, and I *love it*. It's so fun to see new things from you about these characters. And I'm excited to see where you take the revision, too.

Also, wow, poor Alec. That Stargate bit is new, isn't it? I remember the pre-revision Team Phoenix as being actual canon characters.

~Z

Not really much else to say. It was short and good, and a nice light read.

I can't imagine waking up with a tattoo on your face is a pleasant experience, though. Time to break out the lasers! ...Unless it's Suvian ink and he can't get rid of it, which seems more likely. I can't help but wonder if it's going to have a bigger significance later on, though.

Interlude Title: A Changed Man
Canon: PPC

Rating: T, for swears

Agents: Trevelyan, A.

Time Period: May 2010 HST

Word Count: 1012
Summary: Three years away from HQ on one hell of a mission can turn a man into something different. Even if he doesn’t notice.

Turn and face the strange..

(We get a little bit about the revised Team Phoenix in this one...call it a teaser.)

The shimmering blue likeness of the baron folded its arms and sighed. "I thought it would have been obvious I was in favor of—oh, fine. Consider this the tiebreaker vote. I'm in favor of letting Wechi and the Riding have a say in the Council."

I'd like to write that, please.

Well, it's actually more complicated. The original Star Wars Official Fanfiction Academy was written by Alistair Fyrethorne and Leto Haven, but has been deleted. Leto, an oldbie and ancient of days, is no longer active, as far as I know. Thus, the original Star Wars OFU is dead, and will probably never come back to life.

Furthermore, new canon has been released, with more to come. Star Wars already has the most fics in the Movies section of the Pit, and that number will only grow. Kylo Ren redemption fics are running rampant. Poe Dameron romances will continue to spread. When will it end, PPC? When will it end? At the doors of the Star Wars Fanfiction Academy, that's where.

I jest, I jest. Really, I'd like to write this OFU because it would be lots of fun. I love Star Wars, and there is a heck of a lot of fic for it. The fact that it was already technically written, however, gives me pause.

That's my question. Does anyone have any issue with my taking over the Star Wars OFU, considering the fact that the original is gone for good and its authors are no longer active?

-Alleb

Since Plort dropped off the Board, it’s time to wrap this up.

---

This Council was held from the twelfth of July until the twenty-fifth of July in the City of Borrd.

Attendees:

• Baron Huinesoron
  
• Sar Iximaz (a baron of Plort) appeared briefly by magic
  
• Baron Kaitlyn was present, but did not say a word.
  
• Baron Neshomeh was still absent on a campaign against the Subjugator, but voiced her opinions through a messenger.
  
• Baron PC
  
• Protector Tomash of the Refuge of Ozerbord

Baron Eshakhar could not attend the council – apparently traveling in countries far abroad – but she sent a message accepting her barony.
Baron Phobos sent a messenger to announce that he had "more important matters to attend to" – but since there is certainly nothing more important than the Council of Plort, he may actually have been wounded and too proud to admit that he could not travel.

Non-deciding attendees:

• Knight Ælcalen, mayor of L'Urque
  
• The Djenni, messenger of Baron Neshomeh
  
• Filius Caeli, a civilian from the City of Borrd in the Protectorate of Borrd
  
• Frackles, messenger of Kwenaya, messaging nothing that needed to be discussed
  
• Sir Hardric, a wandering knight
  
• Sir Hieronymus the hermit, keeper of the records
  
• Oopart, messenger of Baron Phobos had no instructions to bring up subjects or to vote in Baron Phobos name
  
• Ye Scape-Grace, a knight from Keep De'endee and friend of the Diskord

Agenda:
A change of the rules of procedure (moved to top) – a proposal by Baron Huinesoron to let the archivists of the Commonwealth of Wechi, the Beytahs of the Riding of Sittorese, Protector Tomash of Ozerbord and the Mords of the Diskord participate in the Baronial Council as voting representatives of their respective nations.

A new nation – the Council is asked to acknowledge the establishment of a fifth nation, referred to as the Confederation of Diskord, which took possession of lands in the far east around La Wunj and in the west on the Geymez Plateau.

A new barony – per an invocation of the Edict of Bast, the newly created Baron Eshakhar receives the lands previously held by the permanently absent Baron Cassie, including the part that has last year been ceded to the now permanently absent Baron Thanasius Ampelius.

The relocation of Barony Huinesoron – a proposal by Baron Huinesoron to let him take the lands previously held by the permanently absent barons Araeph and July, but cede the territories south of the River Meibot – he may actually have meant the Meibot’s tributary Jid'ryv – back to Baron Neshomeh (west of the Auriantym Chain) respective Baron Juliette (east of the Auriantym Chain), making Neshomeh the only baron in Wechi again.

The disposition of Baron Huinesoron’s western territories – since Baron Huinesoron moves to eastern Borrd and the Riding of Sittorese, he intends to leave what is left of Ozerbord without a baron, but to cede his lands between the River Wep and the Wattuf Mountains, and the Geymez Plateau to Lady Iximaz, who, by another invocation of the Edict of Bast, would also receive the western part of former Barony Thanasius Ampelius.

The status of the City of Borrd – a move by Baron Huinesoron to exclude the capital from his new barony and let the Council of Borrd jointly take baronial authority over this city, as has been proposed on many previous occasions.

The Warden of Spelin – a move by Baron Huinesoron to appoint Ye Scape-Grace of De'endee as the warden of the Temple of Spelin.

New flags – Ye Scape-Grace used the opportunity to present the flag of the Confederation of Diskord (final version) to a greater public.
In the absence of any actual residents of the Riding of Sittorese, Hieronymus the hermit presented the flag of the Riding that, due to its difficult octarine colored part, had been in the works for two years.
Based on the national flags, Baron Huinesoron proposed a revised Union flag representing the Five Nations, the Five Eras of Rule and the Five Ages of Plort.

Decisions:
By votes of four to zero, Protector Tomash of Ozerbord and the Mords of the Diskord were invited to join the barons in the newly named Council of the Union of Plort.

Since there is a tie between two pro-votes and two contra-votes, no decision could be made concerning the representation of the Riding of Sittorese by its Beytahs.

Although three barons support the idea of having some sort of representation of the Commonwealth of Wechi that would be independent of the resident baron, and only one baron spoke against it, the barons’ actual intentions were left unclear. By not objecting to Sir Hieronymus speaking for all denizens of Wechi, Baron Neshomeh – who obviously is a denizen of Wechi – may have changed her mind from "invite the archivists" (apparently intending to give one vote to each archivist) to "let all denizens of Wechi have one collective vote". Either way, she would not be in agreement with Baron Huinesoron, who specified that "the archivists" should get one collective vote. Sar Iximaz’s "no objections to adding more voices to the council" is factually an abstain, since it might support whatever form of expanding the council the other barons decide to fit best, but there is no favored position. Thus, no actual decision could be made.

A new nation – Since the Mords of the Confederation of Diskord are now members of the Council of Plort, this nations existence has been acknowledged; no negotiation of borders was attempted.

A new barony – Since no negotiation of borders was attempted, Barony Eshakhar exists now within the borders as stipulated by the Edict of Bast.

The relocation of Barony Huinesoron – There was no opposition against Baron Huinesoron moving into eastern Borrd, but Baron Neshomeh objected to Baron Huinesoron taking possession of the parts of former Barony July east of the Larninkurv Mountains, claiming these lands for herself. After some discussion, Barons Huinesoron and Neshomeh agreed that they should both hold lands in the Riding of Sittorese, their border following the River Jid'ryv from Goch't to Flayme, and its tributary Jid'auks from there to the Larninkurvs. Barony Neshomeh now extends into the Riding, and the new Barony Huinesoron exists in eastern Borrd and in the Riding between Baronies Eshakhar and Neshomeh.

The disposition of Baron Huinesoron’s western territories – Barony Iximaz is unchanged.

In case Sar Iximaz did not want to expand her territories, Baron PC suggested to let him take baronial responsibility for the lands in western Diskord. This was supported by Baron Neshomeh, Baron Huinesoron and Sar Iximaz (actually speaking of all lands suggested to be placed under their control). Thus, Barony PC now includes western Diskord.

In case Sar Iximaz did not want to expand her territories, Baron Neshomeh further suggested to let the "northern parts" of Baron Huinesoron's former lands pass to Baron Phobos. (Since she agreed to let Protector Thomash represent the baronless nation of Ozerbord in the council, but opposed to the Beytahs of Sittorese representing the Riding that is already represented by its barons, she may not actually have attempted to expand her husband’s barony into Ozerbord, which would not get any support by other members of the Council.) Baron Neshomehs move was supported by Baron Huinsoron, specifying east of the Wattufs, and implicitly by Sar Iximaz not wanting any of those lands. Thus, Barony Phobos now extends to the Wattuf Mountains.

The status of the City of Borrd – Lacking any further discussion, the barons of the Council of Borrd obviously accepted their joint baronial authority over the City of Borrd.

The Warden of Spelin – Without objections Ye Scape-Grace is now the warden of the Temple of Spelin, but her claim to represent the will of the goddess in the Council was downright ignored.

New flags – The revised Union flag, based on the flags of the five nations, was accepted without dispute.

---

This document is still open for corrections, in case the keeper of the records got something wrong. If no objections occur, copies will be sent to all libraries of Plort for easy access.

Hieronymus the hermit, part-time knight of Wechi, archivist’s apprentice and keeper of the records

Congrats, Ypsi!

For a short interlude (about 1k words). Some Doctor Who/Torchwood knowledge would be helpful for context, but isn't necessary. Does contain spoilers for the end of season 3 of Torchwood, so if you don't want those, then be warned.

I'm mainly just looking for a second pair of eyes. I wrote this back in March and just rediscovered it; it looks pretty good to me, but there could be something I'm missing. Any type of beta welcome (SPaG, flow, etc).

Thanks!
~Z