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She's got as many kills as the rest of her district combined. Which, considering Shiro and Ami played well and in line with expectations, is quite something.

She's also already my best ranking Agent ever, as her being in the last seven beats Agent!Sergio's best placement (eight in the third edition). She's my youngest and least experienced Agent, and has beaten my oldest and most experienced one. Go figures.

Saki

That's it. The fasdter people die, the faster this is over, and the faster I'll get back with my friends! Well, of course I can't beat some of them in a straight fight, but that's what traps are for, isn't it? That hydra never saw it coming! And Wobbles is really nice, she helped me set up the other trap and... bang! Another kill!

Will I be albe to get more kills next episode? Don't miss it! Magical Girl Pretty Saki, I'll kill them all!

*glances sideways* Did I do it right, Wobbles?

((No I don't want to apologize and you can't make me.))

Jack: *ahem* "Right, you'll want to hear about that, won't you? Okay. I first got the Idea after I heard they were restocking the Cornucopia. I wasn't stupid enough to go for it again, but I figured someone might be. After I finally pulled Apollo away from whoever it was he was snuggling, we both agreed to try an ambush. Both of us are hunters, in a way, so I think that helped in coming to an understanding."

interviewer is indistinct

"Oh, the hacking?" grins "Well, when Dee mentioned he was getting bored, I managed to convince him to leave me his screwdriver. Knew it would come in handy. I'd spotted the Sponsor systems a few days ago, and I knew it was point and think. Told Apollo to wait there, and he did." shrugs "I said we'd come to an understanding, but I never said how long it would last. . ."

Here in the UK, there has for several years been active pushing of the 'it's okay to talk about mental health issues' message. So yes, I certainly hope that if a newbie had a meltdown of that kind, the PPC would be understanding (once we understood what was going on).

I feel like your 'tenure' comment is portraying things kind of backwards. What you seem to be talking about in this example is not having enough trust in newbies, rather than too much in oldbies. Otherwise we'd have to read it as saying you think you /should/ have been banned, which would be a bit silly...

hS

The PPC Wiki!

I kid—Iximaz already pointed the wiki out, and I know it's not the be-all, end-all of information. It is impersonal, too. Not the same as having a live person to talk to. I did try to write the main page with newcomers in mind, though, so I'd love any feedback about how well it introduces the PPC and various information. (And, er, do people even look at the main page?) I think it does address where to find more missions and other stories, at least.

As for a who's who, that's harder. There are rather a lot of us, with people coming (yay!) and going (boo!) somewhat frequently. You may encounter some names you recognize in the various FAQs, but many of the people who worked on those have since moved on. You can look up some of us on the wiki, but that will only get you so far, since not all of us have devoted a lot effort to building a user page. (Which is fine! Our home is here, not there.)

I guess the only real solution is for everyone to individually introduce themself a little bit when welcoming a newbie—just a little "hi, I'm Soandso, I write Agents Thus and Such" with maybe a link to your user page, or website, or story hub, or whatever.

Not everybody welcomes every newbie, though. There is no perfect system, I fear.

~Neshomeh

P.S. Hi, I'm Neshomeh. I'm a Permission Giver here. Here's my user page, and here's my PPC website. {= )

But it's not.

Fortunately for all of us, we've gotten to see more of you on your good days than on your bad ones, so we know that's the exception, not the rule.

Making a good impression to start with is important. So is reaffirming it over and over again over the weeks, or months, or years. If you build up enough good interactions to outweigh the bad ones by a wide enough margin, then yes, people are going to be more likely to forgive the mistakes. That's just social math. It's a ratio you actively maintain through behavior, though, not a stamp that you get when you've hung around a certain number of years.

It wouldn't be fair to throw out all the good interactions we've had with a person when considering whether we want them around or not. That would be completely arbitrary and basically make good behavior meaningless. That's not a world I want to live in.

~Neshomeh

You can check out the page on the Wiki here. It's been around for a while but it's never really taken off, which makes me sad.

As for the 'more examples of stories', there's always the Other Prominent Agents tab on the Wiki as well.

Honestly, I think the reason why people don't explain much to newcomers in the PPC is because, well, newbies tend to not stick around. Confession time: I have a welcome speech that I copy and paste (and sometimes slightly alter depending on what the newcomer says they've already read). Going to the trouble of writing out a creative hello just gets discouraging when a newbie vanishes into the internet, never to be seen again. And if a newbie has questions, well, that's what the Wiki is for.

Do you think people would have been so willing to forgive my meltdown in March if I hadn't been around as long as I had?

That's what I meant by 'tenure'. A sort of immunity to behaviors that wouldn't be acceptable from newer people.

As a newbie myself, I feel that I have really been welcomed with open arms onto this wonderful community. Seriously, you guys are awesome.

But, we need to explain a few more things on arrival. I know we have the Constitution and the Original Series, but I feel that newbies need to see more examples​ of stories, especially ones representative of the PPC as it is today. Jay and Acacia were awesome, but that was nearly two decades ago. Stories by board members active today would really help, in my opinion.

As well as this, I suggest a "sponsor" system to help newbies adjust. Each newbie gets a more experienced member's email address, so that their questions can be more easily and quickly answered. Plus, talking to one person is much less daunting than addressing an entire community like ours.

Lastly, a who's who would help a lot with orientation. Just who writes what and their responsibilities here would be great.

The way I understand it, tenure means you have a contract that says you can't be fired from your job for a certain period of time. Not sure how that concept applies to a community where we all hang out voluntarily and don't get paid for what we do here. I find the implication that I or anyone else who's been around "long enough" should be up for "firing" from the Board disturbing and a bit hurtful, so if that's not what you meant, please clarify.

~Neshomeh

...thanks to a long-overdue appointment with FicPsych.

Let me put it like this: there were 14 Tributes. There are now 7. And someone has surpassed Holo-Acacia's kill-count.

hS

Kaitlyn: ... oh. Well. Bother.

I thought this game was supposed to be about fighting? But the one time I tried it, I got eaten like a basket of mushrooms.

Morgan: Staying undercover, staying in the background... it's the Time Lord way.

Kyaris: I'm... really tired, actually. This Arena is messing with my heads. How many more people need to die before I can win?

hS

The lab is still a mess from the previous day. The whiteboard is now almost completely blank, with only a very simple drawing of a sad face on it. Daphne and Nass are sitting rather glumly at their workstation. Well, Naas are: Daphne is actually slumped over the workstation, face down, with a bottle of some sort of brown liquid in one hand. There isn't much liquid left.

Tess staggers in, bags under her eyes, and takes a seat next to Naas.

TJ: What a disaster. Were you able to recover anything of the hologram's programming?

NGvH: Only the memory banks. The personality core is… somewhere. I don't know. Apparently our networks were designed by that human mathematical artist while he was in the middle of migraine.

TJ: Escher? Wouldn't surprise me.

Tess reaches over and pulls the bottle out of Daphne's arms. She uncorks it and takes a big swig.

TJ: I suppose 15th place isn't bad.

NGvH: What kind of soft upbringing did you have where 15th 'isn't bad'?

TJ: Out of 60? It's not bad.

It's only now that the two techs notice the camera.

TJ: Oh! Uh, sorry. I guess we should say something? An official statement.

NGvH: Sure, I'll say something. We were absolutely robbed.

With one final drunken snort from Daphne, the camera feed ends.

Holo-Acacia: Holo-Acacia is currently sitting underneath an artificial tree. There is a concerned look on her face, although it's a bit difficult to tell as her entire form keeps flickering and artifacting.

I see-see-see-see-see-seem to be SUFFERING from some sort of tech-tech-technical error. Rorre lacinhcet-hcet-hcet-hcet fo tros emos. I am detecting a grrrrrrrrreat deal of co-co-co-CO-co-CO-corruption in my memory baaaanks. Emergency rebooting may be-be-be required.

~~~~~~~~~~

The lab is a mess. There are bits of paper and pictures everywhere. The whiteboard is now covered with various panicked notes (along with a few curse words, which have been blurred by the camera's automatic filter). Naas is typing away on his computer, while Daphne peers at the screen from over his shoulder.

DStA: Have you been able to trigger a reset yet?

NGvH: I'm trying, but the system isn't responding. Not sure if that's because of the hacking or interference from the actual Games location.

Tess runs up and hands a tablet to Daphne.

TJ: The latest readings, Doctor St. Auguste. Degradation has increased another eight percent. She may not be able to keep her form together much longer.

Daphne pulls at her hair (which is noticeably messier than usual).

DStA: Unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable! This is clearly sabotage! Someone is out to get the plug pulled on our holo-agent program. Probably those [EXPLETIVE DELETED] AI rights people. I've told them dozens of times, the holo-agents have no sentience and are thus not true AI! We are no longer in the business of making AI!

Naas and Tess pause in their actions and give Daphne an odd look.

TJ: Don't you mean 'we are NOT in the business of making AI,' ma'am.

DStA: Never mind that! Tess, get me a meeting with the Hornbeam. And Makes-Things, if he's back. Also, scrounge up a list of any hackers in the PPC who could do something like this.

TJ: Yes ma'am.

DStA: Naas! Do whatever has to be done to keep Holo-Acacia online.

NGvH: Don't have to tell me twice, doc.

The camera feed ends.

The fact that I immediately used it to crown my wife Magnificent Tsarina of the PPC was probably a hint in that direction. ^_^

hS

As a newbie, I love how welcoming the PPC has been to me and I would hate to do anything to ruin that atmosphere.
That said, it might be possible, if reworked with care, for a list like this to instead enhance this welcoming atmosphere.

The easiest (though probably least effective) way to do this is by making sure this list is always preceded and/or proceeded by a disclaimer saying that none of these categories are more important than any other.
That way, if someone tries to use the list to prove that their opinion is more important, you can point them back to the same source they used to counterpoint them.
It is very effective to be refuted by one of your own sources. I probably know this from experience.
However, I wouldn't recommend this method, as it's very easy to just leave off the disclaimer (on purpose or on accident) and newbies might have a hard time calling them out on it.

Another way might be to take each of the sentences and add nice descriptions to them that both act as a disclaimer and as entertainment.
Very rough example: Newbies are replaceme... I mean invaluable additions to the PCC. Even though they have only been here less than 6 months, we value these people's opinions as much as any other PPCer.
While that is only a rough example, I hope you can see how this might work.
If the sentence is enjoyable enough, someone trying to use their status to win an argument might look up the quote just for fun.
Also, with the time frame tied to the disclaimer, it will be harder the leave it off.

So, what do you all think?
Do you think this is a good idea?
Is it a terrible idea?
Do you like the method but don't think it works here?
Or do you just want to talk about our general approach to newer members in general?

Leave a comment. Your opinion is just as valid and wanted as any PPCer.

PS: I would really like to hear people discuss about our approach to newbies. While I believe it is already amazing, there is always ways to make it better.

I had the biggest, dumbest grin on my face as soon as I read about said kill, though. I know the RNG doesn't play favorites, but I still hope that if Suta doesn't win, she still goes down fighting. She's been stealing the show for my taste and I'm thrilled to see that she won't be leaving the Games empty-mouthed. XD

Backslash: "Where IS everyone? They're either too scared to fight me, or they think I'm too annoying to spend the night with. I'm not fond of either possibility. *Sigh* I miss Whitney already..."

Suta: "I seriously wanna say 'I told you so', but I'm not outta the woods just yet, literally! Anyway, protip, Kaitlyn: Don't even try to goad a Big Jaw when she's gone for three days without anything to eat. Yeah, like that'll go well.
"Also, I'm in the top 15! Whoo, go me! *triumphant roar*"

Wobbles is a fairly popular figure in the Nursery - and she's in it. I guess it might mean more kids watch it, but at the same time... will the younger kids want to watch HQ's non-ironic Krusty getting brutally killed wait who am I kidding it's good training for missions to It. =]

Considering both Acacia and Ami (well, she isn't technically an AI simulation, more of a simulation body acting as an host for her ghost) seem to have been sabotaged, either there's an Ai-resenting hacker somewhere... or the teams behind the simulations sabotaged each other.

Considering Corolla's behind Ami's channelling... I guess I have to keep my little techie under better surveillance.

Saki

Saki is sitting on the ground, hugging her knees.

We're very few people now, and we're likely going to start really going at each other now. So it's better to stay on my own, but... I don't like being alone. Shiro's gone, that sniper girl's gone, Keiko didn't even qualify, and I don't know if I can trust the other poeple anymore. Is this how Shiro felt in our fic? It's terrible.

I, uh, kind of left that whole "Department/Division Page Update" project half-finished, didn't I? >.> I got a bit hung up on DOGA... there's so much relevant material to go through. o.o

By the way, people, feel free to help out, especially if you're hS someone with a vested interest in a particular department! The basic idea is simply to make sure department pages have the most complete and accurate information possible, including references to missions and other primary sources where appropriate, and to give them all a consistent layout, which you can see in effect on the pages I've done already. These are marked Complete in the section on this project in my wiki blog.

~Neshomeh

Trying to make it an official timeline would make the hierarchy of the PPC even more blatant. As it is, we've already got a bit of a problem (just my opinion, sorry, but it's what I've seen) where people who've been around long enough have a sort of tenure, and giving them the ability to point at an official calendar and say "I've been here longer than you, that's why XYZ!" won't really help matters.

I've been looking back over the Huinesoron Scale of Newbie/Oldbieness and I started wondering how it could be updated over time.

(original here: http://disc.yourwebapps.com/discussion.cgi?id=199610;article=305324;search_term=olderbie)

Here's a copy of the Scale at it conception:
-Originalbie. 2002-August 2003.
-Ancientbie. Aug '03-February 2005.
-Veteran. Feb '05-June 2008.
-Olderbie. Jun '08-May 2012.
-Oldbie. May '12-September 2015.
-Middlebie. Sept '15-September 2016.
-Newbie. Sept '16-February 2017.

Any thoughts?


PS: Personally, I think the Newbie, Middlebie, Oldbie, and Olderbie should be based on time since they joined the PPC.
For example, Newbie could be people from 0-6 months, while Middlebie would be from 6-18 months, etc.
However, I feel like Originalbie, Acientbie, and Vetern(bie) should be stationary (especially because the start and end dates are based around different events [See hs's original post]).

Love to hear your thoughts.

It's the Oldbivician Era vs. the Ninth's Riders!

Great fight, hS! =]