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I've never done it before, but I want to come out with permission prompt drafts I'm satisfied with and at least a rough story for my crossover fancomic, so I'll give it a go.

doctorlit buzzcuts his hair, for minimal hair maintenance. A straw hat to ward against the sun may be worn.

Shirt is very nearly always collared, like a proper former student of a prep school. No logos or fandoms or other images suggesting an allegiance! doctorlit does not exist to be a walking advertisement, and revealing fandoms or former schools or whatnot is only inviting unwanted conversation. Patterns or solid colors only, but nothing too bright or attention-grabbing. Dark forest greens and dark blues are ideal.

Shorts must be cargo shorts, with many pockets, precious, for carrying many things, and deep pockets, precious, yesssss, to fit novels and the Nintendo 3DS, for we must always have our fictions, precious, yesssss . . . Mostly browns/khakis here, with some blue. doctorlit never wears pants, even in winter, for they restrict the bending of the knees and reduce the Dexterity stat, the most critical stat for a doctorlit.

Shoes are preferably flip-flops on a doctorlit. They are called flip-flops, and not thongs, regardless of what any Larfen J. Stocke might tell you. Larfen J. Stocke? More like Lyin' J. Mocke! If close-toed shoes are necessary for the protecting of feets, the shoes are probably quite worn out. The socks must be tall socks, and not the tiny booty socks that are popular among men nowadays. They should reach about ten inches above the ankle, and be kept straight and unwrinkled all day, because that is the only way in which socks are comfortable.

—a doctorlit cosplay

I figured I'd try to write every day, or close to it, and pick up a horror story that I started ages ago.

A Cicada's hair can be quite varied, depending on how recently she's shaved it, from a faint haze of stubble to a light fuzz to a floofy crown that's perilously close to anime hair. However, Cicada dearly values her sideburns, so those should always be present. Glasses are encouraged, although fiddling with them is very true to the Cicada style.

Shirts are of a variety of colors, although black is quite common. Designs of fantasy creatures are welcome, nerdy slogans work well, and artsy designs are also favored. Shirts are usually baggy and loose. Shorts are also loose athletic men's shorts selected due to their large pockets, length, and looseness. Pockets often contain: Wallet, phone, a few cough drops just in case, a pencil, a list of things that need to be done, a pair of earbuds in case emergency music is called for, another pencil just in case the first one gets lost, a few kleenexes, and a spare mask.

Long socks are optional, though if included should have a pattern or design rather than being of the stripy variety. A Cicada typically wears whatever sneakers she hasn't worn through (or whatever sneakers she has worn through but has failed to replace) but will not balk at wearing sandals with her socks.

Cicada hats include: a grey trilby with a couple of neat-looking pins on the hatband, a black bowler, a large black felt hat with an ornate ribbon, and a black messenger's cap covered in cat hair (not all at once unless you're aiming for the rare Cicada Hat-Stack Variant).

And, of course, a mask is essential when going near people.

Heck, if I can get something finished this year I'll be happy, but it would be nice to have all of December for beta-reading and publication. {= P

I've got a Derik & Gall mission that is this close to being done. It's been this close for months. Possibly even all year. I just have to get through the confrontation scene, which has not come easy for reasons I don't entirely comprehend.

I'd also like to finally get another chapter of Skyrim fic written. I'm just nervous because it'll be the first dragon combat scene, and my common sense suggests that the only way anyone survives it in the game is by virtue of plot armor. ^_^; I think I might change things up by having Farengar go along to the Western Watchtower instead of Irileth; it seems to me that a competent wizard can do more against a dragon than a melee fighter. Plus, Farengar really wants to see a live dragon For Science, and if he's supposed to figure out how to defend a city from one of these things, it would be very useful to see one in action.

Also, the next LWS cowrite chapter, maybe, though I dunno if cowrites can/should be included for this sort of thing.

If I were feeling really ambitious, I might go for a hat trick with all three projects, but... I'm not feeling that ambitious. ^_^; Two, maybe—two of the three might be a realistic stretch goal. {= )

Good writing, everyone!

~Neshomeh

I've never had to write this much all at once and my mental health has not been great lately thanks to everything that's been going on, so even if I only meet half the target word count, I'll take it.

It's my real name, but the picture is the same as on Discord.

So I'm doing a different thing of writing 5 stories instead of 1, aiming to average 10,000 words in each of them to make up the 50,000 for NaNoWriMo. I've got 3 fanfics going (1 Star Wars/Star Wars crossover, 1 Dragon Age/Grim Dawn crossover and 1 Skyrim (that uses mods for additional content)), 1 kinda fanfic going (furthering some of the Write-Off stuff that I've done by novelising the adventures of my first D&D character that's not just a recap of sessions but also going into several 'off-screen' moments) and 1 Original 'fic (Sci-Fi/Space Opera about a Merc band hired to help jumpstart a rebellion that is definitely going to be borrowing tech, weapons etc. from the Terrans in Starcraft).

I'm currently sitting pretty at a combined 3,250 words (just about) with (excluding the Skyrim 'fic as I haven't got any words on paper for it yet) between 400 and 1,000 words each. 7

I'm just hoping I can continue this kind of pace (or some kind of pace at least).

Nova

Welp.

:P

More verbosely, I've tentatively decided to try to do about 500 words every day (combination of flash fiction, possibly?? and pre-existing stories). That or a minimum of five minutes' writing; we'll see which one does it, but today, at least, 500 words won out. Hoping to keep it up!

G'luck and much fun to everyone participating!

~Z

PS: Today's writing was on a pre-existing story: the prequel to Blazing Fury, a DC superheroes AU of Doctor Who/Torchwood/Sarah Jane Adventures. It's getting somewhere!

In a fit of insanity, I've wound up writing a serious work of alternate-historical fiction centred on the elder son of Henry VII, Prince Arthur. You can find it (& me) here, so feel free to send a... buddy request, or whatever the latest version of friends is on there.

Thus far, Elizabeth of York is mostly very grumpy about her husband being dead and some clown impersonating her brother. I'll share some quotes when I write anything that seems worth sharing. :D

hS

There's been people in chat mentioning they're doing NaNoWriMo, so I figured there should be a thread about it here too.

I'm not doing said challenge, because for me (barring deep misfortune) I'm in the home stretch of my Master's degree, so I need to focus on that. Turns out, making a half-hour talk and writing about 10 pages is hard when you're trying to distill two years of work.

...I accidentally cosplayed as a religious married woman a couple days earlier (mostly by going "oh, huh, this would look like...nope, don't care, this is what I'm wearing I don't care today if someone looks at my clothes and think they mean something other than practicality" and then later joking that it was totally my costume for a holiday my past relationship to which it's taking me far too long to try to describe. Essentially, I've occasionally treated it as a secular holiday? An excuse to have fun dressing up and eating candy, generally with friends and mostly when I was younger? It's kind of weird to pick apart, honestly, especially since this year my only exposure to it has been through social media and that one moment of joking a few days ago.

However, should you wish to dress like a semi-accidentally married!religious!Zing, get a black shirt with long sleeves and a neckline that falls right around the collarbones but won't choke you, a long grey skirt (a bit above ankle length, I think?), and tie a bandana (folded into a triangle) around your head (any color, pretty much, though darker may be better). Oh, and an overshirt in a solid pastel color around your waist, for future warmth. Behold, how to stay warm, plan for an even cooler evening, and keep your hair completely out of your face!

Bonus: how not to care if people are going to assume your marital status based on what you're wearing? Avoid crowds (a thing to be doing anyway), don't be planning to go around people you know (walk partner(s) excepted, and preferably people who will just be amused), and just plain be tired. That helps.

Oh, and wear a bloody mask, unless there's a reason why you can't, in which case please consider an alternative like a face shield. Pull it up if you happen to have pulled it down and someone is passing you or you're passing by someone, especially if you're, say, talking loudly with your equally maskless friend. This is less how not to care and more part of the costume+a PSA, but just--just--wear your masks (or alternatives) properly as much as possible, okay? For your safety and others'? It's the law where I am, you see, and I've still spent the past ~7 months seeing people Not Do The Thing and rarely being in a position to say anything. So here I am, lightly venting to you all about it :P

To those who celebrated, I hope you had an enjoyable time!

~Z

At first glance, this seems like a plausible AU, where Obi-Wan didn't despair of Anakin in RotS. (Spoilers, natch)

You could tag it as "writing," I guess, but I think it's all right as general, on-topic discussion. More fic analysis would be cool.

~Neshomeh

A Neshomeh currently has long hair, because it hasn't been cut since two summers before the pandemic. It's kept under control in a ponytail and/or under one of those neat bandanas that accordion open, with an elastic band sewn in. Glasses non-optional.

Pick a long-sleeved shirt and wear over it a sweater that won't embarrass you at work even if it's 10+ years old, which it probably is. Knits are good. Fuzzy is good. Shirt/sweater colors should be neutral or natural tones. Brighter tones are fine as long as they don't look artificial. Especially avoid bright pinks, purples, and oranges. If there is a design, it shouldn't be too loud or busy. Organic and asymmetrical are good. Items should be of the correct size, not too tight or too baggy. A Neshomeh is not "fashionable," but dresses to feel comfortable, confident, and authentic.

Pants should be decent black or gray denim or slacks. Belt optional (because sometimes when the pants are the right length, the waist is too wide); rolled cuffs optional (because sometimes the waist is right and the length is wrong). Shoes are black; dark green suede boots optional in foul weather.

Accessories include: white-gold wedding band; bracelet, stainless steel, "Not all who wander are lost" [sic]; optional necklace, preferably dragon pendant, otherwise something small and maybe a bit artsy.

Non-optional: wear a mask if you're going near people (which you should be doing anyway).

And that is how a Neshomeh do. [/ZeFrank voice]

~Neshomeh

I’m don’t really have a Halloween costume. I’m not going out at all today anyways.

Well, I suppose I’m dressing up as GeniusGamer for Halloween, in which case I have the most accurate costume ever devised.

Is anyone dressing up this year? I'm not, but I'd be interested to see what you all are doing if you are. Consider this an invitation to post a picture—of yourself wearing your costume if you're comfortable with that (though maybe leave your face out), or just of the costume laid out. Tell us a bit about it, too. Why'd you choose that? Did you make it yourself? Any (mis)adventures along the way? Do tell! {= )

~Neshomeh

It's not always easy for me to tell how true to the canon a decent-looking fanfic is, especially if it's a plausible-sounding AU or an in-depth look into an untold story.

WeedleTwineedle is a very good competitive Pokemon player and makes the most original movesets I've ever seen (physical Alakazam? You'd never see THAT out on the ladder without WeedleTwineedle playing it first.)

Happy Appy is a series produced by multiple YouTubers wherein the eponymous apple puppet does all sorts of crazy, disturbing things - they usually follow the creepypasta of the same name, but some "episodes" are of typical kids' show things turned into horrific stuff (Happy's Birthday and Happy in Space by Magic Productions being two examples of this.) If you don't get scared easily and like obscure creepypastas, I'd suggest this.

Reddit videos are pretty good, KCC does some of the best in the revenge subreddits (which are amazingly good stories - don't mess with people, you'll never know what you'll get for it.)

"Sonichu is a webcomic whose so-called "fandom" are largely trolls who only follow it for the purpose of harassing the author. The PPC has a policy of only drawing humor from stories based on their text, and absolutely not commenting on the personal lives of the authors who produce them. The former is criticism; the latter is cruelty. Due to the autobiographical elements in Sonichu, and the close relationship between comic and author that has resulted in so much harassment being aimed at her, the PPC community does not spork Sonichu. In fact, it's best not to bring it up at all."

—Today doctorlit learned that "darft" is the funniest possible misspelling of "draft."

I feel like it might be a good idea to clarify that our position is less about the sort of snark-based fascination that a typical Legendary Badfic like My Immortal might get and the far, far beyond that behavior associated with Sonichu. A lot of people might not know enough about the situation to understand why we'd feel the need to draw the line here.

I mean, it probably isn't that balanced, since I pretty much agree with Neshomeh. I feel like people either generally agree with that ethos or don't, and if they don't they often don't end up joining the PPC.

I do however think if I were to go about constructing a mission for a fic (which I wouldn't yet, don't have permission), I wouldn't take into account a "please don't spork" request- if someone really doesn't want something sporked, sorry, but they probably shouldn't publish it publicly. Public fic is open to criticism in the same way published lit is, and sporking is a form of criticism. The standard PPC explanation makes as much sense to me now as it did when I read it on the wiki.

However, I think I might view the fic differently if, as you said, it's more of a guilty pleasure fic. A fic should, in my opinion, be judged based on its goals: humorfic should be judged more on it being funny than it making logical sense, and I might be more lenient in criticizing OOC moments (though in my opinion it should be possible to make things funny without having to force characters OOC), crackfic has a pretty different set of parameters for what makes it good, fluff isn't trying to construct an elaborate plot with high stakes, and so on. So if it's more of a fic about wish fulfillment or other guilty pleasures, I think I'd try to judge it by how it succeeds in those sorts of goals as much as by the traditional PPC metrics of glitter content, canon compliance, and so on.

I think my main criticisms of wish fulfillment fic revolve more around how it relates to the original canon's appeal. For instance, if a Harry Potter fic throws everyone out of character in order to have a bunch of NSFW shenanigans involving anime demons, I'll probably be screaming at the fic to please pick a canon known for NSFW anime demons. But if a fic about, say, the Graceling universe has a main character with powers that tend to be broadly applicable and powerful who helps to fix a lot of the canon's problems with politics, I'll mind that a lot less because that's close to the appeal of the original canon. I mean, I'll definitely still be willing to be critical of the latter, but it helps if I can see why someone wanted to write something.

So all that is to say, if a guilty pleasure fic isn't aiming to be a great love letter to canon or a fascinating reinterpretation, I might not mind that.

I feel like a very brief, straightforward article would be best, probably with no outside links to keep it clear that we have no links with the comic or its "fan" community, and no discussion of the comic's contents?

"Sonichu is a webcomic whose so-called "fandom" are largely trolls who only follow it for the purpose of harassing the author. Due to that situation, and the close relationship between the characters in the comic and the author's personal life, the PPC community does not spork Sonichu. It's best not to bring it up."

Feedback, anyone?

—doctorlit, a "fan" of bullies

I'm really not comfortable talking about Christine's personal life at all, which is why I used such vague wording. Sorry if that came off as erasing mental health problems, or anything else disrespectful. I just don't feel I have any right to discuss a stranger's issues.

—doctorlit wasn't aware Christine had transitioned until this thread, either