The PPC Posting Board - Latest posts

...They are many, and it would only leave to further harm--even forest-death, maybe."

I think leave should be lead in that sentence.

Other than that, I haven't found anything to comment on. This is really good. I was only disappointed that there wasn't more of it.

A lot of pages do include notes about charges particular to that continuum or character and frequent badfic manifestations. I'm a bit proud of the edit I did for Sherlock Holmes the other day. You can see on that page how it explains how the characters of Holmes are in the canon, some notes about charges, and the most frequent badfics.

Two things:

1. Keep working on this weird English language. Mostly you're doing pretty well, but there are a few issues of tense and number agreement--for example:

-- You wanted "Writing Sample," not "Write Sample."

-- "He was somehow spawn" should be "He was somehow spawned."

-- The sentence "It was supposed that everybody here were dead" should be "It was supposed that everybody here was dead," because "everybody" is a collective, which means you treat it as a singular noun. Also, although "were" is sometimes used instead of "was" in hypothetical situations, this isn't hypothetical; it's a statement of what was truly believed by someone.

... I hope that's not too much information to be helpful. ^_^;

Anyway:

2. Please please please use quotation marks for dialogue. I don't know if hyphens are standard in Italian, but they are not standard in English. If someone did that in a fic I was PPCing, it would be a charge. Unless you're James Joyce, you use quotation marks.

Also, do bear in mind that Corolla will be in disguise unless the agents are on a mission to her home continuum. I can't think of any others that would allow a fairy doll thing to go unremarked. Also, is the flesh-eating usual for her kind?

Finally, I'd be interested in what other people have to say before actually granting Permission; maybe someone who knows the Nanoha continuum?

~Neshomeh

The PPC is itself a continuum. Some agents are aware that they have writers. For example:

July's agent of the same name discovers the Internet and (briefly) her Author:
Recursive Behavior

Also, part of the job of the DIO is to assassinate Mary Sues that have infiltrated the PPC. Sure, some of those are just Sued PPC agents who've been exposed to a little too much glitter and been "assimilated"; but some of them are PPC agents written by PPC badfic writers. Jaycacia Thornbyrd is one famous example; you might also check the DIO web page; there are a couple of missions there. (Both things are linked on the wiki.) Note that the DIO neuralyzes regular PPC agents who come in contact with its agents; the PPC in general doesn't know of their existence.

So, basically, the PPC is a continuum like any other, a Word World connected by plot holes to all the other continua (except quarantined continua, ones where the author has forbidden fanfic). I've seen multiple instances of agents able to see their own Words, such as when an agent gets annoyed and speaks in allcaps and someone else tells them to stop speaking in allcaps. No-Drool vidoes got the nickname of "ellipsis debriefings" in one fic, in which an agent was summoned for "a ...debriefing." Similar things happen all the time.

So it's safe to say that particularly observant PPC agents do know they are fictional characters, and a few have even speculated about their Authors; but in the world of the PPC, fictional characters are real (that is, sentient, if they're written well enough). World One is special because it has such a high plot hole density. We don't know what, but plot holes tend to be instrumental in the creation of worlds (the Cascade, which created HQ, was a plot-hole-driven event). World One residents, if they have the ability, can become Authors, and mentally connect to different continua, either an established one or an undiscovered one. Whether they create new continua or just discover them is unknown (I tend to think they discover continua that exist already, in a multiverse where literally everything that could ever happen, does happen.)

To think about how visiting fics works, you have to think in more than three dimensions. Every canon is a continuum worlds, with not just the actual canon that does happen, but AUs that could have happened. A Mary Sue creates natural, uncontrolled plot holes, dragging canon out of shape and into dangerously improbable configurations; PPC agents create controlled plot holes that let them insert themselves into the fic in order to repair it. The main canon is the most probable arrangement; good AUs are the most probable of the alternate possibilities. A story is made of what does happen, and also of what could have happened. When uncontrolled plot holes damage a continuum, they connect extremely improbable possibilities to the main canon; and information can leak through them to damage the main canon. Eventually, left unchecked, the information becomes nonsense and meaningless, and loses its organization. In the end-stage, no usable information is left at all. Wild plot holes endanger the continuum because they damage the organization of the information that makes up the Word World.

If you need a 3d representation, think of a continuum as an infinite number of time-strings, stretching out into the distance. Each string is a world and all its events (at least four dimensions, possibly more in sci-fi continua). In the middle is the Main Canon, connected by goodfic and good AUs to the strings nearby, which are alternate possibilities, pulling (by way of information transfer, not physical force) on the Main Canon. These connections can't pull it far out of shape because they are so close to Canon; in fact, they strengthen the canon the way a rope of ten strands is stronger than a rope of one strand. The problem comes when a Suethor connects an extremely far-flung world to Main Canon. A string very far away from the main canon will pull it out of shape much further than one that is close; and because they are so far away, cannot strengthen the main canon; in fact, it pulls the main canon away from the goodfic and good AUs that give it some of its strength. This connection is the Mary Sue, the Author-wraith, or some rarer manifestation of natural plot-hole formation. Sever it, and the main canon springs back into the middle, where it should be. Let it be, and the nonsense from the least probable reaches of the continuum begins to destroy the order of the world.

When PPC agents visit a fic, they aren't, technically, visiting Main Canon. They're visiting a stretched version in which the Mary Sue exists. Even when they remove the Sue and canon returns to near-normal, they aren't, technically, visiting Main Canon, because Main Canon doesn't have PPC agents in it. Only when they leave to return to HQ does the Canon completely return to normal--though, because PPC agents represent goodfic, their presence wouldn't damage Main Canon any more than normal goodfic does even if they chose to stay.

Because every badfic stretches the Main Continuum in a slightly different direction, PPC agents don't tend to meet each other, as they are in different subcontinua. The one exception is a Ficverse Fusion event (has a wiki article; has only been observed once or possibly twice if the Les Miserables Songfic Crisis event was an example), in which very similar words cause two alternate sub-continua to merge.

Yes. PPC agents--especially those who drop through plot holes from World One--can write, read, and review fanfiction. There are actually some PPC agents who used to write badfic and have had to kill their own work.

Most PPC agents join the PPC after falling through a plot hole to the PPC; but quite a few are brought through plot holes by agents in the field. The PPC itself is a continuum made of an infinite number of sub-continua.

Brain hurting yet? Good. :)

OK, so when I write, I'm forever finding that I've used the same (rare) word twice in close succession in a piece. For example, in my last blog post, I had the word "overabundance" twice in three paragraphs, and eventually had to take out both occurrences.

The more rare a word is, the less it should be used. I like words, and I like to pick just the right one. But once a word sticks in my mind, I may use it too often. Phrases are similar; using the same phrase more than once when you're not using repetition to make a point isn't desirable.

I find it very annoying, because it breaks suspension of disbelief and forces the reader to realize they're reading something rather than experiencing it.

I have been thinking that there really ought to be computer programs to check for word frequency, the way computers can check spelling and the very basics of grammar. All it would have to do is count words, compare them, and then compare that to a word-rarity chart. Rare words used more than once, too close together, would be flagged.

Is there such a thing as a word-frequency analysis program? Other than beta-readers and tricks like waiting a few days and re-reading, or reading out loud, I haven't found a really good way of catching overused words.

...except that I can't find a thing about it that I'd change. Not so much as a typo.

Sure, once it gets longer and there are more plot points and characters to worry about, you'll need a second set of eyes. But right now, it looks just fine to me. The writing style is good, too; formal, but not jarring.

I felt horribly sorry for your elf, though. Almost like I didn't want the story to go on, and have him see the things we've done to the forest. And I'm not even a huge environmentalist or anything.

I learned perspective drawing when I was little (I haven't got the creativity to use it well, though). It was actually pretty easy. Just now I googled "Perspective Drawing" and came up with a handful of guides on the first page. The basic principle is that you kind of imagine a grid of lines across your world; one set (the set that goes from the viewer into the distance) converges at the vanishing point, and the second set is straight up and down and across. So the door in your corridor would have straight up and down sides, and the top and bottom would be lines that go to the vanishing point. It's kind of hard to explain without pictures. *points to Google* But really not hard to learn, like I said. My sixth grade art class did fine with it.

HQ is probably one of the only places where skewed perspective wouldn't look out of place, though!

Has anyone tried to write a guide to writing for a specific canon? Like an encyclopedia or wiki, where there would be stuff on characters.

I.e., on an article about Legolas, it might say:

Legolas Thranduillion IS an elf. Greenleaf is NOT his last name. Thranduil is NOT an abusive father. Legolas' preferred weapons are knives and bow and arrows, he can be found in books X and Y and blah blah blah.

Because if no one has... it could be interesting

Good for you! Yeah, I wouldn't survive two paragraphs without the wiki.

Rookie PPC member Sergio Turbo requesting permission, sir!

Agents:

Name: Sergio Turbo
Species: Human
Home Continuum: N/A
Department: Department of Floaters
Background: Sergio is an alter ego/clone of a genetically-engineered Author Avatar character. He was somehow spawn when the authors decided to remake the fanfiction from the beginning, but when the plan was abandoned he was left without an homeworld. He joined the PPC, and took care of Corolla after finding her.
Personality: Despite trying to keep a serious and controlled behaviour he ends up wall-banging and using excessive force when the fiction to spork is awful or when his partner has strange ideas... which means all the time.
Skills: He is able to speak English and Italian, and is able to use a wide range of guns. He is also rumored to be very good at driving, but also quite reckless. It means that nobody actually would ask him a ride. His skills are, however, inferior of original Sergio Turbo's ones, that had some Suvian-like abilities.
Weapons: Despite collecting all sorts of guns and weapons previously owned by Sues or bit characters he relies on his Beretta 92FS and a combat knife. Sometimes uses a Random Sue Execution Gun, but also states it's absolutely unreliable.
Appearance: Nearly 6 foot tall and quite thin, has brown eyes and brown hair.

Name: Corolla
Species: Unison Device
Home Continuum: Nanohaverse (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha)
Department: Department of Floaters
Background: Somehow collected by Sergio Turbo on a mission, she was found with severe wounds that required a long stay at Medical. Since she was not a canon character, but also not a canon-disrupting one, she was allowed to join the PPC and became Sergio's partner.
Personality: Childish and very close to being crazy, she's hyperactive and has a strong will to eat Sue meat and blood, depite Sergio's disapproval.
Skills: Due to her wounds she lost a lot of her magical abilities, such as Unison with a Nanohaverse mage, but the "repairs" made her capable of scanning characters and opening portals without proper devices. Corolla's leftover magical skills allow her to successfully bind and exorcize Author-Wraiths with ease, but are useless to play any offensive role. She was enough lucky to being able to fly again, or her doll-sized body would have been an obstacle to her careeer.
Weapons: None, but she borrows Sergio's knife very often.
Appearance: She has blue eyes and brown hair. Due to her nature, she is only six inches tall, and the wings of magic energy that uses when she needs better flying capability make others misrecognize her as a fairy.

Writing sample:http://rc1587.splinder.com/post/22951812/beginnings-write-sample
(I gave to my blog the RC number I am going to request if I get permission)

First badfic: http://www.scrignodeisogni.it/IM-FA/sarachan.htm WARNING: Background color of the page is something very close to Urple. Painful. And it is written in Italian, so open only if you really want to.
Here, a Sue puts the whole canon in background. The plot is basically the love story between a Sue and a Stu, while canon characters of Card captor Sakura do absolutely nothing interesting and Card Captor Sakura's true plot is nearly forgotten. Use of Japanese honorifics in Italian language, some bad-written phrases, plotholes, and the whole plot is clearly nonsense. And it is the tip of the iceberg.

Having all these Terry Pratchett inside jokes is forcing me to read the Discworld books. I'm grateful.

Okay, there seems to be two dimensions /worlds, planes, thingies, whatever/- Canon, and Our World /reality whatever/ and then there are several in-between: Fanfiction and the PPC.
The problem is the PPC: it's making my head hurt. Badly. So, the PPC doesn't have a distinct planet/thingy (which is fine), but the Agents seem to have selective awareness (which is not fine, kind of like selective amnesia, which never works nicely unless you're Robert Ludlum).
The PPC knows about the "Real World"/Earth and the "Fanfiction world(s)" and "Canon". However, the PPC has no idea where it came from: the agents just suddenly appear. Don't get me wrong, this stuff is great, but I dislike curiosity headaches. In PPC fanon/canon/whatever, is fanfiction a replacement of canon? Is canon entirely separate? I don't think so, seeing as there seems to be places where 'fics were "restored to canon". However, this means that that particular world-thingy cannot be THE canon, because there are other fics written about it. If all the fics were applied at one time, to one world- that would be BAD.
I kind of have a theory (and if you've read this far without becoming angry or giving up, good for you) and this is it: Canon is one dimension. A bit like quantum physics (which I barely know anything about), there is a time+place in every minute. Every time a 'fic gets written, the corresponding time+place in canon gets duplicated and that carbon copy of canon is what gets changed. When the 'fic is restored, that carbon copy is, too. I'd like to think somewhere out there, there is an WORLD OF ORIGINAL CANON that has never been touched by anybody or anything or whatever. It just is. However-
Wait, OFUM is in the same dimension as PPC-
Brain is beginning to blow up with possibilities. Will stop now.

Okay, could you have PPC agents that wrote fanfiction? Could you have PPC agents that reviewed fanfiction? Other than OFUM and the PPC, are there other realms inbetween fanfiction and 'Real World'/Earth? Plus, are fanfictions of, say, an American girl named Judy falling into Middle-Earth fanfictions of Real World/America/Earth? Because no such Judy certainly ever existed in 'Real World'. That would put Real World/Earth and Canon into the same area, like a crossover. And-

*We're sorry, you just witnessed a •first thoughts only• brain attempt to think •second thoughts• and disintegrate into a puddle of confusion. That's too bad, it could have actually done something useful instead of trail in little circles and die.*

BLEEP

•first thoughts only•

I think trying to think of insults in Vulcan is fun, don't you?

Check out these ones: http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=11028572

A few of the really good ones are:

"In this exchange of insults I am analogous to an elastomer originally derived from a colloidal suspension found in the sap of the Earth plant Hevea brasiliensis, whereas you, by contrast, are analogous to a compound with marked adhesive qualities--which is to say, the charges you level against me are not only baseless but ironically enough actually apply to yourself. "

"Your reply of, "I think not," accurately describes your mental functioning, albeit in a somewhat antiquated manner of speaking. "

Betazoid: I sense, Sir, that you are intoxicated.
Vulcan: Affirmative, and you are extremely unattractive. In twelve hours, my chemical imbalance shall be rectified. You physical imbalance, however, shall not.
Winston Churchill! Hah!

Will I get kicked off for rambling?

We said Wednesday the 7th, arriving at 11.34ish. Just to clarify, is the overnight issue/sofa offer still valid? 'Cause it's gonna be a lot cheaper for me that way than otherwise.

(Also, yes, week-long Gathering for you guys. :D Awesome.)

Now, I know that Legolas would normally speak a certain type, but I dunno if the author of this fic even knows/cares. Although, it's nice to see the author is trying.

On second thought, vines of lust?!? Do I even want to know?!

I tried to do my best on the Universal 'Sue Litmus Test (although, let's admit it, I'm biased)

the score, I repeat, is 58. Hah!

17-21
Probably not a Mary-Sue, although a character can go either way at this point. Fanfiction writers should pay attention to ensure that their characters aren't getting too Sue-ish. For an RPG or original fiction character, however, you're probably perfectly fine.


50+
Kill it dead. Or make sure you read the instructions properly (some people don't do this, which causes freakishly high scores) and take the test again.

I'm gonna try it now!

If it is, then barring any problems we'll both arrive on the 11:34 train. Is the station a good meeting point?

In case we run out of stuff to do, I'll print off some fics for dramatic readings (anyone got a videophone or similar recording device?) and bring my Discworld quizbook - "The Wyrdest Link", if you're familiar with it.

Of course Twilight is creepy. Why do semi-intelligent humanoids even have to discuss it?

I don't know them, and my ideas of contact are really stupid (try reviewing the story?). How does a person know if the story is 'official'? Is there a particular list? (Aside from the list of All Things PPC, which is kinda long and hard to sort).

How do you know what's canon versus fanon versus made-up fanon of fanon?

Cassie, Laburnum, any word on when you'll be in Hull yet?

Also, final call for any takers for London on Saturday? Or will it just be me and Trojie?

(Trojie's staying with me and Ansela for a week. Does this count as a week-long Gathering?)

It's in pencil, so maybe that's why the lines are a bit unclear.

It looks good!
Maybe the lines are somewhat unclear, but hey! I like it.
And the perspective: I find it completely acceptable, given what HQ is like...
Anyway... Nice work!