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Amazing. That's all I could say.

a.) Ninth zone east after the great prime meridian (sorry, can't resist).

b.)ii

You haven't given one on this thread yet, which was why I asked where to send it to.

Once on a mission I got so fed up with the author ending each chapter in a cliffhanger and calling them cliffies, that I created the character Cliffie. He's short and sings Cliff Richard songs.

He must be hanging around at HQ somewhere. My agent took him to a party, but she did not return with him.

a) from the Netherlands. Learned my English from TV (I'm sorry English teachers, but that's the truth of it), so it's a mix of British, American, Canadian and Australian.
b) second option. First option made me ask: what does his head need to check? I assume that the intend of both sentences was that someone's head should be examined rather than that the head does some examining.

Regional difference could be very likely. In Dutch there are several difference between the Netherlands and Belgium in how certain things are said, and even within the Netherlands there are regional differences. For instance in the south someone would say: I brought the book with (litteral translation, so excuse for the incorrect English for a moment). And people from the north always insist the correct sentence is: I brought the book with me. For a southerner the "me" is implied; who else are you going to bring a book with?

Guess something similar may be the case here: in the first sentence it is implied that heads to check things, so they must be the things getting the checking.

"He needs his head-checking"? Head-checking is, I think, a noun phrase there. And that, er, totally doesn't make sense, unless "head-checking" is an actual thing that one could want or see or point at. Which may be the case, but also totally rearranges the grammar and semantics of our initial problematical sentence.

*scratches head*

Truly, we learn something new every day. (Although you have not, alas, beaten the weirdness of being informed that, in Scotland, one can acceptably say "His head needs checked.")

I'm from... uh... shoot.
Born in northwest US, lived in British Columbia since I was twelve.
I think I'd use ii - "he needs his head checked."
...i could work, I suppose, but I'd put a hyphen in it. Because yes, I am just that strange. Turn that last bit into head-checking and all of a sudden it makes sense to me.

...yes. That's all I have to say on the matter. Really. ^^;

The "to have" is implicit, not directly stated. The "checked" is past tense. To need to have one's head checked seems, semantically, to be expressing a desire for one's head to have been checked. We're still waiting on word from the linguistics professors on how to break down "he needs it checking", but, to me and to everyone who took part in my informal straw poll in the pub tonight, the continuous present seems a better verb form to use when referring to an action one wants to come to pass. Better than the past, anyway. It is confusing to say the least.

How would you phrase the following: "His head needs checking" or "his head needs to be checked"?

Oh, and I don't suppose you've any knowledge of modals in Latin?

a) I'm from the northerly midwestern USA.

b) He needs his head checked.

And I'll tell you why I think so. First of all, the full sentence should be "he needs to have his head checked," presumably by a medical doctor or psychologist or something like that. As far as I know, there is no such activity as to have a "head checking," so that makes no sense to me. To have one's head checked, however, implies an examination of some sort, and makes perfect sense if you're questioning someone's intelligence or sanity.

~Neshomeh + $0.02

I'm from Sydney. If I was going to use an expression like that, I'd probably use 'he needs his head checked'.

I think that this con is going to crach and burn horribly...

http://www.twicon.org/home.html

If it were a story, it would be PPC worthy. I found this over in the rant of SomethingPositive, a very good read www.soemthingpositive.net

Leto

(Because the other option would be wildly inappropriate.)

*brings a platter of fairy bread* Happy birthday! Here's to many more. *downs a glass of water*

...'cause I don't work in the DMS, and I don't know how you guys work, but... deliberate Sues? Option b) looks like creating Sues for PPC purposes. Isn't that something we, er, don't really approve of? Something along the lines of there being enough of the sods out there as it is without us making more?

The short explanation for this poll is: Rilwen called Pads on a grammatical construction that may or may not be standard. Pads and Sedri bickered goodnaturedly over it for a couple of hours. Neither Pads nor Sedri has the neccesary linguistical toolbox to explain a) what was going on in the sentence under contention or b) why one version or another might be standard. Both Pads and Sedri have called on their respective linguistics professors for clarification. To date, only Pads's professor has replied. His notion is that the grammatical construction in question may or may not be standard, but it seems to have a geographical basis. In the spirit of pure inquiry, we therefore ask you all to answer the following two questions:

a) where are you from?
b) which grammatical construction would you usually use?
(i)"he needs his head checking"
OR
(ii)"he needs his head checked"

I've a notion it shouldn't automatically be rated as "not for the eyes of the young or the juvenile", but we'll save that conversation for a conversation, not a message board.

To clarify on your behalf, dub-con is when consent wasn't explicitly given. It's not just badslashers who view this as acceptable; I've lived with people who've thought similar scenarios were suitable cause to throw a condom and shout "have fun!" Dub-con is therefore where explicit consent is not given, and the persuaded party's consent is not explicit in narration or in dialogue.

Short version: did both characters say "sex please!"? If yes and it's graphic, you want a mature / adult / 18 / top of your rating system of choice on it.
Did one character say "yes please!" while the other said "er... uh... well. okay... I guess... um? wow, sexxors yay!" If yes, you warn for dub-con and you turn it over to the DBS for betaing and making realistic.
Did one character say "you know, I really don't think I... no, get off... but shouldn't we... hang on... no, let go, I'm talking here... argh!"? If yes, you warn for dub-con and magical cock powers, and you turn it over to the DBS for sporking.

And when you're on ff.net you're pretty much doomed. Saying cock is against their rules. You'll never be called on it, though, so it all depends how much of a good boy you want to be.

In your honour, I shall claim the last drink was for your celebrations.

...

What do you mean, I didn't know it was your birthday when I drank it? I can retcon, dammit!

*gets drunk in your honour*

Happy birthday!

Ah, seventeen. I'd reminisce, but I'm slightly scared by the total mental blank that is my seventeenth. But enjoy it! Your next one's eighteen, and that's when everything becomes legal, and so becomes a lot less fun.

Hot Topic Bondage Pants, I mean. Did they crop up a couple of months back? Either way they're a traumatising mental image.

If one of your agents is a Sammie, then one of your agents already scores highly on the thinking for themself and not being unduly disturbed front. Agent pairs are generally at odds with one another somehow; a Sammie is liable to take the most revolting squick with a flinch, a shudder, a pause, a deep breath, and a getting on with it.

Give me a shout at birgit dot fishwife at gmail dot com or johnny underscore rat at msn dot com, and I'll happily ramble about agent pair makeup for hours (and throw in betaing accidentally to boot).

PS Does nonsquickable mean we're getting a compatriot in the DBS?

Have a graduated cylinder with a party hat (instead of the usual graduation cap) and ... *digs around* some ice-cream cake! That is, if you like ice-cream cake. Because I do.

...You wouldn't let me quote Rochester while you were at work. And I really don't blame you.

I rise at eleven, I dine about two
I get drunk before seven, and the next thing I do,
I send for my whore, when for fear of a clap,
I spend in her hand, and I spew in her lap;
Then we quarrel and scold, till I fall fast asleep,
When the bitch growing bold, to my pocket does creep.
Then slyly she leaves me, and to revenge the affront,
At once she bereaves me of money and c*nt.

If you can think of a legitimate way for Caspian X to use such language, I salute you.

I wouldn't. They sparkle.

Really, I know I've mentioned this in every forum I have at my disposal to contact you. This is because I cannot get over this. They're vampires. So they sparkle in sunlight. On behalf on all Transylvania I am headdesking.

I'd love to, but what's the fandom?

Yeah, that's the one. No one else claimed it, so I did. I might even bump it up the list. It should be a relatively easy mission with lots to poke fun at. I just have to decide whether Hermione is replaced or just thoroughly possessed. Eragon is probably in character except for having no memory of his actual life, but I haven't finished reading the fic yet.

~Neshomeh

Hurray! Happy 17, and congratulations! In my opinion, 17 is when things really start getting good. Screw 16.

(But remember: The cake is a LIE. DO NOT BE FOOLED.)