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It's that I haven't written a mission since John Freeman in, like, April. With NaNoWriMo and a play competition coming up, I probably won't have a mission up 'til the end of the month, but Harry the Wizard is looking to be purged of the Candy Mountain menace, so I shall get on to that soonish.

And I actually feel reassured. Everyone's been doing these huge, big plot-arc-y things, and I've felt bad about just having little ideas for regular missions instead of getting into something big like that. ^^; So, I've actually been thinking right, even if I've been incredibly lazy about getting things actually done.

That said, I will have that new DoGA mission turn up before too horrendously long, I promise.

~ Rath ~

Just like *who* you vote for, voting is a *choice*. You can do whatever you like with your vote, including not use it. That's the joy of democracy :D

Now I need to actually write my first mission, instead of just shouting my approval. *is a procrastinator*

I feel sorry for said psychopath...

...well, actually, no, not really. I'm sure his misery will be quite entertaining... XD

Seeing as I have a psychopath who rather needs to be taken down a peg or two, that sounds like a very good idea~

That scene with the little red shoe always made me cry. I actually hated that movie for a long time because of it.

As for a cartoon replacement-Stu, though, go right ahead. {= )

~Neshomeh

Kitchen duty, Building Maintenance duty--anything menial and boring, really--a spell in FicPsych (they probably CAN adjust your personality if need be)...

But most likely, a total prohibition from all things Bleep in conjunction with missions just bad enough to make your fingers twitch for your Bleeprin without being so awful as to induce a homicidal rage. It would be easy to accomplish. An HQ-wide memo stating that these specific agents were not to be given any Bleep-stuff would likely result not in sympathy for the offenders, but in lots of pointing and laughing. Fitting, I think, and also with great potential for humor. {= )

~Neshomeh

Another thing about PPC canon: If it isn't in the Original Series, it's pretty much up to group consent. If everyone goes "Oooh, yeah, that's awesome!" then it can be canon. Otherwise, if I don't like something someone has done since the OS, I feel okay about ignoring it. I'd go so far as to say that's a right. So, just because you have Permission doesn't mean that what you do is automatically going to be accepted by everyone. If it is, congratulations, but it isn't really something you should be expecting. Again, it's all in fun. If you want to make all the rules, write an original story in a world of your own.

As for me, I've been trying to finish my current mission (which does contain angst, but it is mission-specific angst). It SHOULD happen sometime this year... And then I have a 2008 Invasion interlude to do, and then a FicPsych story, and before I die retire I really want to take on "Subjugation," but other small missions will probably happen before that's done.

~Neshomeh, who might get more prolific when she's out of college, but then again, she might also drop off the face of the internet for the lack of money to afford it. We shall see.

I'm so glad you're saying this. I'm slowly coming back from a really long hiatus caused by everyday Real Life things, and I'm looking around and thinking, "Wow...lotta stuff's happened." It's a little disorienting to come back and find out that there've been a couple hundred additions and changes to PPC canon, as I'm slowly finding out.

That said, I'm gonna go read the Original Series, and then find the time to finish up that mission I started ages ago. And that little interlude, too. And then maybe write another interlude chock-full of character interaction and development, should I find the time. Because while giant canon-expanding plotlines can be fun...I have to admit that my favorite stories are the ones that are character-driven.

*goes off to read*

I stopped drinking caffeine, so I'm a bit low on vigor.

... so do I have to drop that to do a mission? It's overdue as it is.

I kind of like the bog-standard missions more than the big complicated storylines (I don't think the TS set counts as a big complicated storyline so much as a bunch of missions stuck together) but I admit I'm guilty of #1 - I did mention that my agents got in trouble for the Drip Rat and Redneck Tree deaths but didn't detail their punishment because I couldn't make that funny. Could also apply to the Nighthunt fiasco, unless HQ makes exception for characters who attempted to violate and/or consume PPC members.

I shall try to write a mission, but it might be a bit difficult~

Also, as regards 1., what would be the disciplinary action taken against an Agent who did use torture?

And now I have to figure out which work in progress to work on.

Now let me go start these challenges, quit halfway through and never finish. :P

Ideally yes, but in cases where you haven't written them for some time, I see no reason why you can't use some others.

Also: I'm not laying down rules or anything. It's a challenge to return the PPC to its roots. How you do it is up to you.

hS

Do we have to use our normal Agents to fulfil this? I'm no good with Connie and Steve. :P

. . . usually.

Since I've noted of late a distressing tendency to forget a few things, I figure now is as good a time as any to remind everyone of them.

1/ The PPC does not condone torture. The only two instances of it in the Original Series are a) Jay's sockpuppets, and b) sending a 'Sue off with Miss Cam. In the final TOS mission, No Way Back, it is explicitly stated that "you know Headquarters frowns on torture".

2/ Permission is granted to people so that they can participate in the world of the PPC. This is not a right -- it is a privilege. Certain forms of writing are allowed without formal Permission -- MSTs are outside the remit of the PPC, Fill the Plothole is non-canonical, and participation in RPs as minor characters is fine. Missions and large changes to the PPC canon are not. This hasn't been previously stated, but is in effect as of now.

3/ The PPC is first and foremost about the missions, not the massive events. I realise I'm actually the one who started this trend, with the Reorganisation and now Crashing Down, but I also have 21 missions written and posted. It's fun to have RPs and plan massive attacks on or by the PPC, but that's not what we're about. The number of missions being written has dropped dramatically of late, and that's worrying.

4/ You don't need to come up with a quirk or shiny new concept to write your missions. Again, there is a tendency for people to want to make their mission stand out by doing something big -- be it a new Department, an uber-badfic, an arc plot, an obscure fandom, whatever. That's not necessary. I'm reminded of, I think it was Artemis, who wrote the original DIA stories, and then stepped back and wrote Agent Aerilyn and Zera in an effort to get closer to the spirit of the Original Series.

5/ Above all, the PPC is supposed to be FUN. We don't write these stories to slaughter 'Sues, that's the Agents' motivations. We write them to entertain ourselves and one another. We do this with Agent-Agent interaction (yes, that's why they work in teams), Agent-Sue interaction (come on, who didn't find Mr Socko hilarious?), and Agent-picking-on-Sue action. That's what we're here for. That's why we keep reading.

So I'm going to make a couple of suggestions. No, call them challenges. First up, I'm going to point everyone to The Original Series and say that we all need to read it again. Everyone. That's it -- just read the series.

The second challenge is the tough one. For anyone who has a set of Agents (and has been granted Permission), even if you're in the middle of doing something else right now, I challenge you all to drop every dangling plot thread, massive project, everything, and write a mission. Write a mission which isn't connected to anything else. Backdate it if that makes it easier for you -- if your Agents are currently tied up in arc-plot angst, set it six months before that started. No foreshadowing, no plot relevance, no nothing -- just a plain, simple mission in whatever Department your Agents happen to be in. Or happen to have been in, if they're retired; I'm going to try and put together a backdated Dafydd & Selene mission, despite Dafydd's quitting a couple of years back.

Is everyone going to manage this? Of course not. But I hope everyone's going to try. And I do recommend completing the first challenge before the second -- it'll make it easier.

Hopefully this post will be taken in the right way -- I'm trying to bring the PPC back to its roots, not attack anyone in particular (I promise you that I've ignored most of these points at one time or another). Still, I'm always here as a punching bag if someone gets too upset about it -- and provided you're not afraid of what my wife will do (you shooooould be...)

hS

Wik is far too over the top to be a suitable PPC Agent character, and your writing shows a distinct tendency to attempt to push the boundaries way too far. Additionally, the "Cult of the Smut Carver" thing is getting out of hand; you just had them waltz in and take over a DIA building with no effort whatsoever.

Additionally, your conduct on the Board, as exemplified by this thread, has been filled with you assuming that you can do whatever you want, and getting snippy when something doesn't go exactly your way. You're not getting permission until you demonstrate that you've grown out of that. I'm also going to request that you stop writing the Cult stuff until after you've been granted permission and have written at least one mission. Your permission to "add new canon elements to the PPC" is now revoked.

Also: no, you can't start a new Department. Rethink.

hS

hS

Well, you're not getting one. Ta-ta.

hS

He'll be President in January. As much as no one wants to think about it, Bush has the right to the title of President until Obama officially takes office.

I have my doubts that Obama will live up to what he intends to do. But if he succeeds, more power to him, and I'll happily vote for him in four years. I wish him the best of luck.

*Silently points to the Planet Killer in the skies above*