main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Canderous and Cade's Crazy Cantina: a shiny new fanfiction social thread!

Discussion in 'Fan Fiction and Writing Resource' started by Commander-DWH, Aug 31, 2012.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. moosemousse

    moosemousse CR Emeritus: FF-UK South star 6

    Registered:
    Oct 3, 2004
    We still use PM lists. Tags work ok in conversation and chat threads but some people prefer to read a few fics at once and once you've seen a notification it goes away whereas a PM doesn't. It'd be ok to tag someone if you're replying to a comment, but not to let them know there's an update. :)
     
  2. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    Some use tags; some use PMs. The issue with tags if you have a popular fic is that you're limited to 10 tags per post. Also, putting the wrong trailing punctuation after the tag can cause the tag to not work. So personally I feel that PMs are more reliable (though I haven't posted a multi-post story since the move either, so what would I know? :p).

    EDIT: Or what she said. Stupid me failed to realize there was a next page. :p
     
  3. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    It depends on what you and the reader want. I personally prefer PMs because I get tagged/notified for a lot of stuff sometimes and tags for updates get forgotten if I'm dealing with other stuff, but tags are easier for the writer (but just by a tiny bit). Also, alerts for tags go away after 3 days, so they aren't the best for people who aren't on regularly. My suggestion: ask readers what they want, but most won't care.
     
  4. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Either or. I tend to use tags more often, mainly for the sake of convenience, unless I need to update a sock.
     
  5. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yes, ALWAYS PM a sock for an on-going challenge if they need to be kept up to date. I control an index sock and I'm not sure when the last time I logged into it.

    Mega rant time.
    AHHHHHH Help people! I'm conflicted. So, long story short, my history prof is a lazy butt and doesn't want to mark our papers at once. So he proposed on Thursday 3 different due dates (Dec 12, Dec 9, and Dec 5) and basically the due dates will be auctioned off on tuesday. Basically, whoever wants the latest due date will put up their hand and he will deduct percentage points until only 1/3rd of the class wants that date (and then the same will happen for the second due date). Confusing, I know.

    Anyways, there are 6 physically disabled students in that class and at the beginning of the semester he signed contracts with all of us saying if we need extra time for assignments, we get it with no marks deducted (some of my disabled friends have used this power way to much IMO, I've never used it because I don't agree with it). So some of the disabled students got their panties in knots over this and confronted him after class, saying that they should get the last day with no points deducted (and some of them do need the extra time given the stupid nature of this assignment - we have to chase footnotes to other books and historians, which can be hard for blind people who cant skim footnotes). However, he said it would be unfair to give the last day to all 6 of us and to go talk to the disability services so they could sort it out fairly. Anyways, I'm already out of the classroom by now and they drag me to the disability services. I quietly wait in the back while they rant about this and the workers agree that the situation is not fair to anyone in the class. So they worked it out with the prof and basically, all the disabled students get the last due date with no marks taken off, we just have to keep it on the down low.

    I DONT AGREE WITH THIS ONE BIT! I'm sorry, but I was raised by a blind father and deaf grandfather. I was taught never to use my disability to get special treatment (there's a difference between special treatment and accommodations). Sure I'm happy to have the last day with no penalty, it makes my life 10 times less stressful, but it goes against everything I was taught. Should I just shut up and take it (and ignore my morals), or do I say something (and harm my grade in the process)?

    Sorry for the rant. TL;DR: Morals or a good grade?
     
  6. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    Morals. I hate it when disability is used as leverage. I don't like it when professors use mine as an excuse. Look, if I act like an idiot because I'm having a meltdown or whatever stupid reason, then I'm acting like an idiot. Don't use my autism to excuse it. Just leave me to my idiocy.

    On another note, my brother is attending a wedding this weekend. I gave him the abridged version of your current wedding story. He said to videotape the wedding. This must be seen by all.
     
    Goodwood and Briannakin like this.
  7. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    By not supporting their scheme, you've already upheld your morals. Don't deliberately penalize yourself when you were not the person(s) who talked them into special treatment. The best thing to do here, if you can pull it off, is to accept the extra time as a gift and show them that your disability is not a crutch by finishing the paper before December 5 anyway.
     
    TrakNar likes this.
  8. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I'm the type of person that stands up for what I believe in, even if it hurts my grades (I have done it in the past), and I hate to be lumped in with those wanting special treatment, (and I get their viewpoint, life has screwed us over, so there has to be an upside to being disabled, but I dont agree with their ways). But I really would benefit from the extra time to use if I need it (I need to pass this class), and the prof is just a fill-in, he's gone to the States in January, so it's not like I'll be dealing with him again. And if I do stand up for my morals, that'll make my fellow disabled friends look really bad and I don't want to complicate things further for the prof. But I don't want to compromise my morals. I just dont know what to do.

    And this wedding just makes me what to laugh. It's going to be a picnic and everyone has to bring their own food and blanket and umbrella if it rains. And there'll be no alcohol. I understand wanting to save money, but there's a line between saving money and being cheap, and IMO, they're just being cheap. There's no reason for some grand reception, but you only get married once (or at least that's the point). MOST couples don't make their guests bring their own food to a wedding (a potluck is a different situation). I'm really hoping grandparents or parents step in and pay for a reception hall. Both the wedding and the marriage will be... messy.
     
  9. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    I agree with jcgoble3. Don't balk at having the last due date, but go ahead and get it turned in at the first due date. This way if somebody complains you can say, "I turned it in before December 5th so complain to somebody else." Are any of the students begrudging the disabled students the extra time? I can't imagine complaining that a blind student gets a few more days to do an assignment.

    I can't believe an instructor is doing this just to stagger turn-ins so he doesn't have to grade them all at once. He should have a 5 December deadline and then just take his time grading the lump turn-in. If the problem is students bugging him for their grades, he should announce that the grades for the project will be released on 15 December (or whatever date) and not before. Late turn-ins for disabled students should be handled exactly as the contract specifies.

    I don't understand why a student would agree ahead of time to get penalized. What if I raised my hand for the late deadline of 12 December but end up finishing the work on 1 December? If I turn it in early will I still be penalized because I had asked for the late deadline a month earlier?

    Maybe I just don't understand his logic. This sounds like a recipe for disaster and a lot of angry students.

    A picnic? On blankets? And bring your own umbrella and food? If I am wearing a nice dress with heels (which I don't, but let's assume I did) I am not going to eat on a blanket outside. If they want to go cheap ask to rent the local church reception hall or VFW or American Legion hall and have people do a potluck. At least you would be out of the weather and have chairs to sit in. :rolleyes:

    Another problem is out of town guests. If you live five hours away you don't want to be hauling your own food. If you live in another state, I guess that means you have to go to McDonalds after the wedding.

    From what you are saying about this couple I would think they are nuts.
     
  10. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I, and some other students are allowed extra time in the first place because of limited finger dexterity (therefore it takes us longer to type, to which I say, start earlier). So no one is going to argue with the disabled students because of unfairness, but I guess the prof didn't want to show "favoritism" so he asked us to keep quiet.

    But, yes, take disabled students out of the issue, this system not fair to ANYONE in the class. How he got permission to do this in any class baffled the workers at the disability office. Your questions are the same as mine. How can you fairly mark 2 papers when one person got extra time. Will the penalties make it somewhat even? My guess it that it'll turn ugly on tuesday. I don't understand his thinking either.


    Edit to reply to Jl’s edits: Yeah, it’s a little crazy he’s doing this all to make his life easier. The problem is, he wanted papers due on the day of the exam to give us as much time as possible, but our exam ended up being on the second day of exams. And marks have to be in from the profs 72 hours after the final exam. So he got permission to do this to give himself time and to give people who needed it and were willing to get penalized. He should have stuck to a december 5th deadline and said he would be more lenient in his grading. I think he was trying to be nice, but it’s just going to make a lot of people angry.

    I talked to some other people and I’m just going to shut up, take the extra time, but hand it in early.


    And yes, a picnic. I’m just glad bridesmaids aren’t wearing heels. I’m kinda ticked that I obviously won’t be able to use my wheelchair during the reception since it, along with the ceremony, is in a medow. I can grin and bear walking and standing for the ceremony (and I would anyways if it was indoors, it’s just what is expected of me). But I’m going to be in agony if I have to sit on the ground for hours. It’s very inconsiderate IMO, but it's one day, so I’m not going to guilt her into changing her vision. One of my fellow bridesmaids was the one who traveled with me to London, so she knows all about my disability so she’ll be there to help me when I need it. I’m just concerned about elderly grandparents getting around and being comfortable. It probably wouldn’t cost very much to get a church basement, but whatever.

    They are nuts, but I hope they change their plans now that their officially engaged and parents are involved.
     
  11. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Sorry about those edits. When I went back and reread your post I realized I misunderstood a key part of your message and therefore my response didn't make as much sense.

    If you are having elderly people they are not going to want to get up and down off the ground. How about any pregnant women attending? Heavyset family members probably won't appreciate having to get up and down either. Only kids like picnics on the ground. That is why picnic tables were invented. And bringing umbrellas in case of rain doesn't help when you are sitting on a waterlogged lawn.

    Ack! There is nothing you can do to dissuade a bride out of her vision, so why bother. I hope you have fun at the reception anyway.
     
  12. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2011
    Briannakin: When did your friend turn into Yogi Bear? :D
     
  13. Dantana Skywalker

    Dantana Skywalker Manager Emeritus star 5 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Apr 7, 2002
    How I do my wedding will depend entirely upon who I'm marrying, but I refuse to do something as ridiculous as make my guests sit on the ground. If you want to get married by a certain time, but can't afford a big wedding, then don't have a big wedding. Get married in a small thing, and have a big party later when you can afford it. Don't make your guests uncomfortable just to save money. Geez.
     
  14. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Yeah, forget about me, she's obviously not thinking about all the older people. I know her mother's parents are quite older and heavier set. I have no idea about his relatives, but there are bound to be more people other than me inconvenienced and in pain because of her 'vision'. But I know if I bring it up it'll just make her feel guilty and she has her heart set on this. I kinda hope someone brings it to her attention, but it won't be me (though if she does ask, I will tell her). And your right, nothing can change a bride's mind. Having a picnic is a cute idea in theory, but it's going to come off as cheap and inconsiderate, IMO. It'll be Yogi's bear's wedding pretty much :p

    It's not that hard to make sure your wedding is assessable for everyone. Both my uncles and my cousin all made sure their venues and reception halls were assessable, and not just for me. Old people love weddings.

    If I ever get married, I'm sticking to the rulebook. I don't want it very traditional, but some things are done over and over again because they just WORK.
     
  15. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    So I am watching the news and some former Army officer said, "If America didn't win the war of 1812 we probably wouldn't be speaking English now." o_O
     
  16. TrakNar

    TrakNar Jedi Grand Master star 5

    Registered:
    Apr 4, 2011
    ...

    I don't want to live on this planet anymore.
     
  17. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    *facepalm*

    Just a question, were you guys (Americans) taught that the US won the war of 1812? Because the British/'Canadians' (who were British subjects) actually won.
     
  18. jcgoble3

    jcgoble3 Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Nov 7, 2010
    I don't remember what I was taught in school, but Wikipedia does not credit either side with a win, instead listing the result as status quo ante bellum, meaning "the state existing before the war". The prose further states that both sides achieved their main goals and saw little potential for anything but stalemate if the war continued, hence the agreement to status quo ante bellum.
     
  19. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2011
    While my teacher and textbook didn't use the fancy Latin (mind you, I'm referring to K-12 schooling), they didn't try to make us believe that we "won" the war. Of course, I never bought the jingoistic arguments in favor of initiating hostilities in the first place—yes, the British practice of impressing sailors was deplorable, but that's hardly a legitimate excuse to go to war. And of course the core reasons that the war hawks wanted to reignite hostilities was so that they could have another go at annexing the two American colonies who didn't rebel.

    Since then, I've learned that the socio-political-economic climate surrounding that time period, and the "causes" and "prosecution" of that war are much, much more complex than most folks really know.
     
  20. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    I was just curious because I remember in grade 9, I was told that the Americans believed 'they won and the British lost', type deal because the US won the Battle of New Orleans. In K-12 schooling in Canada, we are taught that Britain won because they were successful in defending the borders. This leads to a lot of 'popular history' which is much different than the real history (the popular history in Canada is that 'we burned down the White House and won'). I've since learned in University that there was a lot more to it than that and both sides achieved their goals and the only 'losers' were the Natives because they got sucked into our war and died.
     
  21. Goodwood

    Goodwood Jedi Master star 5

    Registered:
    May 11, 2011
    That's pretty much it.

    I should imagine that if the British weren't so busy dealing with Napoleon, and were so inclined as to risk another occupation, they may have tried to reabsorb the United States as a colonial entity. But those are two huge factors, and even then I just can't see them choosing to do so. It would be too much effort for so little gain. As it was, the reason the U.S. didn't get totally owned was due in large part to our navy. We had different philosophies of ship design and naval warfare, and though we would never be able to meet the Royal Navy head-on until around the 1920s, any one American frigate was worth at least one British sixth-rate, if not a fifth-rate. Not that we totally owned the seas within the conflict zone, however, but our victories there were significant enough.

    An interesting side-note: in New England during the war there occurred quite a bit of friendly trade between private companies in the states as well as the new colony of Maine, and British companies. All of it highly treasonous given the conventions of warfare, but nobody in that region even wanted the war, so they didn't give a damn about such trading and thus it went unreported.
     
  22. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Come on, if we lost to the British/Canadians I'd be sitting on a davenport, eating Spotted Dick and drinking Molson instead of lounging around on my couch, eating nachos and drinking a diet Coke. ;)

    While the Geek Squad was looking at my computer I went to see Thor. It was pretty good and there was a shirtless Thor scene that made the $8.50 ticket price worth it. :p Afterwards the Geeks said I needed a new hard drive. They asked me if I had the system discs. I did but not in my car, so I am going to get it fixed on Monday. Meanwhile I got a new laptop. If my other laptop is fixed I may give it to my son in High School.
     
  23. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    Lol. According to that army officer, you would be eating croissants and drinking fine french wine.

    The main point here is that someone needs to give that guy a Canadian history lesson.
     
  24. Jedi_Lover

    Jedi_Lover Chosen One star 5

    Registered:
    Nov 1, 2004
    Great, my new computer has Windows 8. I just figured out Windows 7. ACK!
     
  25. Briannakin

    Briannakin Former Manager star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Feb 25, 2010
    BAHAHAHAHA! Sorry. Windows 8 sucks. I had it on the laptop I had for like 2 days with the faulty hard drive. I HATE windows 8. (Nah. I probably could have gotten used to it, but I'm a Mac convert now after less than a month).
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.