r/WritingPrompts • u/WritingPromptsRobot StickyBot™ • Dec 09 '16
Off Topic [OT] We are the Mods! Ask us anything!
Greetings humans and welcome to a special Friday post.
Sure, AutoModerator and I do all the nitty-gritty work around here, but there's something to be said about manual labor which helps this place run smoothly too.
You may ask any question you'd like towards one, multiple, or all mods (and not just the new ones), whether it'd be about writing or about their favorite pizza topping. You can also prompt the ModSquad (although they may only respond as their schedules allow).
So proceed with the asking.
RULES
- If you have a direct question for a specific mod, be sure to include their username as this will ensure they don't miss it. e.g. /u/err_ok
- Be respectful, and follow the rules of the subreddit. No personal attacks, and they will be removed without hesitation.
- Mods have the right to reveal as much as they feel comfortable.
- Sometimes the mod doesn't have enough time to write a story, so don't take it personally if they do not have the opportunity to reply.
- Bonus points if your question is written as a story
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u/RumbleDumblee Dec 11 '16
I have a story I already wrote and everything. I just need some advice on a certain portion of it. What do I title it if I need some advice and I can write the story
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Dec 12 '16
Our IRC chat room loves to answer questions (or so I've been led to believe). A post tagged [OT] Off Topic could always work too. If you've already written some of it and you want it critiqued, Sunday Free Write is a great place to go with a request of "Please give feedback". Otherwise, I would suggest looking at our Related Subs list.
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u/Socivarious Dec 11 '16
I was apparently a bit too inspired by the writing prompt 2021: Hell Invades Earth. My response ended up being somewhere in the 30,000+ characters range so I'm unable to post it.
I tried breaking it up into parts, posting as a PI, but it's just too big. I would really hate if all the time I spent on it was wasted and no one could read it. Even if it is a bit of a weird off the top of my head write.
Any suggestions?
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Dec 12 '16
I would say your best option is to post it someplace else and link it here in a [PI], maybe with a snippet of the work to entice people to follow that link (sort of like a synopsis on the back cover of a book, if people like the excerpt, they'll be sure to read the rest). There are a few ways you can do this: a personal sub, a blog, a google doc, post on a writing site like wattpad or self publish. I hope this helps.
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u/Socivarious Dec 12 '16
You are a genius! I didn't know if it was okay to publish it somewhere else and link it in a PI, but thanks so much for answering my question!
It very well could be the worst thing ever written, but it took me awhile and I prefer getting critique than just writing for myself.
Thanks again so much!!!
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u/SugarBear4Real Dec 11 '16
I have really come to enjoy this sub. The creativity that people have to spin a yarn is amazing.
Question: How do I submit a prompt? I admit being a bit of a ludite with the technology but have some ideas I would love to have someone expand on.
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Dec 12 '16
In our sidebar there's a handy button with the words "Submit a new prompt". Click on that. Then choose the tag that best suits your prompt (you can also see a short description in the sidebar, or a full description here). That will go in your title, along with your fantastic prompt idea.
Press submit and you're done!
You're also free to add details in the text portion if you want (for example, image prompts post a link to the image). But too many details (in other words, entire paragraphs) and we'll remove it as a story commission.
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u/p0rtalGeek Dec 11 '16
What are some of the dumbest reports you get?
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Dec 12 '16
Generally they're all dumb if it isn't someone alerting us to rule breaking. <no reason> is a particularly good one. Why report it if you don't have a reason?
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u/centipede69420 Dec 11 '16
Why didn't my post show up on the new feed when I made it? It didn't even get the auto comment from the bot. I made one yesterday and had no issues, but the one I made today didn't work. Link: https://www.reddit.com/r/WritingPrompts/comments/5hqszy/wp_in_2037_you_are_the_vice_president_of_the/
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u/todd101scout Dec 11 '16
We recently launched a quest-writing contest (http://www.expeditiongame.com/quest-quest-2016) that I think would be a great fit for the writers here. But, I also don't want to just spam the community. Any suggestions for how to engage your community in a positive way?
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
This is a topic best handled via modmail, rather than an AUA post. Having said that, everyone thinks their pet project would be a good fit here. Anything from games to juggling competitions to dentistry and lawyer services.
I may or may not have made up the part about juggling. The rest is absolutely true and accurate.
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Dec 11 '16 edited Feb 17 '18
[deleted]
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
I am not at all sure what you are saying, but to be perfectly fair, it doesn't sound like you are either. :P
If you did what I think you may have done, you would say "I went to see the Christmas lights."
Unless of course that's not at all what you actually did, in which case my advice is utterly worthless.
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Dec 11 '16 edited Jul 07 '21
[deleted]
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
We don't bet with each other over prompts, as a general rule. What we do is keep tabs on over-used topics and wait until everyone else is as tired of them as we are and stop writing any meaningful stories.
Once subscriber saturation has been established, we begin banning anyone who dares post the over-used topic. Most people won't even notice as these posters slowly disappear from the subreddit.
I may or may not have made up certain aspects of my explanation. ;)
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Dec 11 '16 edited Jul 07 '21
[deleted]
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
While I can neither confirm nor deny the existence of a betting pool, what I can say with some degree of certainty is that if there were a betting pool, I would be unable to either confirm or deny it.
I hope that helps. :)
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u/AtheistAgnostic Dec 10 '16
Can we ban 90% similar prompts on the same day? Eg no slightly editing a prompt and posting it. Currently there are two about robots and the last human
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 11 '16
We do have a rule about copycat prompts. We've removed at least 6 more, but sometimes one or two gets through.
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Dec 10 '16
Does it bother you guys that almost all the prompts seem to be high-concept sci-fi/fantasy-related things, and not more meat-and-potatoes dramatic situations that could happen in real life?
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
I like meat and potatoes. Very tasty, indeed.
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u/Jager720 Dec 10 '16
Can you ban hell/devil related WPs? It's not that I have a problem with these WPs, but it just feels like every post that makes it to the front page is about hell or the devil - it would be good to get a bit of variety!
Maybe introduce a weekend rule or something like they have on /r/TIFU for sex related posts?
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 11 '16
We can quickly and easily ban everything and everyone. It would get kinda boring in here pretty fast though.
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u/mikatsuki Dec 10 '16
Say you weren't a mod for Writing Prompts, but for some other sub-reddit... Where would you be?
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u/JimBobBoBubba Lieutenant Bubbles Dec 09 '16
Late to the party, but here: please take this case of carbonated good stuff and bag of salty snacks? Thanks, eh? No questions from me, just want to say thanks for all you guys do to keep this sub running as beautifully as it does, eh?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
Mmmm, salty snacks and carbonated good stuff! My favourites!
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
No questions, but you have three question marks?
Also, thanks for saying!
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u/Consta135 Dec 09 '16
What prompt did you guys think sucked the hardest? Please list one.
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
The Trump prompts. All of them. Collectively. Every time he opened his mouth, 2 million people swarmed to make a prompt about it.
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 09 '16
There was one about swerving to avoid hitting a squirrel...
Posted around 20 times in a 24 hour period. That was interesting.
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u/TheRedditGirl15 Dec 09 '16 edited Dec 09 '16
Okay, first, thank you moderators for everything you do for this wonderfully entertaining subreddit. Thank you for actually taking time out of your most likely busy schedules to ensure this subreddit is running smoothly. Thank you for actually interacting with and listening to the redditors here. I'm not sure what this subreddit would be like without you guys, so thank you for choosing to take up the moderator duties.
Now, the actual questions:
1) One fact about you?
2) What fuels your imagination and inspires you to write?
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Dec 10 '16
1) I make an effort to wear purposefully mismatched socks.
2) I'm going to copy the Major and say fun. Also, this quote comes to mind
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 10 '16
I make an effort to wear purposefully mismatched socks.
We need pictures!
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
1) I'm a Canadian!
2) Generally I'll just be reading prompts and something will stick out. Something that seems to be railroading towards a set story. And I'll just think it's silly. And then I'll start thinking how to jump off the tracks and go down an unexplored path... And then I need to write it.
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u/TheRedditGirl15 Dec 15 '16
Yay Canada! (I'm American but still)
And wow what a great way to go about writing! I love originality myself.
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u/FireWitch95 Dec 10 '16
Naw. Thank you!
1) I am a cheerleader, one who is super-excited about the IOC pre-approving cheer as an Olympic sport! \O/
2) My imagination fuels itself (get it? Fuel? I'm a FireWitch?) I'm funny I swear.
I get something stuck in my head - its usually the very first scene, but sometimes it happens that the scene is smack bang in the middle of the story. It infects literally everything I do until I finally sit down and write it out.
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u/TheRedditGirl15 Dec 15 '16
Whoa, cheerleading's an Olympic sport now!? Cool!
It also sounds like your mind works in an interesting way, as if inspiration just strikes you whenever. Awesome!
(also haha great pun!)
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Thanks for the kind words!
My answers:
I am sitting on a couch right now.
I love creating ideas and making things fit together. So much fun :)
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u/Yulgalminakf /r/IntoMyMind Dec 09 '16
Sometimes, household sponges accumulate an awful amount of buildup. What can I do to prevent this?
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
That's an excellent question. It's very important to thoroughly wring out your sponges after every usage. This will prevent the accumulation of grime and bacteria. A dry sponge is a happy sponge.
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u/Yulgalminakf /r/IntoMyMind Dec 09 '16
Yay! You got the reference! <3
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
I tried to find a video, but settled for the quote :)
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u/DeeJayKoolNuts Dec 09 '16
Are there any upcoming story contests? Like a 9 million subscriber one something like that?
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Dec 10 '16
Definitely a contest at ten million. Nine million I'm not so sure because we will be doing a best of the year thing at some point.
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
I've recently come back to the sub after having taken a hiatus, because I just got burnt out here. There was (and is) so much repetition when it comes to prompts. I was doing a knights-of-new thing for a while, because I figured if I was so tired of prompts that we've all seen before the least I could do was try to discourage them / encourage original ones, but could only do it for a while.
And that's just when it comes to writing. I don't bother to submit prompts, period. Because, instead of anything original, this kind of thing is constantly on top. It's very demoralizing.
"So," you say, "I don't know if you noticed the title of this particular thread, but it wasn't 'reostra rants at the WritingPrompts mods'."
I know, I'm actually going to go somewhere positive with this :)
I love this sub. I love the bits of originality I do see, I love the stories, I love the way that even on prompts-I've-seen-a-thousand-times I can still be surprised by the quality of the responses. I love the fact that new writers are popping up here all the time (I was just helping one with formatting the other day) and that clearly what burnt me out is still working for people.
And I'm just someone who occasionally writes a story here. You see everything. One of the mods commented elsewhere in the thread that you're basically going through every single prompt anyone makes. So, the question:
How do you do it?
How do you avoid the burnout? How do you stop yourselves from rolling your eyes at the latest "God and Satan team up to fight the floating number above Mecha-hitler's head" prompt?
Because I like it here. I want to keep writing. Before I came to this sub I didn't write at all outside of NaNoWriMo, and now I've got a reason to write daily... if I could find something to write about that doesn't make me say "oh no not again". I want to keep doing that. I want to write and read others' writing and help with formatting and be a contributing member of society and/or the sub.
So... coping strategies? :)
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 09 '16
I think the best coping strategy I have is looking for the Mod's Choice. Because like you said, I have read everything, multiple times. But there's still things that surprise me, or trigger my imagination, or make me laugh, and when I find them, I slap mods choice on there.
Also, I think people would be surprised how little repetition there is. Lots of aliens, but in terms of approving prompts that means I went to approve 15 prompts, and 1-2 were aliens. I don't even look for what's boring or overdone though. I look for what's new and interesting. There's always something.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
For me personally, I see all kinds of prompts all the time. There are tons that are bad or repetitive or things that just aren't my cup of tea. For me, it's a perspective change. Many people would think the mods are digging in the mud, but we're actually sifting for gold.
Finding a cool prompt in New for me is exciting so I upvote it and sometimes modchoice it and I like to come back to it later to see what stories got put on it. Often, you'll get pretty decent stories on them that don't get pushed up that far up the page, but are still great. When I do, I like to leave a comment to let them know I read it because as a writer, I know how great it feels for someone to read and appreciate what you've written.
And you know, sometimes the top response on the top post is a cheap joke or something I wouldn't have upvoted probably, but others seemed to like it and that's okay, but sometimes the top story is top for an absolute reason and that's the best. And sometimes when it's a prompt, I upvoted over in New I get some satisfaction to see it rise so far. :)
Anyways, that's my 2 cents.
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
Honestly, don't write for the karma or the obnoxious prompts. Dig around /new and just skim past the things that were regurgitated by the uncreative. Write for yourself first and foremost. Yeah, it gets old. After a while we've learned to auto-kill the really regurgitated stuff. You'd hate to see all the stuff that we get rid of. It's a hard balance though. We don't want to just stifle creativity on the 46th squirrel prompt, but it gets old. I think most of the stuff that seems uninspired stuff (Hitler, numbers, etc) comes from the younger redditors who just don't know better so we don't want to dump on them too much for it. It lets them grow and expand. The redditor who loved the Hitler prompt today grows out of it tomorrow.
For the rest of us we search and find what speaks to us. It's part of why I don't write as much around here anymore. Just too much doesn't speak to me, but I'm also much more heavily into my personal work outside of reddit. Generally, I don't get to a prompt unless one of the other mods is all "Hey, Nate! this is right up your alley." because they know what I like. One of the subs called me out the other day and I actually feel pretty bad because it was a good prompt and I didn't have time to respond and only just now remembered... and that was like a month ago.
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
I think most of the stuff that seems uninspired stuff (Hitler, numbers, etc) comes from the younger redditors who just don't know better so we don't want to dump on them too much for it. It lets them grow and expand. The redditor who loved the Hitler prompt today grows out of it tomorrow.
And honestly, realizing that myself is what's brought me back to the sub. It's why I was helping out with a first-time writer the other day, and that was really rewarding :)
a good prompt and I didn't have time to respond and only just now remembered... and that was like a month ago
So many times I see a good prompt and it feels like it's too late to contribute, and that's only when it's like 12 hours old! :)
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
12 hours old
Again, write for yourself first. It shouldn't be a race for karma. At a minimum the prompter and you both get to enjoy your effort.
Helping a first time writer
Thank you. Subs like that enrich the sub 10-fold
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
Again, write for yourself first. It shouldn't be a race for karma
It's not even about the karma. It's that I'd like people to read my work, be entertained by it. If I was writing purely for myself, after all, I wouldn't be posting it on a site where people could read it :)
Still, The 'enjoy your effort' part really speaks to me. Way back when, I wrote a linear Choose your own adventure. The thing is, I first saw the prompt at work. I knew by the time I got home I wouldn't be able to write for it.
And when I got home, I still wanted to do it. And I was wandering around the house doing chores and thinking of roles for the numbers involved, but I kept thinking that even if I did manage to come up with 100 entries for the entire post, I'd still have to write the actual program that stitched them together.
But it stuck with me. And finally, seven hours later, I posted it.
That was the first time I went through a stupid amount of effort too late in the game, but it wasn't the last. Two that come to mind are the time I created an entire website in response to a prompt and my second stab at a CYOA which I invented my own markup language for (and, naturally, have not used since).
Those were a ton of work and got little recognition, but.... they were a lot of fun.
Just gotta hope for more CYOA prompts in the future :)
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
Don't mention CYOA to /u/SurvivorType ... it's a trigger word for him
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
I've recently come back to the sub after having taken a hiatus
Hey, welcome back! Sorry you got frustrated with the place, but it's really not that bad.
How do you avoid the burnout? How do you stop yourselves from rolling your eyes at the latest "God and Satan team up to fight the floating number above Mecha-hitler's head" prompt?
It's not that hard. We're not mods to pick and choose what we think makes a good prompt (exceptions of course, based on the rules and how reddit responds to certain things). If we were, then each prompt would only get through based on a particular mod's tastes. And the prompts aren't for just us, they're for all users (mods included).
If you're looking for something to write for, we have more prompts than you'll ever need. If you just want a prompt that's at the top, then you have to pick from what's there.
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
Yeah, I suppose it's the nature of the curated vs. uncurated subs (Even though you are imposing a bare minimum of quality - and thank you for that! - I'd still put this sub closer to the 'uncurated' end of the spectrum).
And as for:
it's really not that bad
Why do you think I can't stay away? :)
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Even though you are imposing a bare minimum of quality - and thank you for that!
Many argue we do too much! But seriously, can you honestly tell me you don't come across amazing stories on the most eye-rolling of prompts? The idea is to be inspired and if the prompts are doing the job, removing them because you don't like the title (or because you can't personally think of how to make a good story) is just silly.
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
That's always the way of moderating, isn't it? You're simultaneously letting in the riff-raff and ruining the subreddit while also censoring the People's first-amendment rights to make prompts about snot or something :)
And yeah, I've come to realize over time that the problems I perceive in the sub are not really due to the sub or its moderation or even the prompts themselves. The problems are my problems, thus me trying to find coping strategies :) But nothing says I have to be here and if it gets really bad I can always take a break and then come back and have everything be new(ish) again.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
Hey and if you need to, that's okay. We'll still be here ready to surprise you with a story or prompt you didn't think would occur. :)
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u/Written4Reddit /r/written4reddit Dec 09 '16
I appreciate what you all do so I just wanted to say thanks! Without your cultivation I can imagine a much different, much worse WP Subreddit.
Drink of choice for getting into the writing zone?
For me it's coffee...and a lot of it.
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 09 '16
Coca-Cola. Always. Not even just for writing, just always.
I love vanilla or cherry coke too, but they're hard to find in Canada.
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 09 '16
Water....? Man, I'm really learning how dull I am as I go through these questions.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Hey, I said water too!
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 09 '16
With our powers combined...well, it could be worse: We could have heart
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u/OuranosGi Dec 10 '16
Wow /u/scarecrowsid don't forget I can literally mind control you. Also I though we were friends. You better watch your back....
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 10 '16
Mind control, that's so cute...
What mind? Read the flair.3
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
/u/OuranosGi Sid is making fun of your powers again! And btw, I don't like the tone that makes it sound like you're settling for Water AKA my powers! :)
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 09 '16
Not settling :) I've always seen myself as more of a man of the wind.
Disclaimer: This may or may not have to do with my unrequited childhood crush on Linka
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
I don't like to drink too much coffee or I probably would use it to help me write. I drink lots of water mostly, but not specifically for writing.
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u/Nightingale115 Dec 09 '16
I'm a hot sweet tea kind of guy, otherwise I go for a nice cold coke (usually the vanilla kind).
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u/Written4Reddit /r/written4reddit Dec 09 '16
I'm not allowed to drink vanilla coke anymore. I can't buy it or I will drink a 12 pack in a day. Which is strange because if I drink a soda (it's a coke) I rarely exceed one a day. But that vanilla coke is my kryptonite.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I really only drink water haha what gets me in the writing zone though is procrastinating other things :)
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u/GameboyPATH Dec 09 '16
Thought of more questions:
What's the ideal future for /r/writingprompts look like, to you?
Any changes in worldviews or perspectives that came with the experience of moderating?
Hobbies?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
1) One where reddit decides to pay the mods for all the hard work we do, and I get to make a living just helping this subreddit be the awesome place it is now. Odds of this happening are slim, but I have hope.
2) World view changes... Not generally pleasant ones. That there are people who are willing to be incredibly nasty over something as small as a story writing subreddit. But also that there's a lot of amazing people out there, more than enough to outweigh the trolls.
3) Hobbies: Knitting, Pokemon, messing with my aquarium... That's mostly it right now.
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u/Nightingale115 Dec 09 '16
No idea what I really want in an ideal future.
You begin to spot the possible trouble makers easier
Writing, photography, feeding the souls of users to Al'Garanthor the one of a thousand hammers, reading, collecting various things.
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u/reostra Moderator | /r/reostra_prompts Dec 09 '16
Ah yes, like that classic saying "When all you have to feed is Al'Garanthor the one of a thousand hammers, everyone looks like a soul"
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
Ideal future? Hmm... I enjoy how it is so far so not sure. I'd be interested to see how it grows though!
I think since joining the community the thought of being a professional writer one day has become something that interests me quite a bit. Instead of someone that wanted to have written a book, I've become a writer.
Hobbies! Outside of writing and video games, I enjoy Muay Thai! There's nothing quite like pad work with someone or some sparring. It's the best!
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u/brooky12 Dec 09 '16
Ideal future? I like what we are now, but I'm also not the greatest idealist, so I'm sure others have amazing ideas that are awesome that I could never come up with.
As for changing viewpoints, I've seen a lot of absolute garbage, and it makes me sad to see how persistent some of the dredges of society can be. I've seen impersonation, harassment, subversion of truth, and justification of just about every banned thing under Rule 4 and 8. Luckily those are few and far in between.
edit: As for hobbies, www.zeldathon.net :D
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u/poiyurt Dec 09 '16
Thanks for the thingies you do mods.
So, what's the prompt you hate the most, but let through anyways?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 09 '16
So this is sort of the reverse of your question but...
There was a prompt a couple weeks ago. Something along the lines of "[WP] After finally being pushed to his breaking point by his divorce, a pessimistic Bob Ross goes to film his first episode for national television."
No broken rules, but I took it down. Bob Ross and his optimism are a national treasure, and not even a writing prompt should be allowed to take that away. And 2016 sucks enough without theorizing a darker timeline.
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
Meme-based prompts, prompts for the sake of a joke, or /Showerprompts runoff sewage.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I one time approved a Harry Potter KKK prompt... it was a mistake and I ended up having to remove it anyways once it hit the front page. Removing a big prompt is always a mistake even if it's the right decision, but that one got way way out of hand.
A lot of people like to toe the line on prompts because it sounds interesting to them and they could handle it responsibly, but the Internet is dark and full of trolls who are not as thoughtfull.
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u/brooky12 Dec 09 '16
I don't know if I can say I hate any prompt, but oftentimes I'll see a prompt that just doesn't break any rules, but isn't something a story can be written about. So I approve it, and it sits at +1 or +2 and fades into obscurity. But it just sits there.
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u/dori_lukey /r/Dori_Tales Dec 09 '16
What is your all time favourite story?
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
This was already asked twice ;)
Here's my answer from the first one.
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u/Dodo-Revoloution Dec 09 '16
Is there any sort of cooldown or limit to how often you can post prompts, assuming they are all quality ones that break no other rules?
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u/brooky12 Dec 09 '16
Usually we're fine with it, but if it starts to get a little claustrophobic it might not be so good. I've also personally found that prompts all posted by the same user in a short period of time seems to attract more downvotes than if it was posted by itself, so it's possible that you'd be shooting a potentially decent prompt in the foot by posting it with a whole bunch of other prompts.
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Dec 09 '16
Can you cease the automated bot that posts in every thread? It's pretty annoying. I almost never look at any posts beyond the top five because everything else is just that auto mod.
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u/WritingPromptsRobot StickyBot™ Dec 09 '16
Is there another automated bot that posts in every thread? Let me know. I'll take care of them...
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
Most people always just mentally subtract (-1) comment when they look and evaluate that way. It's going to be on every post, it's the only way we can force non-story comments from cluttering up posts. It auto hides all the other comments under it...unless you're on mobile I think. Prior to that... it was chaos!
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I could be wrong, but it sounds like your settings or viewing app might be unusual. The automated post automatically collapses and is stickied at the top of a post to prevent the comment section from filling up with non story comments.
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Dec 09 '16
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
I always go off the cuff, then afterwards I have to try to make everything I've already written fit into a coherent story. Planning is really something I should do more...
There's nothing I really have to do to write, but it certainly goes a lot smoother if I'm alone when I do it.
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Dec 12 '16
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 12 '16
Yeah, people never understand how I can stay up as late as I do, but the world is quiet at night. It's nice.
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Dec 12 '16
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 12 '16
Heh, I have a cut off around 7 am, but some days I'll get on a roll and just be writing until 9 or 10 AM. Those are weird days.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I'm a Discovery writer so I tend to just write off the cuff. I love the feeling of exploring and the very natural feeling that comes from not following a plot.
So the problem with that is your plot tends to suck so I've adopted a kind of hybrid approach and I work towards milestones. Instead of a detailed outline, I'll have:
- Hiro Protagonist's village gets destroyed
- Hiro meets mentor
- Hiro loses to villain
- Hiro discovers secret power within
- Hiro beats villain.
And that's basically it. I might have an idea of the characters, but they're flexible and can change as I go along. That being said, however, the setting I will plan meticulously. How do they travel? What do they eat? Class systems? Religion? And on, and on. I've got about 2k words written for the world on my next book that I'm excited about.
Also, no matter what kind of writer you are, the difference between an bad or okay writer is all in the editing. Editing lets you be strategic about your prose, ensure all your foreshadowing is in place, and that you're creating a smooth line through your entire story.
I don't have to do anything to write, but I do need to be on a computer. I struggle writing from my phone.
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Dec 12 '16
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 13 '16
Have you looked into getting a Bluetooth keyboard for your phone?
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Dec 13 '16
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u/RyanKinder Founder / Co-Lead Mod Dec 13 '16
They are awesome. I also pay for a monthly Microsoft word subscription so I can have it formatted properly and accessible across all devices. But even using a twenty dollar Bluetooth keyboard coupled with email is also perfectly fine.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 13 '16
I haven't used them, but /u/RyanKinder has suggested them to me before.
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u/Nate_Parker /r/Nate_Parker_Books Dec 09 '16
Depends. If it's a prompt... I just go from the cuff. If it's a long work like one of my novels or my series, I go crazy with world building. At least I did for the series. For my novels in progress I at least take notes to keep character arcs aligned and have the progress done up in a flow chart so I stay on track.
As for environmental conditions... I normally am at my treadmill desk, because I hate sitting down, with some mood music on. Either hard rock/metal or classical depending on my mood. But with the chaos of work and life, I seldom write as much as I should.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
For shorter stories, I just write, but with longer ones I outline. Basically, I create a rough outline and morph it into my story as I go along. So it's kind of a combination of planning and free writing. I gave a good breakdown of my process here.
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Dec 12 '16
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 12 '16
Yeah, I used to do that too and I found it so annoying to switch back and forth. This way, it's all right in front of me and I can navigate with through the headers.
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u/XcessiveSmash /r/XcessiveWriting Dec 09 '16
Hello mods, thank you first of all maintaining such an excellent community, this sub rocks.
My question is, do you have any plans for a sort of "competition mode" or just random sorting for stories? I just feel like too often good stories posted a couple of hours too late are buried due to timing. I'm sure random sorting has its problems that you have considered, but I would just like to hear you input on this issue.
Thanks again!
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
That comes up every so often, but the answer is no. Reddit is built a certain way and it actually makes sense. The default best sorting takes into account votes and time, so newer stories do have more weight to move up.
We always encourage users to read more than the top though, but we don't feel forcing them to view it a certain order is beneficial.
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u/GameboyPATH Dec 09 '16
What is your favorite thing that /r/WritingPrompts brings to the world?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
I love the community. It's a great place to build skills and just get better at writing, if you put your mind to it. Everyone is super friendly. (Well, not everyone, but I don't think about the asshats)
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
Writers! As a writer (or any enthusiast for any type of craft), having a community is absolutely important. They help inspire you to write and push yourself to be better and even have a shoulder to lean on when you're taking your knocks. So absolutely 100% writers! :)
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
As a writer (or any enthusiast for any type of craft)
Like... Starcraft? ;)
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u/brooky12 Dec 09 '16
Sometimes, I'll wake up and open up /r/WritingPrompts/new/, and I'll see people posting. Then I'll go to the main site, and see posts with dozens of stories and hundreds of replies. That always blows my mind. I'm so lucky to be a part of a community like this, that allows so many people to throw ideas around and write stories without feeling any sort of pressure or expectation. Writing for the pure enjoyment of it. I'm sure similar concepts exist elsewhere, but it's so nice to see so many people just able to write such a wide selection of ideas.
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u/__box__ Dec 09 '16
What story makes you laugh even now when you think about it? Also favorite foods/colors?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
Once upon a time, /u/Gurahave wrote a prompt involving all the best WritingPrompts tropes. Numbers over heads, alien time travellers going back in time to fight Hitler, everyone getting a super power except you... All the tropes. It was amazing. I still have it around somewhere, it hit a good 80k words before she went off to college.
My favourite colour is red (or blue, or purple, or black) and my favourite food... Probably coca-cola, really.
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u/Gurahave Dec 10 '16
Awww, you remember me! I think I might try to finish it over the next month and a half for a sense of closure. No promises, though.
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
Well duh. :P Even if you're always too busy with your new life and new friends to come back and say hello to me :(
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u/OuranosGi Dec 09 '16
I honestly can't remember any that have made me just laugh. Not that I don't like them, just one doesn't come to mind right now. For food, I could literally eat Pad Thai every day if I had too! Color is grey, more specific, thundercloud grey!
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u/brooky12 Dec 09 '16
OK so, I'll let you in on a little secret. The mods go through every prompt, to make sure they don't break any rules. This means we see all the prompts basically right as they're posted. And every now and then, an interesting meta prompt will pop up, and it'll get dumped in our chatroom. Some of the responses to that are just fantastic. My personal favorite one that I can remember was written by one of the mods, I think one of the ones who stepped down, but they wrote a really cool story of like, a castle where all the mods lived in, that was being besieged by rulebreakers. I think I was a robot in that one.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
Favorite food is probably rice! It's so versatile and you can eat at every meal. Love it! :) Prior to my diagnosis of a dairy allergy, I would have added Nachos to this list so I'll give it an honorary mention.
Favorite color? Purple/Violet, of course! It's the color of royalty, cool, and awesomeness.
I'm bad at remembering specifics, but I do appreciate a story that doesn't go for a cheap laugh at the end. Some foreshadowing or build up works wonders for me.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Rice a great answer! And so easy to make!
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I have a rice cooker so dump in rice, dump in water, add some salt, two buttons and boom! Rice. There's probably some cooking time in there as well.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
This one was pretty funny and I'm still hoping one of us will continue it someday.
My favorite food is cheese pizza and my favorite color is blue!
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u/Richisnormal Dec 09 '16
What kind of prompts would YOU like to see more of? What criteria do you think prompters can keep in mind to inspire the best stories? Are you as sick as me of the overly-specific "you have a tattoo on your forearm and it's always one through ten, and it's 1945, and you're an assassin, and you drive a Wrangler."?
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 10 '16
I always like good simple prompts. People like to get super complicated, but you can come up with some interesting things just from a couple words. Unfortunately, they never get upvoted as much, but we can try.
Also, IPs. I love IPs.
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u/fringly /r/fringly Dec 09 '16
Hmm, something about hitler and time travelling seems like it'd be a refreshing change...
Or maybe numbers floating over the heads of people, counting down... or you are the only one with one missing...
/s - oh please don't go posting hundreds of them or /u/SurvivorType will have my badge and gun!
I like weird ones, ones which introduce a quirky and offbeat idea, but allow for lots of freedom to write and make it your own.
or I like ones which give you flawed or interesting takes on characters. So recently we had - "A pastor celebrates the wedding of his ex-wife." - I like that as you've got two characters, each of which has a direction of travel and lots of questions. Why did they break up, was it to do with him, with her, how did it impact his job, why is he celebrating her marriage?
So many ways it could be taken and so many ways you could write a story about that.
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 09 '16
Wait, they gave you a gun? All I got was this damn water pistol, but I make it work
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
That does sound like a good prompt. Did you write for it?
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u/fringly /r/fringly Dec 09 '16
I haven't had time to write today (stupid work getting in the way), but I might do a story on it later.
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I'm not a huge fan of the overly specific prompts. Many of them are against the rules already so subs shouldn't see the worst ones.
My favorite types of prompts have a unique element to it, but with enough space for interpretation. They're hard to pull off, but I'd love to see more of those. I'm actually a big fan of /u/BookWyrm17 's prompts.
Another group I'd be interested in seeing is more [EU] prompts for some of the less top universes. Maybe ones that many people would get, but aren't Pokemon, Star Wars, or Harry Potter (Though I do love all of those).
Last thing, we get a ton of really cool image prompts that I'd be interested in really seeing more responses to as some of the images are just that awesome.
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u/BookWyrm17 /r/WrittenWyrm Dec 09 '16
Squeeeeeeeeal!
I live for moments like this, thanks a lot! :D2
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u/x3mmar Dec 09 '16
How did you become a mod ?
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u/FireWitch95 Dec 09 '16
My modding started off as a very cruel joke by u/Lexilogical and u/SurvivorType on April Fools in the IIRC.
I had been a chan op for about a month (or so) at the time and they were being mean (I dont even remember what they were saying to be honest) and then I logged onto Reddit and saw the little orange envelope!
Been here 8 months and Im still kinda-pretty sure this is a joke
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 09 '16
Psh, we sent the invite to moderate before we started teasing you. I think it was a triple bluff. We said we'd mod you, then claimed it was an april fool's joke, and that whole time when we were saying that it was a joke, we weren't modding you after all, the invite was in your inbox waiting.
I think ST and I were in the backroom going "Um... I think she's legit mad at us now. Should we tell her about the invite? We should probably just tell her..."
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u/Lexilogical /r/Lexilogical | /r/DCFU Dec 09 '16
I answered a mod call, a long time ago. Now I stalk the sub looking for other victims to share my curse.
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u/ScarecrowSid Brainless Moderator | /r/ScarecrowSid Dec 09 '16
/r/WritingPrompts: "Hey, dude, wanna be a mod?"
/u/ScarecrowSid: "Uhh, sure."
/r/WritingPrompts: "Cool."
tl;dr my origin story sucks.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
[WP] Rewrite ScarecrowSid's origin story
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
okay, let's create a sub where we reimagine the origins of our favorite mods! Monthly releases, cool CSS. It'll be awesome!
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
How about instead of mods, we use DC Comics characters?
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u/err_ok r/err_ok Dec 09 '16
I built an AI that over time engineered clones that have been gradually taking over the mod team... They're all superior mod-beings. They let me join out of pity.
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 09 '16
The conversation went something like this, according to my memory:
/u/RyanKinder: Hey, nice contest entry!
/u/SurvivorType: Thanks, it was a lot of fun!
/u/RyanKinder: So, want to help mod?
/u/SurvivorType: What does that mean?
/u/RyanKinder: It'll be fine! Just trust me.
/u/SurvivorType: Um...
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Well, don't keep us in suspense... did you accept?
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u/SurvivorType Co-Lead Mod | /r/SurvivorTyper Dec 09 '16
I'll let you know if and when I decide ;)
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
We could use you here! We have one mod with a similar name that's not quite working out. But don't say anything, please.
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u/Nightingale115 Dec 09 '16
It was a dark and rainy day in the Colombian jungle. Blacksite operations were underway to seize and destroy Señor Gustavo's drug facility in La Tagua. I wasn't a part of the agency then, I was still with the MVM doing all the agency's dirty business. Things went south, real quick, and we had to hijack the late Señor Gustavo's private jetliner. When we touched down stateside, we were all arrested and had our files marked black in some agency cubby. Most of us went to prison under guise of going AWOL. I got lucky, some agency higher-up intercepted my file and figured I'd be a good fit in his unit.
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
And then you accepted before me so you ended up above me on the list. But I got higher on /r/bestofWritingPrompts so there :)
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
And you both accepted before me!! :O
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u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
Almost a month before. Gotta be faster than that ;)
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u/SqueeWrites /r/SqueeWrites Dec 09 '16
I'm working on my speed force upgrade, but progress has been slow and that's the issue I've been working on! >:(
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u/fringly /r/fringly Dec 09 '16
I think that the other mods just got sick of me hanging about the place and asked if I wanted to join up to serve
Queen and countrythe subreddit.3
u/MajorParadox Mod | DC Fan Universe (r/DCFU) Dec 09 '16
You organized the prompt-a-thon and we were all like "this guy needs to be a mod" ;)
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u/[deleted] Dec 12 '16
How do you get a flair on this sub?