I am MaskedNicci! · Jun 28, 08:05 PM
I am sometimes known as Aranel Turwaithiel, Mascii(as I was lovingly named by my liege, EMMa/ErikMadeMe), Bloody Jack(a fad from the series of Jacky Faber, an excellent series about pirates), or just plain ol’ MN. The latter of which I easily prefer.
The first time I had a blog or a website was quite a few years ago, but I never really got into the online blog or forum thing until about a year and a half ago, when I joined the site I call poto.com
After some time of wandering around, I got past the normal newbie period of obnoxiousness, stupid comments, and weird ramblings(actually, I never did get rid of that rambling habit…), and armed with over 3000 posts, and a new, sharper attitude, I was prepared to delve into discussion forums. In this time, I had started and finished my very first fanfiction, called ‘Angel of God’. I now mention this to my friends, laughing at myself profusely. 50-chapters of utter Mary Sue. Gives me the creeps just thinking about it. That being my real first ‘test run’ of writing somewhere beyond my very private first blog, and the diary I hid in the back part of my bookshelf or closet(depending on how I felt), I am actually proud to show this to newer writers, to give them hope.
Since then, I have written a cozy little POTO one-shot, three beginning chapters to ‘Beauty In Darkness’(which has drifted the back of the pile on my desk), a few chapters on my ‘Dear Diary – Confessions Of A Vicomte’ story, and several LONG chapters to my best work yet, ‘And Then There Was Fiction’.
After my initial breaking-in stage, I joined several other forums, which I’m still trying to break off from(12+ hours on the compy doesn’t sit well with family), started RPGing(which ROCKS<33), and had my baby.
Not a literal, real baby, mind you. A brainchild-type-baby. The IPFC – Institution for the Protection of Fictional Characters. I laugh as I remember how it all started.
On poto.com, there was some meddlesome business with people ‘bashing’ the character Raoul de Chagny, a handsome ‘Prince Charming’ figure in a tragic love-triangle story. Many people will argue to you until your ears bleed that Christine, Raoul’s love, should have stayed with the Phantom of the Opera (Erik). I have no problem with that, but…
They feel so strongly about this, that they stoop to creating a fop of Raoul, claiming he is gay and wears cherry lip-gloss, and has no real love for Christine. Support any relationship you like, but I found this to be too far. It was ONLY Raoul bashing. It was ONLY the most nonsensical thing I had heard in my life. It was ONLY utterly ridiculous.
So, I was trying to contend with a couple of particularly stubborn Bashers with a few online friends backing me up, when one bright soul suggested we start a rebel thread. A thread completely born of sarcasm and dramatic mockery. The ‘I hat eric!!!oneone1!!!1!’ thread.
I took part, I am proud to say. It definitely stirred things up a bit, and many members still echo its existence. If you’re ever at poto.com, be sure to ask a veteran about it. They’ll be glad to tell you, I believe.
While the Erik Bash thread was going on, I had a sudden idea. I edited my signature, and put in it an acronym. I thought awhile about it, and it came to me easy as butter. A funny little acronym. IPFC – Institution for the Protection of Fictional Characters. Institution is the word I chose, because fictional characters tend to be a bit loony in the first, protecting I was determined to do. I didn’t want to say ‘Over Looked Characters’, because that was too specific. I wanted this to be about ALL characters.
So it was, in my signature. “Official Member of the IPFC – Institution for the Protection of Fictional Characters”. Just a bit of fun for me, mind you. Several other members already had, “Supporter of Raoul! Mess with him, mess with ME!” and such.
But then came the private message. A member of the site had seen my signature, and within an hour of my putting it there, she asked to join. JOIN! She wanted to be a part of this IPFC, that really didn’t exist, except in my own mind! I told her how it came to be there, and she laughed, telling me that I really should start it. She started private messaging people prominent in the Erik Bash thread, and asked them to join. I believe that is how I met ErikMadeMe, a close online friend to me now. She was all for it, and was on the original list.
We had a small handful of members, and wanted to get it to more people. Surely the mods would allow us to create a thread? I PMed them, asking permission, and got the OK. I started writing a little intro to the IPFC, mentioning the Erik Bash thread, which was in its final stages of completion. Those who were part of it joined quickly, and others who were ‘converted’ after the thread, joined too.
Within a week, IPFC had grown from a funny acronym to a movement. I emphasize MOVEMENT, because IPFC is definitely not a CLUB. A club requires something from its members, and has an official leader who gives orders or writes rules. IPFC was, and had, none of these. It was a petition of sorts, and I wasn’t a leader-merely an organizer, a beginner.
We started discussing how a character works, how to go about ‘converting’ people to our cause, spreading the word. IPFC now has over 100 members, and is on more sites than I even know myself. It is my brainchild, my baby. And I am shocked and proud to be a part of it. _
— MaskedNicci
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