n00bs, what are they?

[Zenithos]

Ok, I take it n00b means newbies, right? Here I'd like to ask, what exactly defines a newbie, or n00b as you call it, particularly on this site. There is a significant difference between a n00b and a veteran, obviously. When you look at members such as GH, F1, Hawk, DKG, Israfel, SimmyC and others, you'd immediately label them as 'veterans', or at least 'NOT NEWBIE'. When you look at members like me, you'd immediately go 'ah, newbie'. :snigger:

Now where is the dividing line? What defines a newbie, particularly on this site? What gives a member the privelege of comitting grand theft thread (i.e. hijacking threads) without someone breaking their balls in the process? (I like that expression :snigger: )

Is is the number of posts? How long the person's been a member? How many fanfics he/she has posted? How much experience he/she has as a fanfic writer? Quality of posts?

What exactly?

 

[Zenithos]

EDIT: Post deleted. Sorry.

 

[Mechatrill]

From a bit of MMORPG playing, I've come to the conclusion that there is a difference between a n00b and a newbie. A newbie is, of course, someone new to the subject and may sometime do stupid things out of ignorance, but may yet learn enough to eventually outgrow the newbie status and become a veteran. A n00b, however, is someone who has spent a great deal of time learning and should really know better than to do some stupid things, but does them anyways.

To put it simply, a newbie can improve, but a n00b is eternally stupid.

So please, cut a bit of slack for the newbies and guild them to better themselves instead of giving them the degrating title of "n00b" (of course, if they dont better themselves, feel free to lable them n00bs)

Disclaimer: This may not be necessarily correct, it's just my own interpretation

 

[sigfried27]

I don't necessarily have textbook definitions or anything (not like the is a textbook definition of n00b), tbu this is what I think of the matter.

I think Mechatrill has the point in the difference between newbie and n00b, the difference between just starting, and just not learning.

People like GH, F1, Hawk, Raa, etc... all could be considered veterans mostly because:

1. They write well.
2. They have plenty of ideas that they come up with.
3. They give honest critiques to other peoples work/ideas a fair amount of the time.
4. They don't do things generally considered stupid/annoying on the boards, IE: demanding/threatening for updates from writers, flaming without just cause, etc...

Given that, it is not necessarily number of posts or member time length that determines a veteran. Granted, most will have a higher post number or have been around longer, but it is not necessarily what make syou a veteran, it just helps to be around long enough to establish yourself.

I don't think you would be considered a newbie. You may not have been around as long, but in the time you have been around, you have been fairly active, and don't do the stupid things that piss others off, so I would say that you are around middle ground, but that is just my view on the matter.

I had an example of a member that in most threads I have read has generally pissed people off, but I am not sure that I should go around placing blame on people like that, so I should probably avoid it.

 

[Dark Knight Gafgar]

A newbie is someone who's new to a particular subject and hasn't learned the ropes yet. A n00b is someone who's either too ignorant to learn or too arrogant to admit he doesn't know jack shit.

 

[SimmyC]

At first, I thought anyone who was a newbie was a n00b. After a while, I began to look at it through Mechatrill's lenses. In other words, a newbie is something who is new. a n00b, someone who should know better, but doesn't get it for one reason or the other.

For the most part here, most of us 'veterans' are forgiving towards newbies. But if one shows to be a n00b, let the fire rain down from the sky! :snigger:

*within reason of course. After all, we veterans don't want to be banned either. :unsure!:

 

[Unknown-common-827]

Don't ask me. I KNOW I'm a newbie. Hopefully not a n00b to the fellow otakus in this forum...

 

[ttestagr]

He speaks of he who must not be named, the Botmaster!


Seriously, Mechthrill gave a pretty good explanation. The difference between a veteran and a newbie is something that is subjective I think. I think you can call yourself a veteran when your presence has been accepted and the rest of the forum/game/etc. recognizes you by name or avatar.

 

[Hawk]

> What gives a member the privelege of comitting grand theft thread (i.e.
> hijacking threads) without someone breaking their balls in the process? (I like
> that expression )

It's not a privilege that is given, it is one that is taken whenever the mood strikes.

I figured I'd do something about that for a while, but since the more amusing and interesting ideas seems to pop up during thread-jackings, I decided to just let it go.

 

[Lord Raa]

I don't necessarily have textbook definitions or anything (not like the is a textbook definition of n00b), tbu this is what I think of the matter.

I think Mechatrill has the point in the difference between newbie and n00b, the difference between just starting, and just not learning.

People like GH, F1, Hawk, Raa, etc... all could be considered veterans mostly because:

1. They write well.

Man, I still have difficulty believing that people think I'm a decent writer...



But in answer to your question, when it comes to fanfiction and writing in general, I find that reading the idea aloud and asking the question, "would I want to read this?" can help determine if it's a good one or not.

A newibe may decide to use a cliched idea to start out, but they could have a new twist on it.

A n00b would not bother to try anything new or in an attempt to try something new come up with what I term Fanfictionstein's Monster - a horrible mishmash of many ideas that have worked before in other fics that are thrown together. Or they try something horrific like Han Solo/Chewbacca/C3P0 slash.



Your mileage may vary.

 

[Mereo Flere]

You know, I have to ask since you have my curiousity piqued.

When was the last time either of those terms used on this site? This doesn't seem like a place that would use either frequently, to be honest (which, I can assure you, is a very good thing). Though, if I were to give a definition, I would go along Ctrl+Alt+Del's idea, which is pretty much the same as what everyone else has said.

 

[sigfried27]

Man, I still have difficulty believing that people think I'm a decent writer...

Well, I tend to mostly look at the idea of a work more then anything else, and your ideas tend to be alright. Besides, my first 8-9 months of fanfic reading was solely in the Naruto section over at FFnet, and it is hard to get any worse then most of those, so just about anyone on this forum is considered good by comparison.

 

[GenocideHeart]

Man, I still have difficulty believing that people think I'm a decent writer...

Well, I tend to mostly look at the idea of a work more then anything else, and your ideas tend to be alright. Besides, my first 8-9 months of fanfic reading was solely in the Naruto section over at FFnet, and it is hard to get any worse then most of those, so just about anyone on this forum is considered good by comparison.

The Naruto section, sadly, is BETTER than the Gundam Wing section. Naruto has a good 75% of blatantly yaoi, overused and completely tired fics in it.

Gundam Wing is pretty much nothing but yaoi and old shit. -_-

 

[sigfried27]

True, I worry about the sections for any series with prodominately male characters. I shudder to think of the number of Yaoi fics would be in the gundam wing section, I just pray that it would also not hold the amount of highschool fics or idiotic crap like "turned into animals" stories that the Naruto section has.

 

[SimmyC]

I don't necessarily have textbook definitions or anything (not like the is a textbook definition of n00b), tbu this is what I think of the matter.

I think Mechatrill has the point in the difference between newbie and n00b, the difference between just starting, and just not learning.

People like GH, F1, Hawk, Raa, etc... all could be considered veterans mostly because:

1.? They write well.

Man, I still have difficulty believing that people think I'm a decent writer...



But in answer to your question, when it comes to fanfiction and writing in general, I find that reading the idea aloud and asking the question, "would I want to read this?" can help determine if it's a good one or not.

A newibe may decide to use a cliched idea to start out, but they could have a new twist on it.

A n00b would not bother to try anything new or in an attempt to try something new come up with what I term Fanfictionstein's Monster - a horrible mishmash of many ideas that have worked before in other fics that are thrown together. Or they try something horrific like Han Solo/Chewbacca/C3P0 slash.



Your mileage may vary.

Heh. Well, seeing that I'm not on the list proves I'm not a decent writer. :lol:

 

[H-Man]

I wonder where do I rate... besides 'guy who reads and doesn't write here very often'.

 

[GenocideHeart]

True, I worry about the sections for any series with prodominately male characters. I shudder to think of the number of Yaoi fics would be in the gundam wing section, I just pray that it would also not hold the amount of highschool fics or idiotic crap like "turned into animals" stories that the Naruto section has.

They don't have as many highschool fics as Naruto.

They have more highschool fics than Naruto.

And to think I just went there to find one, just ONE, good Heero/Une fic. But no, it's all Heero/AnyOtherMalePilot, including Zechs and Treize. The women are either portrayed as useless bitches or just plain killed early on. :lonegunman:

 

[runestar]

What gives a member the privelege of comitting grand theft thread (i.e. hijacking threads) without someone breaking their balls in the process? (I like that expression asd.gif )

It's not so much a privilege, but rather expected and necessary. :lol: I think there is an unwritten rule that there must be at least 2 attempts at thread-jacking per thread. Or maybe I am simply delusional... :unsure!:

 

[GenocideHeart]

Just look above. How did THIS thread go from n00bs to yaoi Gundam fics? :snigger:

 

[Zenithos]

You know, I have to ask since you have my curiousity piqued.

When was the last time either of those terms used on this site?

Quite recently, actually. In fact, I can remember where it was last used and by who, and it was specifically used to compare 'veterans' and 'newbies'. Not going to name any names though, off course. But that actually got me thinking. What do I rate as? I keep on thinking of myself as a newbie, so I guess that's fine.

It's not so much a privilege, but rather expected and necessary.? I think there is an unwritten rule that there must be at least 2 attempts at thread-jacking per thread. Or maybe I am simply delusional...?

There are many weird rules here, as far as I can tell. I can't remember any off the top of my head but I remember a few really weird rules being mentioned...oh, such as 'the speed of hentai doujinshi is only slower than the speed of the hentai itself, i.e. it's faster than light.' but I can't remember if it was referring to something or somebody on this forum or if it refers to doujinshi in general.

Just look above. How did THIS thread go from n00bs to yaoi Gundam fics??

Good point.

As for yaoi gundam fics, well, perhaps if you search the old stuff you'd find some stuff worth reading...then again, I guess you've perhaps gone through all the old stuff. I've never read any fanfics outside the Love Hina, Mahou Sensei Negima, or Evangelion fandoms so I wouldn't know.

I guess it's just that if any fandom gets well enough known, it just becomes a breeding ground for yaoi fanfics. Heck, it's like a universal law already.

 

[runestar]

No one ever mentions the Shaman King fanfic section at adultfanfiction? Yaoi fics are quite prevalent there as well... <_<

 

[Zenithos]

No one ever mentions the Shaman King fanfic section at adultfanfiction? Yaoi fics are quite prevalent there as well...?

Don't quite remember. Last time I was there I think it was mostly minor lemons, possibly directed at shotakons and lolikons.

 

[ttestagr]

Slayers is also filled with yaoi fics somehow. I fail on every level to see the point of Xellos/Zelgadis. Is it really too much to ask to get a good non-romance oriented Slayers fic?

 

[Zenithos]

I guess the internet is just crawling with yaoi fans, or, as DKG puts it, yaoi jihadists. It's amazing how even the best action fandoms can get converted into yaoi nests. I mean, seriously, gundam is all about mecha (PS: MECHAS ROCK!) and why would anyone in their right mind write a fic about anything else other than said mechas. There's no point in a gundam fic that isn't gundam-centric. Off course, that's just my opinion on the matter.

I know that when I go in search of fanfiction, I want something worth reading, with a good plot, nice storyline, and good quality narration. All these recent yaoi fics don't only fail to fulfill these criteria, they put me off my meals.

Perhaps somebody just has to set a standard, one that would put any other fic (particulary pointless yaoi) to shame. Perhaps its time to start waging war against these fandom yaoi conquistadors and bring back the glory of good solid fanfiction. I HAVE A DREAM... (and the speach goes on).

 

[ttestagr]

Metal Gear Solid is also infested. Went looking for a Snake/Wolf pairing and found none. Plenty of Snake/Otacon there though.