#ax modpost

We’ve all done it. Used the wrong word, didn’t proofread our post before sending it off into the big bad world of tumblr with a glaring error that you only spot after either a nap or your third cup of coffee. Some of us even have fucking writing degrees and yet...!

PART ONE: Common Misspellings

Lose / Loose

Lose - the opposite of win Loose - loose morals - i.e. like Tony’s bed partners (sorry Kate)

Definitely / Defiantly

Definitely - 100% certain

Defiantly - 100% disobedience

Effect / Affect

Effect - (noun) use when talking about a result or if it follows one of these words: "into", "on", "take", "the", "any", "an" as well as "or."

Affect - (verb) use it when trying to describe influencing someone or something rather than causing it.

Weather / Whether

Weather - sun, rain, hail, sleet, snow

Whether - “I’m not sure whether I should have whiskey or vodka.”

A lot / alot

A lot - of space; of something

Alot - not actually a word

Then / Than

Then - sequence of time - i.e. first we drank a lot, and then we did something stupid and got arrested

Than - a comparison- i.e. I’d rather poke myself in the eyes than meet Tony Stark again

Allusion / Illusion

Allusion - an indirect reference - i.e. That blog post about Kate made an allusion to her father’s supposedly dodgy dealings.

Illusion - a false idea or conception; belief or opinion not in accord with the facts; an unreal, deceptive, or misleading appearance or image - i.e. People have the illusion that Clint is stupid.

Desert / Dessert

Desert - (verb) to forsake/abandon; a dry, baren, sandy region (noun).

Dessert - OM NOMS

Principal / Principle

Principal - (noun) head of a school; first in rank (adjective)

Principle - a fundamental truth or motivating force

Stationary / Stationery

Stationary - not moving

Stationery - writing materials

Soldier / Solider

Soldier - someone who serves in the army - i.e. The Winter Soldier

Solider - comparative adjective of solid; firm and stable in shape

Accept / Except

Accept - to receive - i.e. Pepper accepted an apology gift off Tony.

Except - anything brought about by a cause or agent; result - i.e. Nothing else mattered except that Kate was alive.

PART TWO: Grammar

Their / There / They’re

Their - (possessive adjective) belonging to, made by, or done by them - i.e. “That bow is their bow.” “Whose bow?” “Clint’s.”

There - a place or point - i.e. “Where should I put my bow?” “Just shove it over there.”

They’re - contraction of they + are - i.e. “Where’s Kate and Tommy?” “Oh, they’re going out on a date.”

Its / It’s

Its - (possessive pronoun) belonging to it - i.e. “Hold its head still, Clint - I’ve got the shot.”

It’s - contraction of it + is (e.g. “Is that yours?” “Yeah, it’s mine.”); informal for it + has (e.g. “It’s got six legs, kill it with fire!”)

Your / You’re

Your - (possessive adjective) sits before another word (usually a noun or a pronoun) to show that it belongs to "you" (e.g. your car, your arm), is of "you" (e.g. your picture, your photograph) or is related to "you" (e.g. your uncle).

You’re - contraction of you + are - i.e. “Where do you think you’re going, Tony?” “Workshop!”

Too / To / Two

Too - also; very (if you’re unsure, swap out the ‘too’ for also or very and if the sentence works, it’s ‘too’ you’re looking for; if it doesn’t, then it’s ‘to’) - i.e. Tony always had his music too loud.

To - toward (e.g. Kate was going to the gym this afternoon.) and to + verb = infinitive (e.g. It was going to rain today - to + rain = the infinitive ‘to rain’.)

Two - a number - i.e. “How many donuts do you want?” “Eight.” “No, Tony.” “Fine, two.”

Which / That

Which - a particular one or ones of those mentioned or implied. Use which before an independent clause (words you can change without changing the meaning of the sentence) - i.e. “Stark Tower, which was designed by Tony Stark, is an eyesore.” (Fuck off, Steve.)

That - something indicated. Use that before a dependent clause (words you can't change without changing the meaning of the sentence) - i.e. “The girl that you saw at the party was Kate Bishop.”

Our / Are

Our - (possessive adjective) of or belonging to us - i.e. “That’s our flat right there.”

Are - 2nd person singular and 1st, 2nd and 3rd person plural of the verb ‘be’ - i.e. “Where are you going?”

Who / Whom

Who - should be used to refer to the subject of a sentence - i.e. “Who is that?” “Fake Hawkeye.”

Whom - should be used to refer to the object of a verb or preposition - i.e. “To whom it may concern.”

Just remember: apostrophes are little gravestone markers that show that a word has died, been omitted, and is there as a little sign of respect. If you’re ever unsure what, for example, ‘your’ to use between ‘your’ and ‘you’re’ expand the ‘you’re’ to ‘you are’ and see if it still fits and makes sense.

PART THREE: Commas, Semicolons and Colons

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb.

An independent clause can stand alone as a complete sentence.

Kate(s) likes(v) dogs.

A dependent clause cannot.

i.e. Since* Pepper(s) had left(v) -- (yes? What happened?)

A restrictive dependent clause cannot. (Restrictive is bolded)

i.e. Kate held out the hand that was hurt.

An independent clause is a group of words that can stand on its own as a sentence: it has a subject, a verb and is a complete thought. Just because an independent clause can stand on its own, doesn’t mean that it has to. One or more independent clauses can be added together to form a compound sentence, and independent clauses can be added to dependent clauses to form complex sentences.

A dependent clause is a group of words that also contains a subject and a verb, but isn’t a complete thought. Because it’s not a complete thought, a dependent clause cannot stand on its own as a sentence; it is dependent on being attached to an independent clause to form a sentence. Dependent clauses can often be identified by words called ‘dependent markers’*, which are usually subordinating conjunctions. If a clause begins with one of these words, then it’s dependent and needs to be attached to an independent clause.

After

As

Although

Because

Before

Even though

If

Once

Rather than

Since

That

Though

Unless

Until

When

Whenever

Whereas

While

Etc

A restrictive dependent clause gives essential information about a noun that comes before it: without this clause the sentence wouldn’t make much sense. A restrictive relative clause can be introduced by that, which, whose, who, or whom. You should not place a comma in front of a restrictive relative clause. (You can also leave out that or which in some restrictive relative clauses.)

This all sounds much more confusing than it is - you do it already! It pretty much boils down to not leaving your sentences hanging and although an independent clause can sit on its own as a complete sentence, it doesn’t have to - make it more complex sometimes, give it a bit more oomph.

Commas

Okay, so a comma marks a slight break between different parts of a sentence. Used properly, commas make the meaning of sentences clear by grouping and separating words, phrases, and clauses.

You should use a commas for the following:

Lists - i.e. For breakfast Kate ordered scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage and French toast. (You can use a comma after ‘sausage’ too - this is called an ‘Oxford Comma’ and is entirely dependent on the writer - it’s preference!)

direct speech - i.e. Kate replied, “Go to hell.” // “Fuck you too,” said Tony. (Pretty much, if the information about who’s speaking comes before the speech - option one - then it needs a comma before the quotations and if it’s coming after the speech - option two - then there needs to be a comma inside the quotes.) There’s only two exceptions to this rule - if the speech is ending with a question mark or an exclamation mark i.e. “Will you shut up!” “Why do you think shouting will make me stop?”

to separate clauses (to link a dependent and independent clause together) - i.e. Since Pepper had left, Tony didn’t know what to do with himself. Do not use commas in, or around, restrictive dependent clauses.)

to mark off certain parts of a sentence, to mark off information that isn’t essential to the overall meaning - i.e. It was a bit shit outside, all rain and wind, so Kate decided to stay indoors. The sentence should still make sense if you take out what’s inside the commas. If you aren’t sure whether you’ve used a pair of commas correctly, try replacing them with brackets or removing the information enclosed by the commas altogether and then see if the sentence is still understandable, or if it still conveys the meaning you intended.

with 'however' - you should use a comma after ‘however’ when however means ‘by contrast’ or ‘on the other hand’ i.e. However, if Tony used a new wiring system then he’d get an extra inch of room in the suit. Don’t use a comma after however when it means ‘in whatever way’ i.e. However you looked at it, Kate was screwed.

Semicolons

The main task of the semicolon is to mark a break that is stronger than a comma but not as final as a full stop. It’s used between two clauses that balance each other and are too closely linked to be made into separate sentences i.e. Stark Tower isn’t the tallest building in Manhattan; the One World Trade Center is.

You can also use a semicolon as a stronger division in a sentence that already contains commas i.e The study showed the following: 76% of surveyed firms monitor employee Web-surfing activities, with 65% blocking access to unauthorized Internet locations; over one-third of the firms monitor employee computer keystrokes; half reported storing and reviewing employee emails; 57% monitor employee telephone behaviour, including the inappropriate use of voicemail. (Taken from oxforddictionaries.com)

Colons

There’s three main uses for a colon:

between two main clauses in cases where the second clause explains or follows from the list i.e. It wasn’t easy: to begin with, he had to tear down half his house.

to introduce a list i.e. Today Kate had to: clean her bow, bother Clint, get her nails done and do some laundry.

PART ONE: Plotting with a Character You Don’t Know

The scenario: Major & Nikeeta want to write together but Nikeeta has never in her life read about Kate Bishop. This could be an obstacle. How shall we approach this?

Major: I'm telling you Kate and Tony can start the daddy issues/rich kid group Nikeeta: fucking sign me the fuck up Major: Yesssss Major: Derek Bishop is not a great guy Nikeeta: I know nothing, I am ignorant. Major: Well when Kate was a little kid she walked in on her dad beating the shit out of someone in his library. And she found out he was dealing with really rotten people. But I think Tony and Kate will get along much better than he and Pietro. Most people like Kate. Nikeeta: will she drink with his alcoholic arse? that’s one sure fire way he’ll like her. Major: Kate absolutely knows how to get turnt. I mean she's basically a Manhattan socialite. It's almost possible they've crossed paths before. Nikeeta: ooo this could be fun Major: I mean she's got an active petition going with like half the avengers to get her team officially recognized lmao. I think if she knew him she'd hit him up. Nikeeta: now that would be something Major: Sometimes she attends those stuffy parties that rich people go to. Is it plausible for her to try and get at him at one of those benefit gala whatever type deals? Nikeeta: Ooooo now there’s an idea full of fucking love. how old is Kate anywho?Major: 21 Nikeeta: she’s legal, he’s allowed to look, excellent Major: Watch out Tony she's a big flirt Nikeeta: Yessssssss. Two big flirts together <3 So it’s feasible Tony’s heard of her, if never actually met her Major: He's had to have met or heard of her dad at least. Nikeeta: I’m gonna need you to fill me on details for that, for I am still playing comic book catch up Major: There actually isn't a whole lot on Derek haha. Just that he's a businessman. And he's a bad guy who does business with bad people. Nikeeta: what kinda business he in? Major: I don't know if they actually say lmao!! Nikeeta: hmmm we could make something up? something that Tony could know of him, met him. Investment banking? I can see them having convos over that and Tony being like ‘bro you a dodgy motherfucker i am not investing with you’ Major: He's also backing the political campaign of Kelly rn for plot purposes. And yes! Banking works great.

TL;DR Nikeeta, while down to RP with Major is unfamiliar with the YA comics / Hawkeye lore. So she asked Major to fill her in on anything basic that she might need to know about Kate that would help in starting out a thread. This doesn’t have to be super complicated, nor does it have to go TOO in depth. Honestly, all you need is to establish stuff a person might already know before meeting, or stuff they might notice upon that first conversation.

PART TWO: Writing with a Character Your Character Has Not Met Before (Do’s & Don'ts)

DO NOT: Assume that just because you know information your character also knows it. Even if it is something that has been said in the OOC chat - if it’s not actual common knowledge in game play, it’s not your character’s information to have!

i.e. In their first conversation, Tony should not know right off the bat that Kate is Hawkeye, regardless of the fact that Nikeeta has known from the beginning that she is Hawkeye. Likewise, Kate might only know things that are available in newspapers or media briefs about Tony, but she obviously wouldn’t know more personal details; and remember, the media - especially tabloids - make up a lot of shit that just isn’t true. Dropping fake knowledge though would be funny as all hell just saying.

DO: Ask the other player what information might be public knowledge about their character!

i.e. Remember when Nikeeta asked Major about Mr. Bishop’s career? That might be something to ask about! Similarly, Major might ask Nikeeta about how much information Tony might have shared with Clint about himself, and then might ask Meg how much of that information Clint might have shared with her.

DO NOT: Assume what is MCU canon is A+X canon. Some people have chosen to deviate from the movie canon.

i.e. Clint Barton, in A+X, does not have some family in some fucking barn, chilling out waiting for him. (And Pietro is alive, damn it all.)

DO:  Take a look at people’s bio pages! Most of our players have nice pages they’ve written. Check them out! Or if you’re feeling a bit lazy, try asking the player.

i.e. “Anything I need to know about canon before we start?” or “Hey, is _______ part of your storyline from the MCU?” tend to work nicely!

DO NOT: Leave your partner to do all the plotting! DO: Throw your ideas out there. Don’t be afraid - the worst the other person can say is that they don’t want to write that particular idea. Google ideas for starters. Find common ground. If all else fails, this is a superhero RP! Surely there’s a fire somewhere that needs putting out or a bank that needs saving!

DO NOT: Wait for people to plot with you! Sure, throwing it out in the chat ‘Hey, who wants to plot with _____’ works, but that doesn’t always get people to respond. DO: Get out there! Hit people up! Everyone is waiting for someone to ask them to RP. Be the one to ask! It’s okay to ask. Most people are super willing to RP.

DO NOT: Be shy about your ideas! Don’t worry about whether or not they’ll be well received. DO: If you have an idea for a thread, or something that you want your character to go through, then say so. Chances are, the other person will be more than willing to indulge and play about.