LNHY: Never Asked Questions about LNHY (updated)
Arthur Spitzer
arspitzer at earthlink.net
Thu Mar 30 16:40:25 PST 2006
Still the Most Current FAQ posted on RACC!!
NEVER ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT LNH-Y
Version 1.05
(Still a very, very, very Rough Draft)
========================================================================
Administered by: Arthur Spitzer (arspitzer @ earthlink.net or
arspitzer @ hotmail.com)
(If you're confused by something e-mail this guy)...^^^^
(For problems with RACC e-mail eagle @ eyrie.org)
Last updated March 30, 2006
========================================================================
1.0 Introduction
.1 The LNH? What's the LNH?
.2 Do I need to read any LNH stories to understand LNH Y?
.3 What's the difference between the LNH and LNH Y?
.4 What's Usuable Without Permission mean?
.5 When I make a character usuable without permission, what does
that mean?
.6 I have a character that is a member of LNH Y, but I want to
shift him back to need permission first before using. Can I
do this?
.7 Is it okay to use a character who has quit the LNH and shifted
to need permission to use in a flashback when they were
usuable without permission without getting permission?
.8 But what if I want several of my characters to be LNH'rs and
make people ask permission before using them?
.9 Can I reserve characters and places?
2.0 Looniverse Y
.1 What's Looniverse Y?
.2 What are LNHQ Pills?
.3 What is the New LNH Member Detector?
.4 Who are the System Corrupters?
.5 Can I have my characters visit alternate universes?
3.0 Writing
.1 So how do I become a writer for the LNHY Imprint?
.2 I want to make one of my characters a member of the LNH Y.
How do I do that?
.3 Is there an archive that has LNHY Stories?
.4 Who is in charge of this place?
.5 Will there be elections for the leader of the LNH?
.6 Can I write a crossover with LNHY and some other RACC Imprint?
.7 Can I transfer a character from another imprint into the LNHY
Imprint?
.8 I hate this writer's story. Can I retcon it away?
.9 Can I write stories filled with sex, violence, and profanity?
4.0 The Rest of the Stuff
.1 What series are in the LNHY Imprint?
.2 Who are the writers of LNHY?
.3 Who runs the roster?
.4 I posted a story to RACC, but it hasn't appeared. What did I
do wrong?
.5 I found this imprint in the archives, but no one who writes
for it seems to be around anymore. What should I do?
.6 Do I get something if I write an issue of Looniverse Y?
.7 Which story is the first one I should read?
Q1.1 The LNH? What's the LNH?
A1.1 Well, okay. I guess this probably counts as a Frequently Asked
Question. (Especially since I stole it from the LNH FAQ).
The LNH is short for the Legion of Net.Heroes. It's an idea that developed
from a thread on Rec.Arts.Comics. A guy by the name of Dan'l Danehy-Oakes,
Net.Roach back in April 29, 1992 started a post proposing that the regulars
of RAC create their own superhero group called the Legion of Net.Heroes.
This post grew into a really big thread with everyone revealing their
superhero name. Eventually, a few people started writing stories with these
characters.
Here's the post that started it all:
http://tinyurl.com/2pv8t
Eventually it got its own newsgroup by the name of alt.comics.lnh. The
stories became more elaborate and sophisticated poking fun at the superhero
genre, the comic industry, and whatever other sacred cows there were.
Occasionally it even dealt with serious matters. And now it's 12 years and
a thousand stories later.
For a much better explanation of what the LNH is read the LNH FAQ:
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/FAQs/LNH.FAQ.gz
Or go to the LNH Website:
http://www.eyrie.org/lnh/
Pretty much every LNH story is in this archive:
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/
Q1.2 Do I need to read any LNH stories to understand LNH Y?
A1.2 No you don't. I created this imprint to stand alone from the huge
backstory of the LNH. The only stories you'll have to read to understand
LNH Y are the stories that are posted under the [LNHY] imprint.
If the subject line starts with [LNH] or LNH: then they are stories set in
the classic LNH imprint.
[LNH2] or LNH2: is Martin Phipp's imprint involving an alternate future of
the classic LNH.
[LNHY] or LNHY: are stories set in the Looniverse Y universe.
That being said, you shouldn't avoid reading stories set in the classic LNH
Looniverse. It's just not necessary to read them to enjoy LNH Y. stories.
Here are some great Classic LNH stories for you to check out.
Easily Discovered Man
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Easily-Discovered/
Swordmaster
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Swordmaster/
Misfits
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Misfits/
Constellation
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Constellation/
(You should probably start with #13 on Constellation
for reasons that issue one is a really bad jumping on
point.)
Legion of Occult Heroes
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/Legion.Occult/
LNH Comic Presents
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/LNHCP/
LNH Triple Play
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnh/Series/LNH.Triple.Play/
If nothing more you should atleast check out Easily Discovered Man.
Q1.3 What's the difference between the LNH and LNH Y?
A1.3 There are some major differences.
First off, they're both set in different universes (or Looniverses you could
say). And secondly, there are a different set of writing rules for each
Looniverse.
In the classic Looniverse you can make as many characters members of the LNH
as you want.
In the LNH Y Imprint you can make as many characters as you want, but only
one of them can be a member of the LNH.
The reason for this is that for as long as I can remember there have always
been complaints about how the LNH was too big. Even back in '93, when I
discovered the LNH, people were complaining about the size of the LNH. Now
I personally don't think that the LNH is too big, and I'd say that a
thousand member cast is part of the LNH's charm, but I do get why people
might find the LNH's size overwhelming.
A one LNH character for every writer limit will certainly keep the
Looniverse Y LNH at a reasonable size. When you can only choose one out of
all of your characters to be an LNH'r that perhaps makes being an LNH'r a
bit more special than if you're making hundreds of your characters LNH'rs.
There is of course the danger that all of the LNH'rs will be male because
most writers are male. Hopefully, some writers will choose a female
character to be their LNH'r.
The one character you choose to be your LNH'r can either be created by you
or it can be a public domain character of your choosing. You can also use
someone elses character assuming you get their permission first.
Another big difference between LNH Y and the classic LNH is that all LNH'rs
in Looniverse Y are usuable without permission.
Q1.4 What's Usuable Without Permission mean?
A1.4 Okay. There are four different levels of Character Availability.
Level 1: Public Domain Characters:
These are characters that are shared by the LNH Y Imprint Writers and can be
used freely by any LNH Y Writer.
Level 2: Usuable Without Permission Characters:
These are characters that are owned by a particular writer, but the writer
doesn't care if people use the character without permission. The owner can
at anytime shift the character to another level. All members of the LNH in
Looniverse Y as well as System Corrupter characters are either usuable
without permission or public domain.
Level 3: Need to Ask Permission First Before Using Characters:
These are characters that you need to ask the owner permission first if
you're planning on using them. If the owner of the character is unreachable
don't use this character. These characters aren't allowed to be members of
the LNH or System Corrupters.
Level 4: Don't Touch this Character, And Don't Bother Asking for
Permission:
These are characters that it probably would be a pointless exercise to ask
for permission to use. But don't let that stop you. These characters
aren't allowed to be members of the LNH or System Corrupters.
The Reason I made the rule that all members of the LNH in Looniverse Y have
to be usuable without permission is to solve the whole 'what happens to a
character once their writer leaves' dilemma.
In the classic LNH, what characters are okay to use, has always been one of
biggest flamewar starters. Certain Public Domain characters, like
Cheesecake Eater Lad and Dr. Stomper, aren't really Public Domain
characters. They're characters whose creators kind of abandoned them and it
eventually just became acceptable to use them without permission. A lot of
the old-timers in the classic LNH know which characters they can use without
permission without worrying about a writer coming back to bite their head.
A lot of the ethics around this is rather murky.
In the LNH Y Imprint, you don't have to worry about this because all
memebers of the LNH are usuable without permission.
Q1.5 When I make a character usuable without permission, what does that
mean?
A1.5 It means you're throwing the character to the wolves. But seriously
it means that someone can do pretty much anything to that character without
having to ask for your permission. There are a few limits though.
Don't kill the character without permission. And don't have the character
kicked out of the LNH or System Corrupters without permission.
And if you're going to do something really extreme with the character like
reveal the character is a traitor or a child molester or something like that
you should probably get permission first. But other than that anything
goes.
Q1.6 I have a character that is a member of LNH Y, but I want to shift him
back to need permission first before using. Can I do this?
A1.6 Yes you can. Just have your character quit the LNH and you can have
your character be whatever level of character availability that you want him
to be.
Q1.7 Is it okay to use a character who has quit the LNH and shifted to
'need permission to use' in a flashback when they were usuable without
permission without getting permission?
A1.7 Hmm. Hopefully, a person who has their character quit the LNH will
make it clear whether it would be okay to use their character in a flashback
without permission. Just to be safe though, you probably should ask
permission first.
Q1.8 But what if I want several of my characters to be LNH'rs and make
people ask permission before using them?
A1.8 You can do that in the classic LNH Imprint (which is still great to
write in). Or you can create your own LNH Imprint and make up whatever
rules you want. But if you're going to write in the LNH Y Imprint you're
going to have to limit yourself to one character in the LNH and make that
character usuable without permission.
Q1.9 Can I reserve characters and places?
A1.9 Oh sure. Why not. There are some rules though.
In the classic LNH there were never rules about reserving, which caused its
share of flamewars. Some writers seemed to believe reserving a character
was the same as owning a character and they tended to reserve characters
indefinitely. Things work differently in the LNH Y Imprint.
In LNH Y you can only reserve a public domain character or place for three
months. After three months lay off the character or place for a couple of
weeks and if no one seems interested in using them after the two weeks are
up you can reserve them for another three months.
Try to limit yourself to reserving as few characters as possibly. And don't
reserve anything unless you're actually planning on using it.
As far as characters that are owned by someone, its up to them how long you
can reserve something. If they're usuable withour permission and the owner
has vanished reserve them like a public domain character.
Q2.1 What's Looniverse Y?
A2.1 It's a vast place filled with billions and billions of galaxies and
stars. One of these stars is called Sun Y. Sun Y has nine or so planets
(there are rumors of invisible planets). The third planet from Sun Y is
called T-Bone (Academics and scientist for some reason call it Earth Y).
Planet T-Bone has pretty much the same countries and cities we do although
it has its share of completely made up countries and cities.
In the classic LNH, writers used to change the names of real cities with net
pun versions. Like Chicago became Sig.ago, and Atlanta became Alt.anta. If
you want to do this, I won't stop you. You can call Chicago whatever you
want. (Although for reasons of good taste you probably shouldn't call it
Sh*t.c*ck.g*). All real places and cities are obviously public domain.
There are also fictional cities. The biggest and most important one being
Net.ropolis Y. Net.ropolis Y is a magnet for superheroes, villains, alien
invaders, cataclysmic events, kitchen sinks and whatever else. Net.ropolis
Y has the ability to move, so it's never in the same place or state.
Net.ropolis is usually the city that contains the LNHQ (Legion of Net.Heroes
Headquarters), although I guess there is nothing stopping it from being put
in, say, Jamaica.
Other fictional cities are as follow:
No Joke City is a very serious place. They frown on wacky loony characters.
The police tend to rough up any silly characters that show up. It's a good
place to write serious stories. It's located somewhere in Kansas.
Espayola is some where along the New Mexico and Mexico border. It's a
corrupt place that tends to attract the scum of T-Bone. Both countries deny
that Espayola is within their border. Mimes, carsalesmen, lawyers,
televangelists and so on tend to flock here.
There's also an island somewhere on Planet T-Bone called
If-I-Told-You-Where-It-Was-I'd-Have-To-Kill-You Island. Located somewhere
beneath the island is a bar called the No-Such-Place Bar. Trenchcoaters and
other unsavory types hang out in there.
Q2.2 What are LNHQ Pills?
A2.2 The LNH Briefcase that Kid Kicked-Out was given contained a bunch of
objects. One of them was a bottle of LNHQ Pills.
An LNHQ Pill is a pill that if you expose them to water becomes an LNHQ
(Legion of Net.Heroes Headquarters). The pill bottle itself is completely
indestructable and there are an infinite number of pills inside the bottle.
Needless to say, it would be a very bad idea to throw an open bottle into
the ocean. Looniverse Y can only have one LNHQ. If multiple LNHQs are
created, the extras tend to disintegrate after awhile.
The LNHQ is a very chaotic headquarters. Sometimes it looks like a
skyscraper. Sometimes like a mansion. It's up to the writer what it looks
like. Inside the LNHQ is a vast labyrinth of rooms and hallways. Sometimes
rooms and hallways vanish without warning. The LNHQ has as many rooms as a
particular writer thinks it should.
The LNHQ also contains whatever a writer thinks it should contain. It could
have a gym, a swimmingpool, a library, a cafeteria, a strip club, or
whatever. The LNHQ has all kinds of strange technology inside it.
In the classic LNH there is a room called the Peril Room (a homage to the
X-Men's Danger Room). It's possible that the Looniverse Y LNH also has a
Peril Room, but it's possible that it's called something different. Like
maybe the Ouch Room or the Kick-Ass-and-Take-Names Room (I like the
Kick-Ass-and-Take-Names Room, myself. That would be just so damn cool).
The classic LNH had vehicles called Flight.thingees, but it's possible that
in Looniverse Y they're called Getaround Machines or Air.mcjiggies. Or
maybe not.
The LNHQ has a basement and an incredibly high number of sub-sub basements
below it. How many sub basements there are is undetermined.
Q2.3 What is the New LNH Member Detector?
A2.3 The New LNH Member Detector is a device that looks like a very
complex remote control. It has the ability to detect new members of the
LNH. It knows that writers are only allowed one character in the LNH and it
makes sure that no writer ever has more than one.
The New LNH Member Detector is able to talk and has a very annoying
personality. It seems to believe it knows quite a bit about everything, but
whether it knows anything or is just making up stuff is hard to say.
The New LNH Member Detector can't be destroyed, no matter how much you might
like doing that.
<:It talks like this.:>
Q2.4 Who are the System Corrupters?
A2.4 In the classic LNH, there was an anthology for stories about LNH
Villains called the System Corruptors (I'm not sure who created the idea.
Possibly Dave Van Domelen?).
I thought the name sounded pretty cool and decided that that would be the
name of the opposing group of villains rather than the Brotherhood of
Net.Villains (which is the opposing group of villains in the classic LNH).
The System Corrupters are a group of supervillains banded together to
destroy the LNH and all that's good and decent.
Like the LNH, each writer is only allowed to have one character as a System
Corrupter and all of the System Corrupters are usuable without permission.
At the current moment there are no System Corrupters and the leadership
position for the System Corrupters is still open.
Q2.5 Can I have my characters visit alternate universes?
Q2.5 As long as the alternate universes in question are confined to the
LNHY Imprint. Alternate universes from other imprints are off limits for
the first year atleast.
Q3.1 So how do I become a writer for the LNHY Imprint?
A3.1 You should read the NAQ (Never Asked Question) and then read as many
LNHY stories as you can. Once you've done that you can start your own LNHY
series or you can write an issue for the public domain title 'Looniverse Y'.
Q3.2 I want to make one of my characters a member of the LNH Y. How do I
do that?
A3.2 Write a story involving how your character became a member of LNH Y.
And write a roster entry for that character and send it to the roster keeper
(arspitzer at earthlink.net). Do not send rosters entries unless you've
written these characters into a story.
Here's an example of a roster entry:
NAME: Kid Kicked-Out
CREATED BY: Arthur Spitzer (arspitzer at earthlink.net)
TYPE: Usable Without Permission
SECRET IDENTITY: Greeve Gaines (Not to be confused with Greef Graves)
POWERS: Kid Kicked-Out has the ability to be kicked-out of superhero
groups which he's done quite a lot in his career. Some of the superhero
groups he's been kicked-out of are Teen Fascists, Before God Guys,
Desperately Desperate Desperadoes, and the World's Worst Heroes. He also
has the ability to be kicked-out of class, out of dimensions, bars, the
army, churches, prison, you name it. If its a place, thing, or concept that
you can be kicked-out of or kicked-off of he can be and will be. He's also
invunerable to any physical injury (although he feels the pain and is more
sensitive to it than the average person).
ADD NOTES: He's currently the leader of the LNH.
APPEARANCE: He has a black and blue colored costume with a 'shoe print'
for an icon on his chest and his back.
ENEMIES: Boot-Head, Baron Buttkicker, Miss Take-In
FIRST ISSUE: Looniverse Y #1
You don't have to write a roster entry for a character. But it would help.
Q3.3 Is there an archive that has LNHY Stories?
A3.3 Not at the moment. I suppose the eyrie archives will eventually have
a section for LNHY.
http://archives.eyrie.org/racc/lnhy (maybe)
But until that happens, you'll have to use the google groups archive to find
LNHY stories.
http://tinyurl.com/58v53
Q3.4 Who is in charge of this place?
Q3.4 No one. All writers of the LNHY Imprint have an equal say about what
happens or should happen in the LNHY Imprint.
If you're confused about something though, you should probably e-mail Arthur
Spitzer (arspitzer @ earthlink.net). After a few months or so, he'll get
back to you.
Q3.5 Will there be elections for the leader of the LNH?
A3.5 Oh sure. Why not. In the Classic LNH, there was only one (as far as
I'm aware) election which the Ultimate Ninja won. And they haven't had
another election since.
I figure every year there should be a election (assuming there's interest
for one). The first election will take place a year from now (assuming LNHY
is still around at that time).
The only people who will be allowed to vote will be people who have a
character that is a member of the LNH in Looniverse Y. All characters who
are members of LNH Y will be eligible for being leader.
The character who gets the majority vote will win.
Q3.6 Can I write a crossover with LNHY and some other RACC Imprint?
A3.6 For the moment I'd say no. For atleast one year I'd like to ban any
crossover with another RACC Imprint. Part of the reason I created LNHY was
so a new reader could read any LNHY story without having to understand the
huge LNH (or NTB, Superguy, RaccChallenge, Crossroads) backstory.
If the LNHY Imprint manages to last for more than one year, then feel free
to crossover with any imprint your heart desires.
Q3.7 Can I transfer a character from another imprint into the LNHY
Imprint?
A3.7 No. You can if you want create a character in the LNHY Imprint that
has the same name as a character in another imprint (assuming you own the
rights to that name, or you recieved permission to use that name from the
owner).
For example if wReam wanted to transfer the Ultimate Ninja from the Classic
LNH to LNHY he couldn't do that, but if he wanted to create a character
called the Ultimate Ninja who had always existed in the LNHY Imprint he
could do that.
Q3.8 I hate this writer's story. Can I retcon it away?
A3.8 Only if you get permission from the writer to retcon it. Overall,
it's probably best that people retcon as little as possible (even their own
stories). Retcons tend to create too much chaos and confusion, and can
ultimately make an imprint unreadable (See: RaccChallenge).
There will always be some continuity errors and there's no point in dwelling
on them. Timetravel, clones, shapeshifting aliens can easily explain away
most continuity errors. Try to be as consistent as possible, but don't
worry about getting everything perfect. Mistakes happen.
Q3.9 Can I write stories filled with sex, violence, and profanity?
A3.9 I don't care. But if you do, you should probably give some kind of a
warning at the beginning of your story so people who want to avoid that
stuff can.
In the classic LNH people would put 'Acraphobe' in the subject line to that
their stories had adult content. They also spelled acrophobia wrong for
some reason.
For example LNHY/Acraphobe: Sex, Violence, and Profane Adventures #1
or [LNHY/ACRA] The Youth Corrupters #666
You can do that if you want.
Q4.1 What series are in the LNHY Imprint?
A4.1 Currently there are five.
The Daily Super Short-Short Story (Originally called the Daily Super
Paragraph): It's an Acraphobe title. So far it's up to issue 64.
http://tinyurl.com/6zqcm (for the Super Paragraph)
http://tinyurl.com/5dgjv (for the Super Short-Short Story)
Google.mesh: An Acraphobe title. By Martin Phipps. Currently at issue 8.
http://tinyurl.com/6f6sq
Looniverse Y: Is a public domain title that anyone is allowed to write in.
It's currently at issue 5.
http://tinyurl.com/6gw6o
Matthew Almighty: By Martin Phipps. Currently at issue 2.
Teen Fascists: By Martin Phipps. Currently at issue 8.
http://tinyurl.com/4lq8v
Q4.2 Who are the writers of LNHY?
A4.2 Currently there are three.
Saxon Brenton (saxon.brenton at uts.edu.au)
Martin Phipps (martinphipps2 at yahoo.com)
Arthur Spitzer (arspitzer at earthlink.net)
Q4.3 Who runs the roster?
A4.3 Arthur Spitzer (arspitzer at earthlink.net)
To see the roster click on this link: http://tinyurl.com/3umfc
Q4.4 I posted a story to RACC, but it hasn't appeared. What did I do
wrong?
A4.4 Rec.Arts.Comics.Creative is a moderated group. Sometimes posts take
quite awhile to be approved. Check google groups to see if they recieved
your post.
http://groups.google.com/advanced_group_search
If you don't see it there, check with Russ Allbery.
e-mail eagle at eyrie.org
Stolen from the LNH FAQ:
<<If you want to post, Eyrie's own Russ Allbery has made a mail-to-news
gateway available for both rec.arts.comics.creative and alt.comics.lnh.
Simply send your message to rec.arts.comics.creative at eyrie.org (also
racc at eyrie.org) or alt.comics.lnh at eyrie.org, and it will be posted to the
appropriate group on Usenet.
Russ has also provided a news-to-mail gateway for
rec.arts.comics.creative. Send a message to majordomo at eyrie.org with
'subscribe racc' in the body. Note: This will sign you up for every message
that is sent to rec.arts.comics.creative, but what better way to make sure
you don't miss out on any LNH stories? :)>>
Q4.5 I found this imprint in the archives, but no one who writes for it
seems to be around anymore. What should I do?
A4.5 You have two choices. You can ignore it, or you can take it over. I
created this imprint so it could exist without needing anyone to run it. If
you should find this imprint ten years from now abandoned, then make it your
own. Respect the wishes of those character owners who don't want you
messing with their characters without their permission though. Feel free to
take over the NAQ or the Roster.
Q4.6 Do I get something if I write an issue of Looniverse Y?
A4.6 Funny you should ask that. Yes, in fact every person who writes an
issue of Looniverse Y and makes a character of theirs a member of the LNH or
Systems Corrupters gets a copy of the never before seen Omaha Project: The
Unusable Chapter. But you have to do both. If you just write an issue of
Looniverse Y or just create a member of the LNH or System Corrupters you get
nothing. Once you get your copy, you are forbidden to post it or show it to
anyone else.
Q4.7 Which story is the first one I should read?
A4.7 You should probably read Looniverse Y #1 first since that was the
first issue to be posted, but here's a timeline of LNHY stories.
The Daily Super Short-Short Story #0 Martin Phipps
The Daily Super Paragraph #1-3 Arthur Spitzer
The Daily Super Short-Short Story #4-18 Arthur Spitzer
Looniverse Y #1 Arthur Spitzer
Looniverse Y #2 Martin Phipps
The Daily Super Short-Short Story #19-63 Saxon Brenton
Teen Fascists #1-6 Martin Phipps
The Daily Super Short-Short Story #64 Martin Phipps
Google.mesh #1-5 Martin Phipps
Teen Fascists/Google.mesh Crossover
Google.mesh #6 Martin Phipps
Teen Fascists #7 Martin Phipps
Google.mesh #7 Martin Phipps
Extinction of Vengence Crossover
Looniverse Y #3 Martin Phipps
Teen Fascists #8 Martin Phipps
Google.mesh #8 Martin Phipps
Looniverse Y #4 Martin Phipps
Looniverse Y #5 Arthur Spitzer
Matthew Almighty I-II Martin Phipps
Have fun!
Arthur "Never Asked" Spitzer
More information about the racc
mailing list