EWIC MSTing FAQ Sheet Version 7.0 by Tim McLees, webmaster This document, compiled by MiSTiers associated with EWIC and the Vault of Anime MSTings, is intended as a useful guide for new MiSTiers. It is not comprehensive, but should give a new person a place to start and an idea of what to do or not to do. This FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) covers the rules and regulations of Shinji's Vault of Anime MSTings. The fundamentals of these rules, and the art of MSTing in general, can be found at the official authority for MSTings, Web Site #9 at www.masemware.com/mst3k. 5/12/05 CONTENTS 1)About EWIC 1.1) What is Everything What Is Crap? 1.2) Who's Who on EWIC's staff? 2)The Basics 2.1) What is Mystery Science Theater 3000? 2.2) What is MSTing? 3)The Art of MSTing 3.1) Attitude 3.2) Finding MST-worthy Material 2.2) Placing Items on the Dibs List 3.3) Reserving fics 4)Writing the MSTing 4.1)Preparations 4.2)Recommended formatting 4.3)Group MSTings 4.4)Common Errors 4.5)Handling Lemons 4.6)Credits and Legal-ese 4.7)Submitting MSTings 4.8)Courtesy and Netiquette 5. The Riffing Crew 5.1)Old MST3K or New? Dr Forrester or Pearl? 5.2)Host Segments 5.3)Non-Standard Casts 6)Infamous Authors & Characters 7)Suggested Reading 1)ABOUT SVAM 1.1) What is Everything What Is Crap? Before I answer this, a brief history on this site's previous incarnations... Back in April of 1996, Tenchi's Vault of Anime MSTings (TVAM) opened up, initially specializing in riffing bad anime-style fan fictions. Five years and a name change later, SVAM has grown to incorporate other science fiction works, like the infamous Marrissa Picard Star Trek series. It also covers video games and American Animation. Over the past 7+ years, SVAM has developed into one of the larger MSTing archives in MST3K fandom. SVAM has also developed an online community, where writers and fans alike can interact via message boards (Club SVAM) and IRC server (#C-Ko'sChatHall). 1.2 Who's Who On the SVAM Staff? Over the years, SVAM has grown and evolved to require a small staff to help maintain and support the various aspects of the site. This group consists of several experienced writers, both in MST fandom and writing overall: Timothy McLees (silvertooth_15@yahoo.com) SVAM's creator and webmaster Tim came up with this crazy thing, and has built it into the large MSTing source it is today. He works on the general maintainance of the site, working on the various archives and, of course, reviewing and posting MSTings. Damien Karolev (damienk@polarcom.com) Administrator, IRC Channel and Message Board The chathall and message boards of SVAM, likewise, have evolved and gone through many changes. Damien has set up the current incarnation of Club SVAM and C-Ko's ChatHall, troubleshooting and ever-watchful of lamers. Seth Triggs (sethtriggs@yahoo.com) Host Another veteran MSTer from SVAM's early days. Seth still runs occasional discussions on Mystery Science Theater on Club SVAM, and provides SVAM with its much needed crash space. RJ Bachler (robert.bachler@_us.army.mil) Moderator: LiveJournal Community RJ maintains the LiveJournal community for EWIC. Don't let his idleness fool you, he'll go Army on you if you get too lame in LJ forums. 2) THE BASICS! 2.1)What is Mystery Science Theater 3000? Those not familiar with the series can check out www.mst3kinfo.com for data on this funny series. Also, check your local video store for classic episodes (there's several DVD volumes out now) or download them online. To sum up Mystery Science Theater (MST3K for short), Joel (and later, Mike), are abducted and held captive by a pair of mad scientists, hoping to break his will via really, really bad movies. The Token Human is aided by his robot companions, Tom Servo and Crow, who help riff and make fun of the movies. When not riffing cheesy movies, they have various random misadventures and hijinx aboard the Satellite of Love, their home. 2.2 What is MSTing? MSTings are essentially the fan fiction of Mystery Science Theater 3000. Instead of bad movies, the characters make fun of really dumb internet posts or really dreadful fan-fiction. The MSTing writer (The riffer) takes a piece of fan-fiction or other online work and builds his story and riffing around it, satirizing its contents in the humorous manner of MST3K. 3) THE ART OF MSTING If you're interested in writing a MSTing for SVAM, here's some early steps to take 3.1)Attitude It's important to have the proper mindset and motivations to get into MSTing. A common mistake among first time MSTings is the tendancy to insult the author via his works. Such antics merely result in a glorified flame against the author. A MiSTing is NOT an attack on the author, aggressive criticism, venting anger/frustration, airing personal gripes, using the MiSTing as a soap box, or attempting to show off. MiSTing is not C&C, though it has its elements. If you want to help an author, there are better ways to do it. Do not MST with an agenda or statement to make. Such elements quickly become obvious and are Just Not Funny (tm). Keep your personal views out of your MSTings as much as possible. MSTing as a soapbox is also Just Not Funny. 3.2)Finding MSTing worthy material Fan fiction of varying genres and quality are scattered throughout the Internet. Some of the more prime "fodder" can be found in the larger archives (Several of which can be found in our Links area) Read through it enough to see if there is enough to make a decent MSTing out of. If there are only a few minor points, it wouldn't really be worthwhile to riff it. Likewise, there are some works that are just so mind-jarringly bad that no further comments are needed, and therefore not necessarily worth the extra work of riffing. As for size, it is recommended that these stories should be under 100K un-MSTed. In the case of fan-fic series, multiple parts can be accepted. IT IS STRONGLY RECOMMENDED THAT YOU CONTACT THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THE WORK. This is merely to avoid any potential hostilities from the author. Politely ask, briefly explaining what you'll be doing, and if he says no, move on to another item. If he says yes, go right ahead! If you receive no response, proceed with caution, in the event that the author takes offense to the MSTing. In either event, it is a good idea to keep this reply around to confirm that you indeed made an official request to riff the work. This also gives you the chance to get to know the author. Another note for MSTers and readers alike: It is strongly recommended to not "egg on" an author of a particularly notorious work or series. Again, this is to prevent hostilities. 3.3)Reserving Fics After finding a potential MSTable fic, after you've gotten permission, it is recommended that you state that you have "dibs" on a particular work. This is to prevent multiple authors from writing on the same work. This announcement can be made on the Dibs section of the Club SVAM message board. A running log of these reserved fics are also kept on a seperate "Dibs List". Check the Club SVAM Dibs section for most recent dibs and information. 4) WRITING MSTINGS 4.1)Preparations The producers of MST3K go through a movie multiple times to refine their riffs. In a MSTing, a similar process should be used. Go through it multiple times, adding in riffs each time around. Also take an opportunity to edit and refine the comments until they're just the way you like it. Finally, proofread your riffs. 4.2)Required Formatting Like any other form of writing, proper organization and formatting is needed to make your MSTing presentable and appealing to the reader. Therefore, it is necessary to properly organize the original work and your riffs. ***Sending in improperly formatted works may result in their rejection.*** All MSTings should be in plain text format (.txt), with no line longer that 70 characters The original work should have carots ">" before each line. Also a space between the riff and the original text should be added, to further distinguish the riffing from the original work. For easy formatting, go to Jim Gadfly's MSTing page at http://www.angelfire.com/va/gadfly/mst3k.html. This veteran MSTer has created an application to help format a MSTing's lines and add carats with ease. 4.3)Running/Editing Group MSTings Group MSTings, when two or more authors riff a fic, are done similar to standard MSTings. An editor should be appointed, that basically picks & chooses the best riffs from his fellow MSTers to add to the final MSTing. 4.4)Common Errors In general, riffs should be kept at a "PG" kind of level, even when the story delves below it. In instances where the fic falls well into bad taste (such as lemons), the gang may follow suit. Most importantly, regardless of how "clean" your riffs are, you should always focus on comedy. * Other riffs to avoid is the cliched Crow-Joel/Mike riff, most infamous in the older MSTings from Megane 6.7, in response to a line that comes off as sexual innuendo. This should normally be done only once for most MSTing if at all. The same warning also applies to Non Standard Teams (See Riffing Crew) that relies on similar antics between the Hentai and Straight Man of the teams. * Grammar flames have also become overused; use these only when particularly amusing (like, "Out pooped Sailor Mercury). * Maintain a balance of obscure and obvious humor. * The same joke is not funny if repeated too often. * Don't try and display your knowledge of a subject - the characters can become mouthpieces and you may discover your own ignorance. It is also easy to descend into blatent fanboy/girl territory by nit picking every detail that the fic gets "wrong". Personal insults at the author are flat out. This might seem difficult in self-insertion fics, but try to vent on the self-inserted character rather than the author himself. If something angers you, it is best not to MST it at all. As a general rule of thumb, make fun of the words, not the person writing them. 4.5) Handling Lemons Some of the lemons (hentai anime stories) have become quite famous in SVAM. When attempting to riff a lemon, some important precautions should be taken. Some "trimming" of the actual hentai scenes might be required, depending on what it involves and how a scene is described. Standard sexual acts shouldn't be too big a problem, while more bizarre ones might. If a story is just too explicit & disgusting, simply ditch the story. Simply, there are some lemons that no editing can fix. Also, if a lemon can't be enjoyed, even in MSTed form, it's a good idea to ditch it outright. The best MSTable lemons tend to possess oddness beyond just the sex. Another subject that SVAM approaches with extreme caution is when a lemon uses characters that are obviously pre-puberty, such as Sasami, C-Ko and Skuld and the heroes from Pokemon and the Digimon series. Good examples of how to approach these can be found in Don Euclid's "In the Carrot Patch" and "Aijin Muyo". One lemony subject that has gotten more popular in recent years is slash (or yaoi), featuring sexual relations with two male characters. Originating from way back in Star Trek fandom, slash has become a staple with anime fanfics (with pretty male characters aplenty), and also in fanfics for American and western works like X-Men and Lord of the Rings. At first, it could be tempting to go off on the icky mansex. (EW! TWO GUYS!) DON'T. If the concept of slash grosses you out that much, move on to something else. Much like their "straight" counterparts (or female/female, for that matter), the most riffable yaoi possess amusing material beyond just the sex and inexplicable coupling of characters. The most rule is simply to be careful. Some author's tolerance level are more higher than others. Before any lemon is submitted, it will be reviewed to see what to see if it's within reason and what, if anything, to trim. Another check will also be needed for the finished MSTing. 4.6)Name & Legal-ese ***INCLUDE YOUR NAME AND EMAIL AT THE START OF YOUR MSTING.*** This is to make it easy to credit MSTings when they get posted. Either at the end or beginning, include the obligatory legal whitespace. Something to the tune of: MST3K & the related characters are owned and copyrighted by Best Brains Inc. (Anime series involved) are owned and copyrighted by (respective owner) Also, according to the Berne Convention, any literary work on "fixed in a tangible medium", like posts on the net, is technically copyrighted by the original author. Therefore, it is also a good idea to list your copyright for the MSTing as well as the original author & his work. 4.7) Submitting MSTings SAVE YOUR COMPLETED MSTING IN PLAIN TEXT FORM and send it to Tim McLees at (silvertooth_15@yahoo.com) Sending the MSTing in non-text format and/or to the wrong person may result in their rejection. Your MSTing will be reviewed before posting for formatting and overall quality. The webmaster reserves the right not to post a given MSTing, as well as take down posted MSTings when the situation arises. Such actions should not be considered as a personal action against the MSTer or his/her work. 4.8) Courtesy and Netiquette It must be said again that the ultimate goal of MSTing is to be *funny*. SVAM is not an arena to compete in for fame, nor an auditorium in which to proclaim what is "wrong" with a particular genre or series. This is not a popularity contest. Authors are people too. Attempt to get permission before MSTing whenever possible. Also, your fellow MSTers are also people as well. 5)THE RIFFING CREW 5.1)Old MST3K or New? Doctor Forrester or Pearl?... The MSTing can take place in whichever "era" in the Mystery Science Theater "storyworld" you want, be it Joel or Mike, Dr Forrester or Pearl. You can even do something completely distinct from the series, if you are more comfortable with different characters (See Non-Standard Casts 5.3), however it is recommended that you first use the standard cast of Mike/Joel and the Bots to get comfortable with MSTing. 5.2)Host Segments Another option for your MSTing. These are usually recommended in longer MSTings, and should be done similar to the show (opening, a middle skit, if needed, and a closing segment) On really short stories, only opening and closing segments are needed. Host segments can be done either in script or prose style. Script is the most common technique, using parenthesis & brackets for stage/voice directions, ala a screenplay. Some prefer to use prose in describing the host sequences. This creates more detailed scenes, but can be time consuming. Plus, if you use this method, do not go overboard, writing long dramatic scenes. Your host segments should not overshadow and run longer than the riffing itself. :p 5.3)Non-Standard Casts A prominent trend of SVAM MSTings is the use of original casts as the riffers. Any deviation from the regular cast should be considered non-standard. This means you are deviating from continuity, and should keep in mind that the audience may need to know backstory. A cast should have a reason to be together, good chemistry, and character relations. MiSTing is a form of fanfiction, and like fiction, characters needs personalities. In short, when assembling your riffing team, the reader should have a reason to care. This chemistry also applies to selecting an appropriate Mad (person subjecting the crew to the work). As the old addage goes: A hero is only as impressive as the villian he's pitted against. Non-Standards MSTings are a challenge in that the riffer has to develop and present a new and unique team "from scratch" and draw the readers in. Because of this, The standard cast is recommended for new MSTiers as it gives a good, balanced, defined set-up to work with. 6)INFAMOUS AUTHORS & CHARACTERS 6.1) Infamous Authors Some authors have earned particular notoriety in SVAM. Here are some of the commonly talked about authors: Stephen Ratliff: Possibly the most celebrated fanfic author overall. He writes the Marissa series of Star Trek stories, and is a really good sport with the MSTing of his work. Dr Thinker: Has written lots of rather incoherent Sailor Moon fics. Best known for insightful passages like "Gyra famous on Amy" and "Out poops Sailor Mercury". Plus, he's a real nice guy. Now if we can only figure out half of what he's saying. Eyrie Unlimited: An impressive stable of fan fic authors in their own right, originating back in 1991, before the internet even became chic. Their stories are famous/notorious for their original characters and their mass crossovers, as well as the distinctive Eyrieverse, centered in the New England states... 6.2) Infamous Characters Marissa Amber Flores Picard: The star of Ratliff's series. Known for her rapid ascension in the Federation ranks solely based upon her Kobiashi Maru time, and her love for strawberry juice. DJ Croft: A recent and notorious character in SVAM, hailing from the Evangelion series "Neon Exodus Evangelion." NXE is set in an alternite world where NERV is stationed in Massachusetts and the British lad is recruited in place of Shinji Ikari... Star Ruby: A Transformers femme worth mentioning, with the series new popularity. Star Ruby and her fellow Autobot and Decepticon friends follow along on adventures and hooking up with their favorite Bots. A most recent sample has Star Ruby herself marrying Megatron and having his child. Don't think about it too hard. 7)Recommended Reading These are good examples that display characteristics within quality MSTings. Evolution in Cold Blood: One of SVAM's first, and still a classic. It's a really lame Bubblegum Crisis story, and features Ryoga as a guest star. Enterprised: The first of Ratliff's Marissa saga. Has inspired many to enter the world of MSTing Time Speeder: Dubbed as the worst of Ratliff's series, recommended for the sheer "GYAH!" factor alone Neon Exodus Evangelion: Another prominent SI MSTing. It's also an example of handling "finer" written fan fiction. Not all fics are littered with typos and poor grammer. Team Revelation: A rather notoroious SI Pokemon fic, fortified with Christian goodness.