Glossary-New

Post-Whoring

Crescent@forums.unfiction.com — Wed, 21 Aug 2013 09:05:52 +0000

I'm not sure if I understand the meaning of this curious phrase... Phaedra, could you please illuminate it for the public?
[/dripping sarcasm, but in a friendly way] :wink:

Troll

The_Nightmare's_Butler@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 03:31:44 +0000

Troll

In Internet terminology, a troll is someone who comes into an established community such as an online discussion forum, and posts inflammatory, rude or offensive messages designed intentionally to annoy and antagonize the existing members or disrupt the flow of discussion.

See also Threadjacker

from wikipedia

Banana

macklinvinger@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 11:11:53 +0000

Definition: When something revealed in game is exactly what is says, and nothing more. No hidden messages, no second layer, no clue to the future. Just plain fact. Ba-na-na.

As typified by this post.

Rabbit Hole

Mike86@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 18:44:14 +0000

Rabbit hole: the inital site/puzzle/contact that leads one to discover the rest of the story. Much like Alice following the White Rabbit to Wonderland.

Coelacanth

SpaceBass@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 20:21:15 +0000

At this posting unique to the Super 8 viral, when a player trouts 3 times or a topic is trouted 3 times, the poster or topic is awarded a coelacanth and tagged as such.

Trout

natas@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 01 May 2009 22:28:53 +0000

Many new players do not yet understand what we mean when we say "trout," and some tend to take it the wrong way. Likewise, many new players who use the term tend to use it as some sort of smackdown. The official definition of trout, as copied from the originating post on the cloudmakers list , is as follows:

So, I've been meditating on what we can do to make our newbies feel
more at home, and I've decided to use a strategy that's tried and
true: we'll make up something new.

In particular, we're going to use a new word from now on: "trout".

Of course, "trout" is an old word, but it's an old word with a new
meaning. When I say "trout" to you, I don't simply mean the fish, I
mean to say to you: "Listen. I respect you. It's great that you're
here and posting and that we're working together for a common goal.
Nonetheless, I have some polite criticisms."

You may use the word trout as its own sentence, as in:

"Trout. This is in the Trail, section 2.05."

Or, you may use it to refer to your polite constructive criticism:

"Pardon my trout, but we've been talking about this most of the
day... Read about it on CM-mod."

You may use it as a verb:

"I trout you. I think you've gotten confused about this."

Alternatively, you may use it as a pseudo- HTML tag:

"You must mean Jason Fertors-with-an-s, who IS in
PACO."

You may use it as a post label, but try to use it in combo with other
labels:

"Subject: SPEC/TROUT Re: Evan is still alive!"

Finally, of course, you may decide not to use it at all. If so,
please use some form of polite disclaimer whenever you offer
constructive criticism, ESPECIALLY if that criticism is a correction
of some factual mistake. It's very hard to communicate a polite
attitude over e-mail. "Trout" will be one way to do it.

---------------------------------------------------

How will this help the newbies, you ask?

Well, those newbies who know and understand "trout" will understand
that we're not mocking or disrespectful to those with whom we disagree
or to those who post redundant information.

Those newbies who DON'T know what "trout" means will at least avoid
confusing polite criticism with mockery. Why? Because there's
something in the post, "trout," that they don't understand. It's hard
to assume that a post you don't understand is being unduly harsh. It
also leads the newbie to do exactly the right thing: to ask polite
questions.

Maybe this will work... maybe it won't. Either way, I hope that this
place will become a little bit friendlier on account of it.

Use "trout." Make this list a better place to be.

Thank you.

-Dan

Needle

Lunsford@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 16 Apr 2009 01:05:57 +0000

A term meaning 'unFiction forum thread' (or any other kind of OOG thread).
This started during Project Ophiuchus. The uF thread had a tendency to explode by five or ten pages at once, making it hard for people to catch up. When we were talking in an IG chat, people sometimes became confused when someone referred to something that they had missed in the OOG thread. People told them to go and check the needle if that happened (needle and *thread*, get it?)

TIAG & TINAG

Caffiend@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 08:27:42 +0000

TIAG & TINAG are abbreviations for This Is A Game & This Is Not A Game, respectively.

They are used under the notion that most ARGs claim to be real events (not fictional). Originally from "The Beast", they emphasize and encourage players to treat the game as if it were acrtually happening, and the puppet masters treat it as such. This means that you will less often then not find a PM labeling their ARG as "fiction" (thought many exceptions exist).

Often times, if a player wants to talk about an out of game element (for example, what the Puppetmaster may be thinking), they may begin their spec with "TIAG". TINAG is just the opposite, and is used as a reminder that all events being discussed are "real".

Crab

vpisteve@forums.unfiction.com — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:00:37 +0000

Crab, a term meaning: Downloadable material that is not what it seems. Rickrolling and Duckrolling can be considered a Crab post.

It originated from here:

http://www.mediafire.com/?zmtr1wl0ukv

NOT a rick roll, i swear.

i made the bgm, and my friend did the lyrics and vocals.

edit to tag post - rick astley

The mp3 in question had somebody's voice saying "I don't like those hermit crabs" looped over 3:07.

Toto

SpaceBass@forums.unfiction.com — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 02:43:18 +0000

Toto a person or persons who draws back the curtain, exposing the PM (wizard).

Toto is a reference to the dog in the Wizard of Oz, who pulls the curtain back exposing the Wizard in is true form.

"Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain"

Drink Your Ovaltine

Rogi Ocnorb@forums.unfiction.com — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 04:22:38 +0000

Situation where players encounter a puzzle for which they are sure the solution to is absolutely necessary for advancement of the story and when the solution is found, turns out to have little or no impact on the story, at all.

It may be the end of a trail, directing players to a product or in some instances, a puzzle that the PMs just HAD to include because it was so GOOD. In rarer cases, it is the result the PMs changing the solution due to a flawed puzzle design.

Acronym for, "Drink Your Ovaltine".
Or, in it's longer form, "Be Sure To Drink Your Ovaltine"

The longer version may be pronounced, phonetically, as either,
"Busted Yo" or "Bested Yo"

An homage the the film, "A Christmas Story" wherein the main character, Ralphie, using his Little Orphan Annie secret decoder pin, diligently and under heavy time constraints, decrypts the evening's secret radio message only to find out it is a sponsor's advertisement.

Ralphie had been waiting what seemed an eternity to get the ring in the mail and now that he's a member of her secret society, is very anxious to decipher Annie's very important message.

Letter by letter he decrypts the code. His excitement is palpable.

After cracking the code, Ralphie reads it:
"Be sure to drink your Ovaltine. Ovaltine? A crummy commercial? Son of a bitch!'

EDIT: Thanks for keeping me honest, krystyn.
In looking back at forum posts and IRC logs from a couple of development efforts I was on, I see that the acronymic form was only ever used in the latter. The lead PM of one game introduced me to the term and the "BSTDYO" version/pronunciations and I thought It was just another one of those "OMGWTFBBQ101" things I'd just never been exposed to, like many of the other Glossary items.

FLOUNDER

SpaceBass@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:26:19 +0000

Flounder meaning what. How would you use this term exactly?

Curtain

Chronus_Valtiel@forums.unfiction.com — Sat, 04 Aug 2007 08:18:09 +0000

The metaphorical line that separates the Puppetmaster(s) from their audience (e.g. the players, or us). Behind the curtain is where the Puppetmaster(s) pull(s) his/her/their strings, working to make the game run smoothly

Red herring

Rolerbe@forums.unfiction.com — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 18:00:10 +0000

Would someone better - at english than I am - please describe this?