Revenge of Ask T Questions

[TCampbell]

I feel like my research into "what teenage girls are like these days" has slacked way the hell off since the series ended, and even in its last few years, I was increasingly just working off old notes. So it's hard for me to give a full answer without doing a lot more homework. I do see interesting new articles from time to time that would make grist for good youth-focused stories-- the rise of sleep-texting, for instance, or the question of whether terminally ill teens should be allowed to partake in adult activities (and if so, which ones).

But little news-bites are not a substitute for the time I spent watching my cousins grow up. I am not as connected to that world as I was when I mapped out most of the characters I ended up using in Penny and Aggie, which was pretty much from 2004-2006. Katy-Ann, Samantha, Bob and Elmer, etc., all existed at least in sketch form by the year's end. After that period, I did lots of development, but the characters had reached a momentum of their own and I didn't come up with too many new ones that stuck. I'd say the big exception there was the final version of Cyndi (more or less re-invented in "The Popsicle War"), and even she sprang more from my fears and alienation than a sense of connection.

It's possible I'll feel such a connection again in about ten more years, when my goddaughter is 15, or maybe my life will change in some other way. But I took the Penny and Aggie job in part because I knew it was pretty close to the ideal time in my life to do it.

If somebody else rebooted it, I'd strongly suggest sticking to the point of the series-- a fresh look at what it's like to be a teenage girl now-- and ignoring the temptation to make a lot of callbacks to, or use a lot of characters from, the previous incarnation.

[Alice Macher]

If somebody else rebooted it, I'd strongly suggest sticking to the point of the series-- a fresh look at what it's like to be a teenage girl now-- and ignoring the temptation to make a lot of callbacks to, or use a lot of characters from, the previous incarnation.

Would you be okay with someone doing a non-commercial "fan comic" that used certain of the characters but was presented up front as not-canon?

[TCampbell]

If somebody else rebooted it, I'd strongly suggest sticking to the point of the series-- a fresh look at what it's like to be a teenage girl now-- and ignoring the temptation to make a lot of callbacks to, or use a lot of characters from, the previous incarnation.

Would you be okay with someone doing a non-commercial "fan comic" that used certain of the characters but was presented up front as not-canon?

Absolutely, Alice. Er... haven't you been doing that for a while now? But if you mean a more serious version, then still yes.

[Alice Macher]

Hehe, no, I wasn't referring to the strip manips. This comic would be with original art. It would take place in an alternate universe from the P&A we know, and yes, would be more serious than either the manips or the bulk of the prose fics I've done. (To everyone else: that's all I'm saying about it until I actually have comics ready for posting. When I do, they will be hosted on [Edit: To be determined], and linked to from here.)

And thank you, T. While I realize that people don't generally ask creators for permission to do fan works, I thought in this case it was the right thing to do.

[thebitterfig]

Question for T, only tangentially related to anything comical: Is there a particular pen, pencil, or font you use for your various writing needs? I've just been a total FP nut lately, plus grabbing a few Parker Jotters, so it's on my mind.

[TCampbell]

Question for T, only tangentially related to anything comical: Is there a particular pen, pencil, or font you use for your various writing needs? I've just been a total FP nut lately, plus grabbing a few Parker Jotters, so it's on my mind.

I very rarely use pen for any writing these days, and pencil almost never. Mostly if I need to outline something away from my computer. It's been like that more or less since I started using laptops.

For a long time I used Palatino for scripts: since the laptop switch it's Times New Roman for scripts I do in Word and Verdana for scripts in Google Drive. I have resisted Word's attempt to switch me over to Calibri: it's a better-looking font but it doesn't feel right now. For the book On Crosswords, I'm using Baskerville, which is rumored to carry greater authority than more traditional typefaces.

I tinkered briefly with using the same font in my script as would be in the dialogue balloons, but it just doesn't look right in a scripting program. It's like the letters want to squirm off the page and get back to Pictureland. A comfort zone in scripting is important-- one should shake it up every so often but have it to provide security in the writing process, too.

[Alice Macher]

Are there plans to repair or replace the tcampbell.net site so that the comics apart from P&A, Fans, Guilded Age, and Webmasters will be accessible again?

[thebitterfig]

Maybe this is a "save it for the book" but are there any resources you'd recommend for learning how to create crosswords?

[TCampbell]

Are there plans to repair or replace the tcampbell.net site so that the comics apart from P&A, Fans, Guilded Age, and Webmasters will be accessible again?

Yes, and sorry for taking so long to answer this. I wanted to wait until I had more concrete dates and that just turned into more and more time. (You know, the way it does.) My hardware issues should be resolved by the end of this week. And TCampbell.net should return on the following Monday.

[TCampbell]

Maybe this is a "save it for the book" but are there any resources you'd recommend for learning how to create crosswords?

My book is going to be great, even better than the "Callin' Them Squares" series at Diary of a Crossword Fiend, in terms of describing the different genres of crossword and how they "work."

Begin modestly. Do some 3x3s and 4x4s and 4x3s for a while until you've got a sense of how the patterns of vowels and consonants interlock.

To be honest, I rely on software to do the geometrical "heavy lifting" of my puzzles: older and/or smarter constructors are often less software-dependent. Crossword Compiler is good, probably the most extensive tool, but expensive. CrossFire is also neat, cheaper and can do some things CC can't.

Your own judgment comes into play when deciding what words to use and how to clue them. The important thing to remember is that this is a game we play to LOSE: crosswords are no fun when they can't be conquered. So you got to show off how smart you are and yet also rein that in, just a little. Particularly important is to allow some easy entry points (a short word near the top left is a good bet, either across or down), and not to indulge what we call the "dirty double cross," a hard-to-solve word crossing another hard-to-solve word. I recognize that sports trivia makes some solvers happy, but when a 1966 batter crosses a 1989 quarterback, I get grumpy.

[Adrishiana]

Sports trivia is something I almost always lose on (although certain names are very popular, so those at least I have memorized for crosswords).

P&A query inspired by thebitterfig: does Penny have a default perfume ("signature scent," you might say) or does she rotate among a few (or several, even), and does her choice/choices change during her times with Rich?

[TCampbell]

Penny has one scent she prefers most days but changes it up for special occasions. She definitely changed it for Rich, and changed it again when she got serious about her pursuit of Aggie.

[Trefle]

T, how are you doing?

Also, looking at Stan and Jack's loyalty/mancrush with Rich during Uptown Girl and future strips....
had Stan/Jack ever attempted to made any contact with Rich after he left, or vice versa? Did they see Rich in Sara's reality show?
And looking at Six September Later, what is Rich to Politician!Stan?

(also, which political direction is Stan leaning on in the future?)

[thebitterfig]

This P&A guest strip suggests one non-P&A rumor (NSFW) about what might have happened. IIRC, T has stated that the strip is non-canonical.

[Trefle]

This P&A guest strip suggests one non-P&A rumor (NSFW) about what might have happened. IIRC, T has stated that the strip is non-canonical.

For all intents and purposes, I hope so.

Seeing that this is part of Zii's past and Stan is seen later in Ma3 with Lisa....if the strip is canonical we (and Zii) might have been seeing child porn / 'barely legal' gay porn here.

Gee, I wonder how K-A would have responded to that.