User:Gideoncrawle

How providential when you find

The face an index to the mind,

And evil men compelled to call

Themselves by names like Gideon Crawle!


 * --W.S. Gilbert, Ruddigore

I am the "evil man" who calls himself Gideoncrawle, although I will answer to any reasonable permutation thereof.

Now on the wiki
Legacy


 * June 2010 Featured Story


 * My first published fanfic. Four residents of the Featured User gallery have suggested that it is professional-quality work.

"Rise of the Dragon Queen"


 * Chapter 22 of the Fake Souls anthology

In Progress
Courtney and the Violin of Despair


 * A kinder, gentler "Courtney bashing" story, featuring a series of embarrasing musical incidents based on true stories. The purpose of this story is to demonstrate that even character-bashing stories can be tasteful, quality work.


 * Chapter 6 is posted. Chapter 7 (the conclusion) is scheduled for Monday, 6 September.

No Boundaries: A Wikia Pokemon Story (collaboration)


 * I'm a part of the team, led by DJ Spenstar, that is writing this Pokemon story. No Boundaries is full of wiki original characters and user avatars, and also includes certain TDI characters and references.


 * Because my knowledge of the Pokemon universe is limited, I won't be writing actual chapters. Instead, I will be working behind the scenes as a sort of "copy editor", suggesting ways to improve things like phrasing, word choice and descriptive color without changing the essential character of my teammates' writing. I have also contributed certain ideas for working in TDI characters and references.


 * Chapter 2 is posted. This story does not currently have a regular update schedule.

Total Drama Island, by Gilbert and Sullivan (abbreviated TDI-G&S, pronounced "Tiddigus")


 * What if Gilbert & Sullivan had written TDI? The canon story arc retold with 8,300 lines of G&S verse--that's almost 3/4 of the total verse in the 14 G&S plays--and an average of 33 verse references per episode. A 400-page (8.5x11 equivalent) magnum opus 18 months in the making. Includes verses for Mr. Coconut, Sasquatchanakwa, The Escaped Psycho Killer With a Chainsaw and a Hook, and more.


 * Episode 18 of the wiki version is posted. As a general rule, I will be posting new episodes on Sundays, one per week.
 * The full version is finished, and is now available for download.


 * I collected some of these songs into a playlist to honor the enshrinement of Gigi's story Life After Lies in the Featured Story gallery. That playlist is available on my blog page. This playlist may or may not expand as Gigi posts the remaining chapters of her story.

Coming Soon
The Legend of Total Drama Island


 * Coming Spring 2011


 * A TDI reimagining patterned after one of the world's great literary classics. I have posted the Prologue to reserve the story title, and I previewed another scene in my "1,000th Edit" blog post.

In Development
It's too early to tell whether these stories will ever see the light of day, but I have started work on them. The titles are subject to change.

"Before a Fall"


 * In this "scenes we'd like to see" vignette (that's Old School for "one-shot"), Courtney's and her lawyers' attempts to tamper with the TDA competition don't work out quite the way she expected.

"The Neverending Drama"


 * The original campers, now 40 or 50 years old, are STILL competing because Chris won't release them from their contracts. Currently shaping up as a long one-shot.

Why am I here?
Regarding who I am and what I'm about, let's start with the proverbial elephant in the room: I am vastly older than most of the folks on this wiki. We're talking decades older. Some of the tweens on this wiki are young enough to be my grandchildren.

So, what is a middle-aged man doing on a wiki for a kid's show like Total Drama? That's a good question, and here's a good answer: if it's well-written, what does it matter if it's (allegedly) a kid's show? Somehow, TDI captured my imagination in a way that only one other TV show (Sci-fi Channel's elimination game, Who Wants to be a Superhero?) has done in the last 10 years. (TDA was okay, but I liked TDI better, mainly because TDA largely lacked its predecessor's sense of discovery. I'm looking forward to TDM, er, TDWT.)

In addition, my darling wife and I are longtime animation fans. We like TD's sister series, 6Teen, for the same reasons that we like TD itself.

Furthermore, my main hobby is sports photography (mostly volleyball and girls' basketball) at my former high school, so I spend a lot of time around teens, whom I have never been inclined to treat as anything but equals.

If I had been on TDI
The TDI characters I most closely resembled at that age are Cody and Noah. Allowing for the quirks of the drawing style, I even looked rather like Cody. Like Cody, I was a science geek, playing up a year (e.g. taking junior-level classes as a sophomore) in my math and science classes. Like Noah, I spent most of my formative years with a book in my hands, e.g. reading Sacagawea when I was all of 6 years old.

I differed from Cody mainly in that I never considered myself one of the "cool" kids, nor cared. I differed from Noah mainly in that people generally considered me a more pleasant person to be around, and I had no particular aversion to athletics (although I typically approached them with more enthusiasm than talent).

What makes me different
In several ways, I am different from most of the users on this wiki. Here are a few:

Age: 50

Occupation: Accountant

Education: Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering; Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Favorite music genre: Classical

Favorite literature genre: Mythology & related things (including epic poetry, Icelandic sagas, etc.)

Favorite TV franchise: Star Trek

Organizational memberships: Mensa (the largest and best-known of the many high-IQ societies out there)

WRITER'S WORKSHOP OPEN FOR BUSINESS
The success of my short story, Legacy led to several people asking me for tips on writing style. In response to these requests, the first Writer's Workshop got underway on my blog page on 17 April. Those who missed the initial flurry are still welcome to post questions or comments, as I (and others, in all probability) will be monitoring the page indefinitely. Those who did participate are, of course, also welcome to post additional questions or comments as circumstances warrant.

Participants who don't write or who aren't comfortable advising others on how to write can still contribute. In addition to asking questions, nonwriters or uncertain writers can tell us what they like to see as readers. That's also valuable for writers to know.

The Workshop was so successful that it spawned additional Workshops, with different hosts and focusing on different aspects of writing. My own Workshop includes links to these. In addition, the Writer's Workshop series has been collected into a sidebar menu, under the "Community" section.

I, for one, think it would be great to have an ongoing series of these Workshops, hosted by various people according to their areas of expertise.

Milestones
I won't call these "goals", because I haven't been actively pursuing most of them. An "x" denotes a milestone achieved:

[x] 100 edits - voting eligibility for Featured Story/User/Image/Character

[x] 500 edits - more or less the threshold to be taken seriously as a Featured User candidate

[x] 1,000 edits (I threw a serious bash for this one)

[x] Top Authors listing (achieved 6 June 2010. It might prove temporary, but I can honestly say I've done it.)

[x] Have one of my stories Featured (Legacy, June 2010 Featured Story)

[x] Have one of my stories on the Library menus (Legacy is now a "Modern Classic")

[x] Have a story page with 500 views, not including my own support work (TDI-G&amp;S and Legacy)

[x] Have a story with 1,000 views, not including my own support work


 * (the visit counter stopped working in August, but TDI-G&S has surely hit this mark by now)

[ ] Have a story with 2,000 views, not including my own support work


 * (LTDI is my best bet for this, if the visit counter ever starts working again)

[x] Be a Featured User (July 2010)

[ ] Live a blameless life and die beloved and regretted by all who knew me

Friends List

 * Always as a young man


 * I traveled alone,


 * And I would lose my way;


 * I felt I was rich


 * If I made a friend--


 * No man by himself is happy.


 * --from The Elder Edda (a collection of Viking poetry)

OK, let's see if there's anyone out there who's willing to be seen with "The Old Man of the Wiki".


 * 1) I usually dont care where my user name's seen. You Rock Gideon! Reddude Has... [| Waffles!! :)] [| and SYRUP!] 23:53, February 28, 2010 (UTC) [the first to offer me "friend" status - GC]
 * Eh, nobody really mocks each other here, so props to a great author! Tdirm- Semi-Legendary  Mockery!   NIRVANA EVERYWHERE!  20:54, March 1, 2010 (UTC) [an early champion of my work - GC]
 * 1) Your writing style is one of a kind, at least here. Besides, I already know that age boundaries are meaningless here. -- ☆ HERE'S SPENNY!!   Oh wait, I gotta go!   Cya(n)!  21:23, March 7, 2010 (UTC)
 * 2) I really like your writing, and you're also very nice! -- I sing the song of the fading  silver star...  21:31, March 7, 2010 (UTC) [perhaps the best writer of her age class I have ever encountered - GC]
 * 3) You're an awesome writer, and you're very nice. Goldenshane 22:52, March 7, 2010 (UTC) [another early champion of my work - GC]
 * 4) You are an awesome writer and are a rising star-- Ken zen   Elev  en!  16:58, March 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * 5) We haven't had a lot of interactions, but I enjoy your writing. Sprinklemist Cyan is the new green. 17:00, March 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * 6) You're cool. Boring sig. 19:45, March 9, 2010 (UTC)
 * 7) I'm pretty much everyone's friend on the wiki. Awesome writer! Fanfiction2010 ☆Legendary   Unison buddies!!!   BUNDLES OF ODDNESS EVERYWHERE!  14:51, March 26, 2010 (UTC)
 * 8) We just met recently, but you're cool! -- Koops is here!   Let's sit down and talk!   What I do here!   Let's blog! 
 * 9) I feel your writing is above the standards of mine. I understand how your such a succesful writer on this wikia. You show your best skills in writing and I especially think you are a role model to many writers. I just recently met you and I just recently read Legacy. I will definitley use your writing skills to write my fanfictions.-- OMG! May First is my birthday! 21:41, May 10, 2010 (UTC)
 * 10) To be unique and not continue the whole 'you're a great author and very nice' trend, you're like Santa Claus. You're older than a lot of people on the site, and you seem like a jolly person. And for some reason, I can't get the great white bushy beard out of my head... :)...just kidding! UltimateTORINOR 23:09, May 12, 2010 (UTC)
 * 11) You're a pretty good writer, and you've really helped me out! IK
 * 12) You are an amazing author, you have amazing advice for others, you are well respected by me and many others, so why wouldn't you be my friend? I appreciate what you do for everyone on this wiki, and you are an incredible person. I hope you are proud of the life you are living my friend. :) BocaJ is Here!  I decided to ditch the month signatures...Because I did! 02:06, August 13, 2010 (UTC)
 * 13) Definitely. You have possibly the most unique story on the wiki, and I always spot your feedback on talkpages, including my own. I have no idea why I didn't sign this earlier.