Checkmate?

[Oliver Queen]

You weren't on the same page as the rest of us as far as Checkmate goes. Now you are, and all you had to do was edit one word in one post. That is all that has happened here. No big deal.

If you want to avoid this story arc, that's your prerogative, but I think you're blowing this out of proportion. Being on the same page as your fellow writers is important - that's how writing in a shared sandbox works. Sometimes there are little hiccups along the way, and it's no big deal. If we'd shown up at the Fortress of Solitude, and I had started talking about there being cages full of alien zoo animals, and caves and tunnels like you get in the comics and the cartoons... you would probably have said "oh hey, I was imagining it more like the crystal fortress in the movies", and I would have gone back and edited my post, and it would have been no big deal. Stuff like that happens occasionally.

Me asking people not to mention Checkmate not yet? That's not a rule, that's a favour. I've been waiting three weeks for a reply in the thread that is laying the groundwork for Oliver's stuff, and I am asking my fellow writers to be patient and let me get myself situated before we jump into Checkmate reveals. That's not me trying to stifle everyone's creativity, that's me being stuck in a sucky position, and asking the people I write with to do me a solid for a few weeks. That's all.

There's nothing to be paranoid about. This is a mole hill, no need to make a mountain out of it.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

Don't go anywhere *clings* I'm sorry I'm taking so long to post

[Stephanie Brown]

Honestly, had you done the Fortress thing, I'd of just rolled with it, because I always see that kind of thing as a joined writing effort. The only time I'd ever want to change if it's something very personal to a character and very wrong, but that's just how I am.

I understand that you feel I'm being overdramatic, but I'm not trying to be. It's just that I don't think even you realise quite how heavily planned you've got this really. It's actually very rigid and I feel very stressed writing anything involved in case it's wrong. I just feel it'd be better to step back and write other stories.

[Oliver Queen]

There's not really anything planned, though. I don't get why you think there is?

We have some vague ideas of where we want to go, yeah. We have some ideas of the style of spy agency that Checkmate is, yeah. But there's no rigidity at all. Were you there the other day in the chat, when Holly was saying "I don't know, you'd have to ask Jace", and I didn't have an answer either, because there's no plan?

I know that Checkmate isn't incompetent. You yourself keep kidding about how putting your logo everywhere is stupid. I know that the characters I have in Checkmate aren't dumbasses, so I know they wouldn't do anything that we all agree is a stupid thing for a secret organisation to do. But that's it. That's the extent of our plan: the knowledge that Checkmate aren't dumbasses, and a couple of vague ideas of what might maybe be going on, but nothing that is rigid or immutable.

I don't think you realise how heavily unplanned this all is. If there's extensive planning, I sure as heck don't know what it is. All I know is what I'm doing in the threads immediately in front of my nose. There's no plan.

[Lilaena De'Ville]

My understanding is that Checkmate just wouldn't have a pile of crates marked with their name emblazoned on it - the people with characters in the organization say that would be kind of out of character for Checkmate to do that.

Of course, I expect their HQ to be totally decked out with checkerboard flooring and giant logos, that's just a given.

[Stephanie Brown]

There's a difference between 'planned' and 'rigid'. You may not have it planned, but you have a very clear idea about the kind of thing that is going on and who they are. And it's got nothing to do with just the logo. I just don't feel comfortable writing about something so specific when I'm not on the same wavelength, even if you tell me. I just don't think like that. So I think it's safer to keep my distance.

[Oliver Queen]

Whether or not I have a rigid idea of Checkmate (I really don't) isn't relevant, though.

The story arc that you are stepping away from is about Queen Consolidated, and I have been 100% flexible on that. Holly wanted to do something with drugs, so there's a drug thing. You want to have boxes of sensitive intel stuff, and as long as Checkmate isn't written on the side, you can do whatever the crap you want with that. You suggested that in the thread with Deathstroke, the case contains kryptonite, and I'm going along with that without question, and have ideas for how I can factor that into stuff. Droo is writing Superboy, so I chatted to him about how that fits in with things. Queen Consolidated, which is the actual thing you're writing about... it's a big evil corporation that's experimenting on people. That's it. No plan, no rigidity. If you're seeing anything other than me being unilaterally accommodating to anything that anyone wants to do... you're imagining it.

All I'm asking is that we don't use Checkmate's name yet. That is not remotely unreasonable.

[Stephanie Brown]

Didn't you suggest the kryptonite thing?

And I'm not saying it's unreasonable. I'm just saying I don't trust myself and find it stressful writing something people have solid ideas for.

[Oliver Queen]

I thought it was your idea, but if it was mine... explains why I thought it was such a good one. :P

If you find it stressful writing for something people have a solid idea for though... how do you write anything, ever? People are always going to have a clear picture about certain things. That's just how it works.

From the sound of it though, all you really need to be doing is saying "Hey Jace, I want to do X, would that make sense?" which takes all of five seconds. It's what we all do, that's why we have the AIM chat, that's why we have PMs - or heck, in threads like this, which Holly started because she wasn't sure about stuff. This isn't some sort of exam where you have to do everything on your own without conferring with anybody. If you're not sure, check with someone. It's what I do, it's what everyone else does, and it's easy-peasy. You were saying the other day that you felt left out, but this stuff, this possibility that someone may have thought A, or established B in a thread that you happen to not have read, is always a danger when you collaborate with people. You're in the middle of us chit-chating on AIM every day, you see how much we check with each other to make sure we've got our facts straight - and we do even more in separate AIM convos, in PMs, and all that.

Don't stress over it. Don't back away from stuff. Just ask. We're a team. It's a collaboration, not a contest, you're allowed to lean on the other person for help.

[Supergirl]

You suggested it. I suggested Slade gets away with it after it cracks open .

I think I'll just wait and see. I just don't feel like it atm.