Fanfiction Lounge

It's rather dusty in here. :{

Personally, I'm fine with the amount of words necessary for the challenge being 7k words. It depends on what the prompt is (and obviously, the option of "another fandom" isn't going to be allowed) to make me even able to reach that high of an amount of words.

For now, it would be good to keep the amount needed low, until we all actually get used to the schedule. This is a way to get us all to write on a schedule, right?

I'd help out :P

Still despite my newbiness here ;)

Perhaps to make the 7k words somewhat easier (1k a day?), the canon could be based on certain things, to at least narrow down focus. As an example, one could refer to the anime. Thank god I have all summer though Oo lol (aside from work). I'd also want to write on pen and paper, but porting it to the computer isn't fun. Rather I'd just plan on paper. Though I do hope they have a word program like thing for the DSiWare soon... cause I'm going on vacation.

I liked the idea of the Serial game, accept the current story that it's headed in, is something I probably won't continue otherwise (but hey that is one of the many reasons why it is created, haha).

/me removes dirty thoughts of sticks and other things out of head.

Hmm, that idea sounds interesting. I'm a big fan of anything that makes me feel like I have to write (such as the corpses and that Serebii contest I did last year) so a mini-NaNoWriMo would be interesting, especially since doing the real one has been something I've thought about before. I know there's no way in hell I'd be able to do that, though. 50k words is twice the length of what TFC has right now, and...that'd just be insane.

7k, on the other hand, is right about my current average chapter length. (Which is actually about 8k but whatever. More is better.) Depending on my mood and all it can take me a month or more to write one of these chapters, but I know I can be faster as evidenced by how fast I was at the start of TFCv2, as well as the increased speed I've been writing lately. I had to rewrite half of what I already had for TRINITY chapter 3 and have since added probably about as much, to the point where I plan on finishing it up in the next day or two. All of this was on top of finishing TFC chapter 4, and this has all happened in the span of just about a week since I got out of school. Plus, I've still had plenty of time for video games, wondering how the hell I managed to get an A in Calculus 2 since my calculations say that even if I aced the final (which has never happened for me EVER, in any class) I still should have gotten a B unless I'm grossly underestimating the unknown total grade for the quiz/homework portion, and even reading AEM. :D

So yeah, I'd be interested and think that 7k in a week is fine. For reference, that's about 12 to 13 pages for me, although depending on how "dense" your writing is it'll vary. I write somewhat dense with longer paragraphs for description, so I'm probably on the low-end of the spectrum there regarding page counts. (Not counting the people who don't space right <_<). I'm guessing the average for most people would be closer to 15. In other words, the people who find that they can't write one single piece (be it a one-shot or a chapter) for longer than five pages might want to stay away, unless their writing is dense enough that it's in danger of collapsing on itself. (Actually, I just went through one of my chapters and after removing all line breaks I only got up to 4k in five pages, and by that point it was already the worst wall of text I've ever seen.)

7000 words in a week sounds good; less per day than NaNoWriMo and for less time, which makes it easier to participate, but still a challenge that will get something done. I like it.

So apparently Mastermind got locked on another forum I post my fics on due to neglect. A sudden influx of members came in due to Platinum being released and started making a lot more threads, which means my fic threads are dropping like rocks. So now I may actually have to update frequently to keep them from being closed.

I think that's good, actually. No more six-month hiatuses for me.

Yeah, 7k sounds like a good amount to go for.

And txteclipse, that sucks. Huh, I thought many people would make HGSS threads. O.o

7k in a week... that's perfectly reasonable. Still a challenge, but not overwhelmingly daunting (NaNoWriMo just seemed impossible the first time I tried it--I failed utterly xD)

So apparently Mastermind got locked on another forum I post my fics on due to neglect. A sudden influx of members came in due to Platinum being released and started making a lot more threads, which means my fic threads are dropping like rocks. So now I may actually have to update frequently to keep them from being closed.

I think that's good, actually. No more six-month hiatuses for me.

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Did the fic just get locked? Or was it several weeks ago when Platinum came out and you just realized today?

Did the fic just get locked? Or was it several weeks ago when Platinum came out and you just realized today?

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I'm assuming it was a while ago. I went to check on it and lo and behold, the reply button was crossed out. There had been no replies since like...last October?

So... minichallenge? 7k words sounds nice. What I'm more interested right now is the trigger- I think it will be decisive to overcome my current WritersBlock.

txt, I'm sorry to hear about what happener to your Mastermind, a story that I found just one month ago.

txt, I'm sorry to hear about what happener to your Mastermind, a story that I found just one month ago.

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Meh, it's nobody's fault but mine, really. It might even make me write faster. Wouldn't that be a trip?

Meh, it's nobody's fault but mine, really. It might even make me write faster. Wouldn't that be a trip?

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Indeed. You're starting to trip me out there just with the mere idea. Dude. But may you get some progress donw on your fic now and all, I suppose. =)

Guys, I got a quick question. How you think a Pokemon's type is determined? For instance, why would a Lucario be a Steel and Fighting type? Is it biological or something else?

Reason I asked this is because the OT fic I'm planning is going to be loosely based off the Delta Species card series and on those decks a lot of Pokemon are categorized into a different type than they're usually are (for instance a water type Togetic card). I'm thinking of Team Rocket some way able to change a Pokemon's type based on info from Holon (the region setting of the Delta Species cards). Also, as to why Team Rocket is because I'm going to have the fic set at Johto (I blame HGSS news XD; )

If you're wondering, no you don't need to know too much about the card games I mentioned. In short, all you need to know is Team Rocket is going to try some way to messed up a Pokemon's type. XD;

Wellll, a Pokemon evolves to adapt like any normal living creature in our world. Riolu may not have been tough enough (the little guy probably has tons of people wanting to take advantage of his still-growing aura ability), so he gained a steel typing to better defend himself. [/lousyanswer]

(A better example would be the Eeveelutions, but I'll end up droning xD)

Bay said:

Guys, I got a quick question. How you think a Pokemon's type is determined?

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I tend to think it's biological. *Lanee's theory for Darwin-esque evolution is part of it, where the younger forms like Azurill might gain/change types through Pokémon evolution to either better defend themselves against threats or based completely on environment. (For example, Steel-types might have better resistances to the weather/harsh climates in general, so if a Lucario trained in harsh conditions, Riolu would need to gain that extra type in order to better adapt.) For Pokémon that don't change type, it's probably just an affinity related to environment, need, or just basic body structure. (Like how Starly's a Normal/Flying because it's an ordinary bird. With wings. And therefore the ability to control wind.)

Incidentally, haven't forgotten about the challenge. I've read over the suggestions, and basically, this is what I'm planning:

Format
Seven-day (Midnight Sunday -> 11:59 PM Saturday -- either your local time or mine) challenge in which writers need to get 7k+ words down before midnight each Sunday.

Genre
Pretty much all-genres, any canon you want. All of them need to be Pokémon fics, however. (I'm not entirely sure it'd be easier to force people into one set canon, Feign. Some people are a bit more comfortable writing in mangaverse as opposed to gameverse, for example. So, I figure if you can figure out what works for you, feel free.)

Prompts?
To be honest, I'm not sure about this one. It'd be helpful, but I'm thinking maybe it should be optional so we don't end up like the Fanfiction Challenges and just so we have a bit more freedom.

Threads
There will, of course, be a discussion thread to post in for when you should be doing your speed challenge. I'm thinking we could also post links to our work there, and the first/second post can list entries. It'll probably end up in the main forum. Maybe.

Also, yeah, you'd get to put your submissions in your own threads. There will be shiny tags to put in your titles.

Y/N? Suggestions?

The developers did it.

No, wait...

Given that Pokémon entities are strongly typed as far back as Arceus + plates, I'd say that the differentiation between types is a projected attribute around a Pokémon's better compatibility with certain kind of energies in the hierarchy of energy in the Pokémon world. In pretty much the same way there is a distinction of primary elemental forces in our world, ranging from gravity - the weakest but more encompassing - to weak/strong nuclear energy, and how some natural constructs seem to be better designed to operate via a specific kind of energy (for example, orientation systems in organic beings seems to be more energy-efficient when related to gravity, as can be seen with cats, locust and large mammals, whereas when precision is required, electromagnetic dependance seems to be the best option, as demonstrated by birds).

The key difference is that unlike our universe, the hierarchy of energy in the Pokémon world is non-pyramidal, and not based on strength to begin with. Some of these distinctions may stem from the driving of energy (Psychic, Dark, Electric), whereas some others may be simply the result of adaptions in organic (Pokémon-wise) systems (such as Ground, Flying and Grass).

If we take the idea that Mew = Ancestor, Pokémon with different types may be an adaption of different Mew offspring to better handle such kind of energies when interacting with each other. That may lead to some Pokémon to become "two-typed". Some Pokémon may take a role in nature that, upon evolution, requires them to be even more fit to a certain kind of energy containment or manipulation, thus they may gain or drop a type. Looking carefully, evolutionary lines where type changes do occur are ones where the change itself is essentially induced by an external agent (Stones, etc), although the evolutionary lines involving large-system adaption seem to be excempt from this: see Charizard/Salamence (gain Flying), for example.

Then again, I may have got the thing backwards and typing is a manifestation of these energies that by itself shapes Pokémon design and evolution when it defines a purpose, which may be like saying that Mew descendants adapted because they were affected by typing. Look at Celebi, who can travel through time and seems to have no further purpose than to represent and protect flora: there is no apparent reason for the Psychic type to be there (it could have been Water or Ground, for that matter), at least I don't see how psychic power is required for time-travel. But maybe the particular need to protect flora across time and to therefore gather a large amount of information this way leads to the Psychic type gaining prominence at the moment of "design" of this particular species.

Or I am just rambling, which wouldn't be so strange to begin with.

Either way, I think "typing" is not as much a biological differentiation as a design one, where the organism is seen as of a certain type because it is more fit to handle a certain kind of primal, distinct and well defined energy source or manipulation that was there to begin with.

EDIT: Dang it! After all my rant, I was ninjaed by Valentine who wrote the opposite, sort of. Whatever. I support the idea of the thread, and I thing the format is OK, whereas I still think a trigger of sorts would be welcome.

I'm not entirely sure it'd be easier to force people into one set canon, Feign. Some people are a bit more comfortable writing in mangaverse as opposed to gameverse, for example.

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There's also the matter that sometimes, a prompt calls for a character from a particular universe. Sometimes, an author sees a prompt, and it automatically speaks to them in the voice of a particular character who is only seen in one part of the universe, or the particular personality of a multi-verse character that is only in one particular universe.

Now, in this moment, I am going to admit my ignorance on all knowledge of writing, and admit that I'm still a bit confused on the qualities that make a character a Sue. This is further explained by actually mentioning my problem.

My main character is just a basic trainer. She doesn't do anything special. She has no special qualities to her that make her even come off as a Sue. My one problem is that the plot of the fic I'm currently writing about her has her meet a "Legendary" Pokemon (Legendary is in quotes because it is not any one of the actually Legendary mythological Pokemon, but is the human-created Mewtwo). And the meeting is not one that makes her a Chosen One, where afterward she has to save the world from any sort of danger.

So I guess what my question can be is if meeting a Legendary one-of-a-kind Pokemon is an automatic sign that the character is a Sue. I would like to say "No", because previous readings have lead me to believe it, but I figure that right now I am looking for reassurance and advice. (I also say "No", because I know that my plot doesn't call for my character to be a Chosen One, so I know she is safe, but [future] readers don't know that.)

I wouldn't think so.

Not if she doesn't go all "I will save the world!" after it.

I'm inclined to agree - meeting a legendary Pokemon doesn't make for a Mary Sue. It's just one of the things Mary Sues tend to do, methinks. Given the descriptionn of the plans you have for her, seems fine to me. =) 'Course, you have to be careful with it and all. *shot for stating the obvious*

I had some weird ideas recently, heh. One even involves a guy with a split personality. Of course, I wouldn't know how to go about that exactly. XD Not that I have too much time to write right at the moment.

Valentine said:

I'm not entirely sure it'd be easier to force people into one set canon, Feign. Some people are a bit more comfortable writing in mangaverse as opposed to gameverse, for example. So, I figure if you can figure out what works for you, feel free.

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That's no problem :)

The only thing is that I wouldn't want to see the fic turn into a Pokemorph story... >.>

For the Legendary Pokemon thing, to make it less coincidental, one could write it where, it was the Legendary instigating the meeting, or it was a chance encounter. Instead of something like "I'm going to search for every legendary Pokemon." hence the legendariness. Or you could also take its pokedex into account, like how Articuno saves people in danger in rough winter storms in the mountains. Which further legitimizes the use of a Legendary.

Yeah, I don't think meeting a Legendary would make a character a Sue. As long as the plot doesn't have the Legendary be all following the Chosen One and such, you should do fine.

In that Delta Species fic I mentioned earlier, I'm actually thinking about main characters to meeting up with a Legendary by chance and then all of a sudden they have to save it from Team Rocket capturing it again (the Legendary was caught before but then broke out). Think Pokemon Chronicles. XD