Hello, folks. Apologies for disappearing all of a sudden. Working on a short serial for someone's Christmas gift. And by working, I mean "procrastinating like hell while attempting to beat NiGHTS Journey of Dreams."
Since you're the only active FFotM you would win by default. 8D; Lucky you.
Would Midsummer Knights also count, even though I'm working on a technically different version?
And to add to the survey discussion...
What are your views on the people that only post in this thread to say that their next chapter is up or to ask for a review and never actually take part in the conversation?
Considering I was guilty of it at one point, I really don't mind so much. It's when people start (for lack of a better term) whining that no one reads their fics that those posts get on my nerves (because, really, I don't get a lot of reviews on a daily basis, so I really don't want to see someone complaining that they aren't either). That and I agree with Alter Ego. I find that it's a shame that the only thing they have to say is "plz read my fic!" in the middle of a serious discussion about the elements of a plot, for example. That and it sort of breaks the tone of said serious discussion.
How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
Writer's attitude and general writing record. The profile can also give some indication, as true illiteracy and lack of writing skill really shines through on forums.
^ Word. Usually, I try to look at past posts of the user to see if they're joking or not. If the story
is their first post, I also look at the content. Canon raping (ghetto Ash, liberal abuse of the word censor, smut for no reason, PWP) is a huge indicator, as writers with genuinely bad grammar, from what I observe, usually also stick to the tried-and-true plots (new trainers with Ash-esque beginnings, Mary Sues, fluffy/smutless romances, that sort of thing).
Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?
Go with the flow. Sometimes, a story really can't fit in the same number of chapters as another work of mine, either because there's too much material or too little to call for more than a few chapters.
Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
This depends on the character. I've created characters who bond with their Pokemon as if they're parts of their family or the only creatures in the world they can trust. Likewise, I've created characters who only see Pokemon as pawns or toys and therefore don't get too attached past the master-servant relationship. It depends completely on what the story calls for. (After all, there's all kinds of people in the world, ranging from the bat **** crazy PETA members Yamato-san was talking about to the equally bat **** crazy artists who find mutilating cats to be a form of unique visual expression. Why should my worlds be limited to even a happy medium?)
How do you treat the subject of character death?
Depends on the story and the characters. Background characters may die for the sake of exactly what Yamato-san had brought up: to emphasize that the world I've created isn't the Happy Bunny Candy Land that Ash lives in. Main characters die for major plot reasons, and they will naturally be treated with more respect by the other characters than the complete strangers that died off screen. That isn't to say that death is taken lightly for some as compared to others. Just that every death serves a purpose to add to the story.
Obviously, I have absolutely no problem with killing off my characters, but I need a reason for doing it. Same thing goes with injuring them. I may be a sadist, but I know all too well that a story just doesn't get the same effect if I go
Elfen Lied on everyone I create.
Do you occasionally use religious symbolism in fiction, original or otherwise, or do you draw paralells to religious beliefs?
Viola is a Jesus figure.
If I can find a reason to, I don't see why not. I'm very fond, for example, of the story of Lilith and the Book of Revelations (although I'm ironically not Christian) and will happily use either if the story calls for it.
The problem is I don't usually find a reason to, save for the occasional "using the Lord's name in vain" bit. Prophecies just aren't my thing anymore, and it's incredibly awkward to fit religious allusions into futuristic or sci-fi fanfiction.
If you ever use music in your fan fiction, do you allow it to be real music, like something made by Paul McCartney, or do you create your own singer/band/song?
Again, with Yamato-san here. Although I don't often use music in my writing (because I really don't find a reason to, as few of my characters ever sit around and listen to music), I tend to like creating soundtracks for my work. Unfortunately, by "soundtracks," I mean "music by actual, record-producing artists" and not talent I happen to know and hire. (With that said, yes, Midsummer Knights has an opening and closing theme. What they are, I'll never tell.)
When I
do fit in music, however, I just go with real musicians (a couple dancing to Frank Sinatra, Bill getting bored and playing Bach on a piano, a girl singing karaoke to the Go-Gos, that sort of thing) because my attempts at creating Pokemon-related band names have always been lame (the Volbeats instead of the Beatles, for example).
