The PokéCommunity Forums

The PokéCommunity Forums (https://www.pokecommunity.com/index.php)
-   Writer's Lounge (https://www.pokecommunity.com/forumdisplay.php?f=120)
-   -   Old attempt at a fanfic... should I redo? (https://www.pokecommunity.com/showthread.php?t=156262)

Venia Silente October 6th, 2008 11:56 PM

Old attempt at a fanfic... should I redo?
 
My greetings to everyone here.

I am new to the forums, I was an avid anonymous reader of this community, as well as others (Serebii etc) for a while, but decided to join here (PS: people told me it was a good choice;)).

Well, basically I've read the guidelines and recommendations for writing FF, and I decided it would be great if I could rehash or otherwise redo my only, unreleased, Pokémon fic to date. It was essentially an OT (although I have to say I'm still proud of it because I wrote it well, neat and consistent years before having read a fanfic tutoria, guidelines or the like), but I want to, somehow, "spinoff" it, by changing he perspective to that of the antagonist, and rewriting it in media res. Let me summarize:

"Darius" is a Trainer with already a lot of experience. He comes from a noncannon region. Now, he entered the Kanto League, as he want the chance to enjoy a completely new land. However briefly after getting his 4th badge, he and other trainers receive invitations to a secret meeting. There they are offered with the opportunity of a lifetime: to join Team Rocket. The three other trainers are given specific tasks to fulfill as profiling, but Darius is led to an interview with the leader of the organization who grants him with a special task: he has to enter the Kanto Tournament, and defeat in battle a trainer called "Lou" who happens to be an old time friend who has unexpectedly come back to Pokémon battles after some years of isolation.

As of this point, I have start-in-the-middle factor kick in, as at the same time Darius prepares for the upcoming tournament and tries to locate and study his old friend, he is left wondering why would Team Rocket assign him with a test that for them would offer no apparent purpose more than a simple and menial proficiency test would. He backtracks on his days as a beginner trainer, on the memories he has about his home, his adventures, and his starter rivals, trying to determine what does Lou mean, both for Team Rocket and for himself... is he a rival? a target? a threat? a friend? He has to discover what he really wants versus what he is really being offered, in the light of a battle that would decide his future life.

See? Told you... an OT. Maybe another kind of it, if it works I'd callit it an "OR" ("Original Rocket")--- So here I draw two groups of questions. I hope the veterans here can provide me with advice.

First Question Set: Writing related
  1. Does this sound plausible for a story? Does it sound workable?
  2. As I said, the original was a newbie OT, you know, with all that "wake in the morning, see your local Professor in pajamas, get your starter and road up". How much care would I need if I'm going to treat those elements as flashbacks?
  3. I'm fluent with English, but not perfect (not my natural language). Of course redoing this work I expect to serve as a great ability boost... or should I try writing something else and leave this for later (or maybe never)?
  4. Last but no less important: do you think something like what I have proposed would be interesting to read? Does it sound cliché, or too overdone?

Second Question Set: Pokémon World Related

The work is to be ambiented in Kanto "some time". There may be some cannon characters, I have not yet decided. But I have some problems with the concept of my trainers being "foreigners", and for the sake of me I can't remember what do the Pokémon canon say about this, so I'll cry for help here:

Does the canon/games/animé...
  1. ...establish that a foreign trainer can simply enter to a new region's League? I can't remember if Ash had to do any kind of task to being admitted in the Johto or Hoenn leagues. Həck, I don't ever remember if he had to register!
  2. Is the order of the towns/gyms mandatory and the same as in the games, meaning, you have and must to start eg. in Pallet Town by interviewing the "Local Professor" and then to walk your way around Pewter, Cerulean, etc... in that order? Or can a trainer, let's see, a Johto trainer, begin his journey from Mahogany?
  3. Was anything ever said about how Team Rocket/Magma/Aqua/MarySue recruited members? I don't believe they just sat on a table and filled a subscription form. But I can't get into my head what kind of "test" would Aqua/Magma apply to potential members. Just to make sure I'm not going too much off-the hook.

Well... I hope you can help me answer those questions, they will be decisive in my decision (not to self: improve on lexic) to wheher continue or scrap the idea.

Very seriously thanks in advance!

An-chan October 7th, 2008 12:54 PM

I'm still kind of new to this stuff, really, but I'll try to help you anyway. I know a lot about stories - I have a lifelong experience, after all - but not that much about Pokémon fanfics. I hope I don't turn out all noobish and all.

First answear set:
1. It sounds plausible and very well workable. If you write it well and make the characters with care and effort, it'll be a great fic, I think. Just don't make it pseudo-deep with the part about meanings and all that. Pseudo-deepness never ends up looking very nice.

2. I think doing the OT-part with flashbacks is an awesome way to approach it, as no-one wants to read a fic that starts like that anymore. I don't think it needs more care than any other parts: you have to assimilate (eek, borgs!) the flashbacks to the story in appropriate places - I would think either chronologically or in places that somehow associate with the contents of the flashback - and somehow make them distinguishable from the other text. That's not a big job, really.

3. Why not write this? Not writing it properly will haunt you forever! Or if it won't, then, well, I guess it doesn't matter what you write anyway. I'm not a native English speaker either, so I know how frustrating it can be when you just can't remember that one crucial word that would make your fic so much better... I think you should go with this idea. Try, at least. How can you know if you don't try?

4. Ah, but it depends. I believe that you can write well and you seem to be sensible and smart, too, so I would also suspect that you can do this one well. If it's written well, has a plausible and somewhat interesting plot and well-written and thoroughly thought characters, I don't see a reason for it to be uninteresting to read.

Second set:
1. In Pokémon fanfics, everything doesn't need to be thought over :laugh: I mean, if even the anime makers haven't really spent much time on thinking about that, maybe you shouldn't either. Although I do have an idea about this if you need one: even the starting trainers don't really sign up to anything, so I guess the qualification comes from getting all the 8 badges. So you start by getting the first badge and then go on until you have reached the state where you are qualified to enter the real Pokémon League. It's the same for every region, so you don't need to notify anyone if you change regions. Does that sound plausible?

2. I think the order of the gyms is just a recommendation. You probably could get the badges in any order, but it would be fairly impossible to beat the eight'h one with lvl 7 pokémon. or then it could be that the badge you get makes it possible for you to get the next one, if you know what I mean. You need the first to get the second and so on. I don't know which would be more sensible of an explanation, so you go with whatever you want (like you'd need my permission for that...)

3. Nothing was ever said about that. Well, officially, that is. The internet has a vast diversity of Pokémon hacks that center on the player becoming a Team Rocket/Magma/etc member. I haven't looked into those that much, so I don't know. I've just bumped into them, so I know there are a lot of those. You should try searching for some if you want to know what others came up with. However, I think your version of it is completely plausible and well thought, so I don't see any reason for not using it.

As for the canon cameos, I think Prof. Oak would be an easy one. Bill would be awesome if you did it well. Also I think you could use some really minor character, like some of the yougsters you have to battle in the games, and let him make an appearance as a grownup. Or something. I'm not an expert since I've never played the first games. Well, yet.


I hope I was even remotely helpful to you. I'm not exactly a veteran like you requested, but I can still do something. Hopefully someone more experienced will answear to your plea. Then I would be like a first aid kit! :laugh:

Good luck with writing! ^-^

Venia Silente October 14th, 2008 1:16 PM

Thanks An-chan for the suggestions. As noone else as exactly voiced their opinions, I'm going to take the challenge based on your suggestions and work on the rewriting for the remainder of the month. I might actually release the prologue by the end of the week, if RL doesn't further interfere.

Then, I may apply for a Beta reader. I haven't actually given much thought to that option.

Part of what makes the flashback thing an interesting approach, I think, is that it will allow me to explore and expand the characters' persnalities by revealing partial, and sometimes biased perceptions, that can then be complemented with the events of the "present". Kinda like, when you suddenly see a friend's face in a magazine, and you say to yourself "Oh, I'd swear his eyes were blue, not brown", and things like that.

And thanks for the idea of checking on Pokémon hacks. Now how couldn't I think of that before?

Well... I guess it's time to get back to work, then. If anyone else wants to give suggestions, I'm all a Nidorino's ears, I'll need them.

Bye!

Post Office Buddy October 14th, 2008 6:54 PM

Hello, and welcome to PFF. I don't know if I can really be classified as a veteran, as I have only been here since March or April, but I am confident in my abilities as a writer/reviewer. I hope that my answers below will help you decide what you will do with your fiction...

First Question Set: Writing related

  1. Just about anything is plausible for a story. The only limitation is what you do with it.
  2. If you wanted to treat them as flashbacks, then I see no reason not to. Well, provided that you do it well, at least. There's no real rule saying that you should do the flashbacks chronologically, but most people do it that way. If you were to do flashbacks, I would suggest separating it from the rest of the section by italicizing the font and beginning it with a brief description of the scene. For example, you could say It was a cold winter morning, the light sheet of snow reflecting the sunlight into (character's) eyes. That seems the best way to do it, at least that I have seen, but you're free to use any technique you choose.
  3. If you are doing this to improve your English, then I see no reason not to do it. Even if that weren't the case, I would still write it if the idea persists. By presenting your work to the community, you allow it to be critiqued and seen from a different perspective than your own. The comments left will give you an idea of what you need to fix, thus helping you become a better writer.
  4. I really do think it will be an interesting read. Few fics I have seen involve the main character as a member of a team of villains. I want to see where you can take this.
Second Question Set: Pokémon World Related
  1. I really don't know what canon dictates. I never really paid much attention to the anime or manga, so I may not be the best source for this one. However, what's to stop you from creating your own registration process? You could, for example, create a written test that the main character must take before being allowed to catch and train Pokemon in the region.
  2. If you have played the original three games (Red, Blue, and Yellow) or Fire Red/Leaf Green, then you will surely remember that you can get the badges in a different order than suggested. I believe Sabrina's badge was before Koga's on the trainer card, yet you could get Koga's first, and vice versa. This leads me to believe that you can, in fact, get any badge at any time. But, as An Chan said above, you have to take the leader's power into consideration.
  3. I've never seen anything saying how they recruit members, so that would be up to your own interpretation. As I said above with trainer registration, you could go about it in any way you choose.
I hope this has been a help to you. I can't wait to see your fiction on the forums!

Oh, and if you need one, I'll be a beta-reader for you. I noticed that you mentioned applying for one. I'll just make it easier on you and offer right here.


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 3:46 AM.


Like our Facebook Page Follow us on Twitter © 2002 - 2018 The PokéCommunity™, pokecommunity.com.
Pokémon characters and images belong to The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo. This website is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Nintendo, Creatures, GAMEFREAK, The Pokémon Company or The Pokémon Company International. We just love Pokémon.
All forum styles, their images (unless noted otherwise) and site designs are © 2002 - 2016 The PokéCommunity / PokéCommunity.com.
PokéCommunity™ is a trademark of The PokéCommunity. All rights reserved. Sponsor advertisements do not imply our endorsement of that product or service. User generated content remains the property of its creator.

Acknowledgements
Use of PokéCommunity Assets
vB Optimise by DragonByte Technologies Ltd © 2023.