Fanfiction Lounge Page 193

Started by ^^NICK^^ v.2.0 September 6th, 2003 7:57 PM
  • 882196 views
  • 15269 replies

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
How do you choose what fan fiction you are going to read? Randomly, or is it organised?
"Ooh! Pretty title!"

Um... Yeah. I'm easily distracted.

And if it's a friend's fic or a fic I know contains a character I like, I'll read it then too.

Anyways, I felt really impatient, so I decided to post my fan fiction, chapter one... I know you said you'd pre-read it Jax, but I have somehow messed up my e-mail account... If you want, you can do chapter two instead.
Perfectly fine by me. I'll try to sit down to read chapter one as soon as I get a free moment. I see it's already got five stars and six replies, which makes it look awesome just from a glance at the cover (so to speak), buuuut I'll wait until it's not 1:15 in the morning.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?
Break at least 30k words for NaNoWriMo. Yes, I'm doing it again next year. No, I never learn.

Also, it'd be nice to actually break my chapter limit for a work. I'm already about halfway there with one certain epic, although I'm planning another alongside it that I'm extremely excited about.

At which point, my third resolution is to actually start and release that other work I have in mind, rather than stew on it and then scrap it again like I did with Project: Firefly.

And my fourth and final resolution: I'm doing a collab fic. Actually finish my chapter and send it off on time so my partner can do his. The saint I'm working with doesn't mind the delays, but it'd be nice to actually continue the project.
Professional ninja. May or may not actually be back. Here for the snark and banter at most.

Need some light reading?
Anima Ex Machina (Chapter 20 now available)
The Leaf Green Incident (SWC 2012 winner)
Braid (Creepypasta apparently)
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Saffire Persian

Feline of Light and Shadow

Age 35
Female
Utah
Seen November 6th, 2011
Posted June 2nd, 2010
140 posts
17.6 Years
Ah ha ha ha, Bay. :x I'm on the case with the beta work. It's just that I got a new video game that's really good, innovative, and fun to play. So I've gotten lazy. Plus, I got a new book by a certain author that I'm obsessed over.
New video game? Do tell.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?

I'll be damned if I don't get at least eight chapters of my Nanowrimo fic done and posted. Ah, and working more on Metamorphosis, too. The story can't die because I'm distracted by other works and life in general.

Battle ye not with a monster, lest ye become one.

txteclipse

The Last

Age 32
Riverside
Seen March 23rd, 2023
Posted November 2nd, 2016
2,322 posts
15.7 Years
What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?

I want to take my time getting to the parts at the end of my book that I already have structured out in my head. In other words, slow and steady is the key (although not too slow). I have rushed a few chapters, I'll admit, so I don't want to do that anymore.

I also want to keep my ever-increasing wonder of the world ever-increasing. I don't want to get bored of the things around me, so I'll try to find things to interest me. I've been doing a good job of it so far (too good, you might say), but I want it to continue. I don't want to be dragged to the depths of monotony that ritual and familiarity can so easily cause, as has happened to me too often.

/end cheesy monologue. And yes, that is correlated with writing, although you probably knew that.
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
New video game? Do tell.
Drawn To Life. It's a game where nearly everything is created by the player. You draw the hero, the weapons, the vehicles the hero uses in the world. It's for the DS, and I know that you have trouble getting your hands on the DS, Saff. (Still have your Glameow that you requested, to let you know.)

Of course, now I just installed The Sims: Unleashed on my laptop. ^^; So there's another game I love playing.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?
Actually post my fic on the day I decided on. I figured that if I had a certain date in mind that I wanted to post the fic on, then I would actually get my lazy bum in gear and do something. So far, it worked.

Avatar credit: Fairy

Alter Ego

that evil mod from hell

Age 35
Touhou land, grazing danmaku all the way
Seen August 8th, 2010
Posted June 4th, 2010
5,751 posts
17.9 Years
YAY!!! My posts make two more people their b****es. Ii kanji da na~. ^^
Well, if reading's all it takes then that would make a female dog for the posts of everyone in this thread. xD *Shot*

the idea of Pokemon saying their names is actually an anime cliche.... several mascot-like characters will say their own name (or some phrase) to seem cute (it doesn't even need to be the only thing they say... instead, it could work as a Japanese sentence particle or ending, as you can see with Nyaasu/Meowth in the Japanese version of the anime). Also, unlike what the English dub would have you believe, a lot of Pokemon don't call out their whole names in some drone-like fashion.... instead, a lot of Pokemon in the original version will only say a fragment of their name sounded out like an animalistic call (Juptor/Grovyle says "Jururururu" in growling tone). It's still an oddity that their calls resemble even part of their name (and we can't act as if Pokemon were named after their calls, since nearly all Pokemon are named after actual words, in both Japan and English-speaking countries... I can assume the French and German names have meaning as well), but again, it's an anime cliche. I guess most people just go with it in the end. And if it really bugs anyone, there's nothing in canon to suggest they must say their names (as a matter of fact, in the video games and the Special manga, they only tend to growl).
Well, there are cases when an animal's cry actually sounds like their name. At least...there's one case. Ever heard a gecko's cry? It sounds just like "geck-O!". :3 But yeah, that's an exception. I usually go for the part-of-name approach myself (In case where I could imagine part of the name actually sounding like their cry, like with Murkrow), but yeah...some are just a bit too far-fetched. It's just at the same time...well, even in the manga and games they seem to respond to their species names right from the get-go (though the latter is obviously a practical simplification) so I was sort of looking for some way to explain that with the name thing. xD

And like...that mascot thing sounds familiar. I think I saw something about that in a Digimon fansub, come to think of it. But yeah, thanks for clearing that up. I always found the saying their names bit a tad strange, but then everyone seemed to be doing it so I figured it was convention. xD

As for the idea of Pokemon knowing their own name when called out by a human.... I brought up how Pokemon seem to already know attacks earlier, so it's not hard to imagine they have their species names imprinted in their minds (if they don't have a small grasp on human languages altogether). Remember, I also suggested the idea of relating Pokemon training to dog training earlier. Pokemon could realistically come to understand their name and attack commands over time.
So...it could be some kind of genetic memory? I guess, though having such terms still sounds like it would be genetic memory created by a long period of domestication. Ehh...come to think of it, I think I'll go with understanding human language. It covers more ground so I'll have to make less excuses. xD

Well, I was thinking more along the lines of fans or pumps inside the pipes which they might use to get water around to the different locations, but I know nothing about water systems so I'm just assuming they'd exist. :P
That makes two of us. I suppose that sort of thing could exist, but then I don't know squat about pipes either so I can't be sure. I think I'll just stick to Qwilfish travelling through the pipes and sort of skip over the details of their interior, no need to let such little details interfere with a good scheme. :3

Well, the problem with that is that then you'd have to explain how the wings grow and how they manage to levitate themselves... I mean, they're not psychic or anything. :P

I have a theory that their cells can absorb lighter-than-air gases--say, something like hydrogen--and when their cells build up enough of these gases then it enables them to float. Flying seems seems to be a matter of choice for them, though, so I haven't quite worked out how they manage to control to absorption enough that they can choose when they want to fly or not... but anyway.
Well, they might not be psychic, but they do have those weird orbs of theirs that supposedly give them the power to control weather, so I suppose they can at least manipulate the flying conditions in their favor. As for absorbing gases...that sounds like they'd have to absorb a heckuva' lot of gas, because the pokémon flying with that principle (Koffing and Weezing) are really only a kind of organic balloon with a very thin skin and -- presumably -- some kind of brain suspended within it, the rest being vacuous space for gases. This means that they have very little mass, and even so the gases only let them float, not really fly. Dragonair, on the other hand, are supposed to have fully solid bodies, so like...this sort of reminds me of the biology/physics/chemistry cross-science experiment I was involved in back in the IB. You see, we were going by the hypothesis that if you eat your chocolate cold enough, the amount of energy that your body would use to heat up the chocolate would equal the amount of energy you receive from consuming it, meaning no calorie absorption and thus no fat gain from eating the chocolate, regardless of how much you took. In principle, it works, in practice we found that you'd have to freeze the chocolate to a temperature somewhere below absolute zero, so...it wasn't very feasible. xD

But we did get to eat the excess research material, so it was a good experiment all things said. :3

So yeah, everything theoretically viable won't work in practice. Nice theory, though. ^^

As for pokemon calling themselves/each other pokemon--I like to think not. In fact I tend to think that they have different designations for things like cities, pokeballs, Pokemon Centres, etc. I generally have pokemon call themselves 'Kin' if referring to pokemon in general, and then 'brethren' when referring to one of their own type, right down to the generic 'pack' or 'eyrie' or whatever for their family groups and/or trainer and team (if they're human-owned). Haven't managed to figure out what they call each other if referring to specific species, though... about all I know is how eeveelutions refer to one another (eg, eevee=='cousin of the wilderness', vaporeon=='cousin of the lake').

I kind of view it as a separate 'culture', even though I also generally see pokemon as being intelligent enough to understand human speech too, so in time they would learn the human way of saying things. :P
Hmm...that's a good point about the learning bit (Hey, I've been preaching for the whole 'smart pokémon' thing since day one, so...xD), though that would always be restricted to explaining the behavior of individual pokémon or groupings of pokémon. (Like this one pokémon I wrote (a Spinarak, unless my memory is failing me) who always spoke with a ridiculous amount of dramatic flair because she lived in a theater and picked it up from overhearing all the plays. :3) But yeah, the species-to-species thing is still a puzzler. Ehh...I suppose the terms are open to interpretation since they are sort of pokémon-culture-dependent? I do agree that just going by pokémon seems odd for a pokémon who's never been acquainted with the word.

How do you choose what fan fiction you are going to read? Randomly, or is it organised?

I...sort of browse around. If I see something new by an author I like then I will feel inclined to start there, sometimes I may take a look at a much-praised fanfic just to see what all the fuss is about, but otherwise I just click at threads that seem to be of a suitable size for my tastes. And...I'll have to admit that formating is very important for my interest in reading a fic. If I see a neatly formated, professional-looking fic I'll feel inclined to read, whereas a mess of writing all bunched together makes me feel inclined to backtrack and look for something else.

And...well, if the formatting looks like a kindergartener's first collage project (Meaning a bunch of random font changes, colors, smilies, and sprites) then a part of my soul dies and I have to leave my computer for a moment to mourn it.


Seriously, few things make me resent a fic like bad formatting. The way I see it, it's proof that the author either a) can't be arsed to spend a few minutes of their life in organizing their messy thoughts into a presentable shape, or b) thinks that knowing how to use font and color change tags somehow improves their writing. >.< Seriously, when I look at a fic, I'm interested in the writing. Not the color of the font, not slapdash sprites; the writing. Anything that detracts from it just serves to lower my opinion of the fic. :\

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?

Resolution? Get some bloody chapters written and get something posted. That's it.

Seriously, I've been unable to concentrate on actually writing my fic for several weeks now and it's driving me up the walls, because I really want to get that first chapter written before I have to go. >.< I've already executed three different prologues, one opening chapter, and two main protagonists, and I'd hate for all their sacrifices to be in vain.

So yeah, I guess my big fanfic resolution would be get chapter one written before the 7th of January. :3


And yes, in case there are some here who haven't heard of it yet, I'm due for an extended absence/low activity period. Six months, to be precise, because that's the minimal amount of compulsory military service that I must undergo. After the first few weeks I get weekends off, but my activity will still probably be very limited. My apologies to anyone who may be inconvenienced by this, but I really don't have a choice in the matter. (Well, unless you consider one year of crappy communal job doing goodness knows what, goodness knows where, for below-minimum wage or two years of prison for deserting to be options, but I really don't. <.<) This is also, in a way, the reason for my lack of reviewing activity lately, as I've largely been wrapped up in exchanging soppy PMs with a number of forum friends and making arrangements for a number of unfortunate circumstances that will keep my RP characters out of their respective plots' path for half a year.

So yeah, sorry to Skii and the other people who have been forced to wait for their reviews longer than expected. (Mind you, only Skii could really expect, but I do plan to post for a number of others) I am working on them and they will get done; it's just that I have a lot of other things to do too. .__.

Mind you, Skii, posting another chapter for me to go through isn't exactly making your review come quicker, so please, pretty please, could you hold your horses with the new chapters for a couple of days? It would be much appreciated.
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Age 35
Female
Blackthorn City. :3
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2009
119 posts
18.9 Years
actually, there're extremely few Pokemon subs. They're mostly raws. However, Pocket Monsters is a pretty simplistic anime, so even if you don't know a lick of Japanese, it's not very difficult to catch the context of what's going on (and if you don't, there's plenty of summaries and stuff online). Though, knowing a bit of Japanese can still help (it's especially a treat with the jokes that come up... it's interesting that Dunsparce was talked about earlier, because its sole episode involved one of the most hilarious pun-based scenes I saw in the show. "Kocchi, kocchi!" XD).
Well, that makes things a little more difficult. :P I might still go for it, though--I'm actually interested in learning Japanese, I just have a problem with motivation. >.< I did learn it for five years in primary school, but I never really paid attention and I'm really regretting it now. And hey, maybe going for Japanese episodes will get me that elusive motivation. :P

BTW, when you say SPPF version of PMC.... would you happen to be referring to the old narrative version? Or just the scripted version that I posted there? If it's the former, then kudos for being that long of a fan, I'd like you to PM me whatever you remember about that old thing. If it's the latter.... PM me anyway. I would care to hear some feedback, and especially what you think of all the changes I've announced here. ^^
PM is pending... it's kinda late and I've been lazy with my online life over Christmas. XD

But it was the scripted form, and I have to admit it was something like two years ago when I read it so I don't remember much... but hey, I'll PM you anyway with what I do. ^.^;;


Well, they might not be psychic, but they do have those weird orbs of theirs that supposedly give them the power to control weather, so I suppose they can at least manipulate the flying conditions in their favor. As for absorbing gases...that sounds like they'd have to absorb a heckuva' lot of gas, because the pokémon flying with that principle (Koffing and Weezing) are really only a kind of organic balloon with a very thin skin and -- presumably -- some kind of brain suspended within it, the rest being vacuous space for gases. This means that they have very little mass, and even so the gases only let them float, not really fly. Dragonair, on the other hand, are supposed to have fully solid bodies, so like...
Maybe Koffing and Weezing don't have the right types of gas? And since their skin, as you said, is fairly thin, they don't have enough in the way of cellular structure to absorb enough of the right gas... I dunno. ^.^;; I forgot about the crystals, though, I can't believe I did that. >.< Although I'm not sold on it being the only thing keeping them aloft... maybe the crystals absorb some form of energy which helps them levitate, as well as manipulate the weather. :P Most likely I'd say it's a combination of things, though, now that I've thought about it...

Good luck with your military service, by the way. ;)


How do you choose what fan fiction you are going to read? Randomly, or is it organised?

Well, I don't read that many fanfictions in the Pokemon sector; those that I do are ususally for reviewing purposes, so I usually go for the short stuff. I don't have the motivation to read through ten odd chapters of a fic unless it really interests me, which is why I usually only review stories which are in their early stages.

Other than that, it's pretty random--unless, like Jax said, I know the fic has a faved character in there. :3 Them, I read.


What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?

To be more motivated in terms of both reviewing and writing. >.< I tend to have spontaneous bouts of motivation for either one of them, but it usually doesn't last long... I'd like to be able to train myself to write/review no matter what my state of mind.

...of course, that doesn't just stand for writing, either, I tend to be way too lazy with just about everything else, too. >.< But, I figure if I can train myself to write regularly--which is something I like doing--then training myself to do something I don't like should be the next step. If I can master the first then the second should be a little easier, right? :3

So in terms of reviewing, for now I'll just settle for getting to the end of my review list (you're still on there, DP, sit tight!). In terms of fic writing, I'm already well on my way to getting out of my five-month dry spell in terms of my main story, but I want to be able to update it regularly the way I was at the beginning of this year. Plus, I have an OT fic I'm hankering to begin, except I keep on getting derailed by some one-shots I was supposed to have written before Christmas. >.< Plus revamping all those other fics that need revamping.

...man, when I say it like that it sounds like I have so much to do. >.<

...ANYWAY!! ^^ Hope everyone had a good Christmas/Hanukkah/whatever else people may celebrate at this time of year.
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
And also, that's one good thing about being quietly known...you won't have crazed fans asking when is the next chapter coming and what team my character will have. I'll feel guilty not putting up the chapter in fast speed and it would be all horribly written. XD
one of the most important things to remember as an author: DO NOT give into fanservice, character-shippings being another such example. Now, if you yourself like your own characters and feel they could get together without hindering the story in any way, all the power to you (after all, you as the writer should know better than anyone which characters seem compatible for forming a relationship). But don't do this just because a bunch of whiny readers (especially the ones who can't write their opinions worth a damn) demand it to happen and you end up forcing it in, making it look really half-assed and out of place. In the worst case scenario, this could even result in you ****ing up your entire storyline.

Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
one of the most important things to remember as an author: DO NOT give into fanservice, character-shippings being another such example. Now, if you yourself like your own characters and feel they could get together without hindering the story in any way, all the power to you (after all, you as the writer should know better than anyone which characters seem compatible for forming a relationship). But don't do this just because a bunch of whiny readers (especially the ones who can't write their opinions worth a damn) demand it to happen and you end up forcing it in, making it look really half-assed and out of place. In the worst case scenario, this could even result in you ****ing up your entire storyline.
So true. Yeah, I was originally going to have two characters in NE getting together but then it would probably be all whacked out and would not make sense as the story progresses. XD

What's so weird is I have been thinking about the concept of fanservice as there's one author in Serebii who's a really great writer but is now asking what Pokemon her characters should have. I know it's not as drastic as forcing a romance, but still. I'm afraid for her that if the characters suddenly have the Pokemon the fans did not ask for then they'll be disappointed. O.o There's also one author who have fans asking if one of the characters that died will come back. If she planned for him/her to come back in the first and planned that for a long time, then that's fine. However, if the author did that to please the fans...in my opinion it wouldn't leave a dramatic effect on me.

Yeah, basically saying if the writers force things to happen because of the fans then it could disappoint the readers and maybe even the writer (although like what Hanako said, sometimes...XD)
Miles Edgeworth
Foul Play [On Hiatus]

Grovyle42(Griff8416)

No. 1 Grovyle Fan

Male
Seen April 11th, 2023
Posted May 14th, 2014
1,103 posts
15.9 Years
Yeah, about the fanservice, I think the best advice that I've heard was "don't try to please everybody because you can't".

Oh yeah, good luck with the military stuff, Alter Ego. I've had thoughts about joining, myself (the Canadian army, mind you, so we'd still be driving in tanks from the Korean War xD),but I'm still in high school, so :P
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
crap... I probably should've brought this up a while ago, but since it's still a problem now, I figure what the hell? I'm trying to think of a good name for my erogee, but have thus far come up with nothing. At one point, I was originally thinking of "Desert Flower", but after doing research to see what, if anything already has the name... well, let's just say that I doubt anybody would want to associated porn with this.... Damn you, Waris Dirie! -_-

BTW, Purple Drake, you didn't by chance see the original one-shot I posted in a contest, did you? I mean, considering you did read my other work on SPPF.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™

On that 'Non stop road'

Age 97
Shimoda City
Seen 2 Weeks Ago
Posted January 25th, 2022
9,705 posts
15.5 Years
And also, that's one good thing about being quietly known...you won't have crazed fans asking when is the next chapter coming and what team my character will have. I'll feel guilty not putting up the chapter in fast speed and it would be all horribly written. XD
I get a bit nervous when my core reviewers don't respond, but I'm not one to want a whole posse piling on mindless praise and SPAMming up my thread, either.

So in terms of reviewing, for now I'll just settle for getting to the end of my review list (you're still on there, DP, sit tight!).
You've got plenty of time, Chapter 5's a ways off. That is, if you can find anything that Alter Ego hasn't already picked up on...

What's so weird is I have been thinking about the concept of fanservice as there's one author in Serebii who's a really great writer but is now asking what Pokemon her characters should have.
Not to mention it's SPAM, with emphasis on the "Annoying" in that acronym. Don't worry, it's been reported to the moderators over there by yours truly *wicked Dr. Claw-type laugh* I love the report button.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?
Perhaps get my fic completed on at least one forum :O Maybe do another one-shot or two (I had a very well-received one on Sppf that I unfortunately can't post here until my chaptered fic progresses quite a ways).

Elite Overlord LeSabre™
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In a House
Seen March 20th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2010
1,823 posts
16.6 Years
SPAM is an acronym? *ULTRA-SHOT'ED*

Hmm... since I've finally figured out how to extricate my main character from his predicament for my fanfic (and get the plot moving) I'm just going to randomly ask this question. (BTW, all of the eighty or so people who've read Thief in the Night and obviously know it exists but haven't commented on anything, shame on you, I'm just starting out and I want more feedback. 0_o Not to mention that Jax's one-shots got more attention... *HYPER-ULTRA-SHOT'ED FOR WHINING*)

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

Just a question here. As a side note, Mark Twain parodied something like this in two of his short stories so I know that this isn't a unique experience.

x x x x

Dragonfree

Teh Spwriter. :3

Age 33
Female
Iceland
Seen February 9th, 2020
Posted November 28th, 2012
1,290 posts
19.1 Years
How do you choose what fan fiction you are going to read? Randomly, or is it organised?
By now I tend to read fics because I see someone talking about it and mentioning that it contains something I find interesting or I see excerpts that look really good, or maybe just because I'm curious about how good some person X really is at writing. I read Saffire_Persian's The Ties that Bind for the first time because the end of it was nominated for "Most Emotional Moment" in some award at Serebii and I saw it there, realizing immediately that it was something I had to read. Then I began to read DarkPersian479's fic there because he'd been talking a lot about it in the Authors' Café and posting about his character and I got curious to see how it was. Occasionally people have asked me to read their fics or somebody has just recommended them in a convincing enough way to make me figure I really ought to read it.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?
Writing more in general. I've only written three chapters of The Quest for the Legends (ILCOE) so far in 2007, although I will probably finish the fourth before the new year. At this rate I'll never finish it. <.<

By the way, "spam" isn't an acronym. Somebody made a backronym for "Stupid, pointless, annoying messages" out of it to explain the point better, and some people started thinking it was what it originally meant.

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?
No, not really. I tend to plan how the character gets out before I've actually written the character into a situation.
~Butterfree/Dragonfree/antialiasis of The Cave of Dragonflies

Still not going to sprite for your fangame. Sorry, but I don't really sprite or give out permission for people to use my fake Pokémon anymore.
Age 35
Female
Blackthorn City. :3
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2009
119 posts
18.9 Years
On the fanservice thing... there really isn't anything for me to say that everyone else hasn't already said, but I agree completely. :P I mean, it's one thing to offer advice and plausible alternatives to how something should be done if it didn't work the first time or ideas of what could possibly happen in the future, but it's completely another to beg or order for something to happen.

And then for an author to give in... just, no.

The sad thing is it's not even limited to fanfiction; I've heard of authors whose publishers made them/tried to make them change the names of their characters/countries... for what reason I can't imagine, but considering how important I consider names to be there's no way I'd go in for that.

...I can tell I'm gonna be hell for the imaginary publisher who picks me up. XD


Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

Mmm, I'm pretty sure I've done that multiple times, but the only time I can think of right now in any detail is the most recent chapter of CaC.

Spoiler:
One of my characters is stuck in the Fuchsia City gym during a rainstorm, which means he's being used as training fodder for the ninjas. I don't want to say too much, even in spoiler tags, but suffice to say there was one bit where I was having trouble getting him out of the situation without him being killed or it being implausible.


I lost count of the number of times I rewrote that bit. ._. Gah, it was annoying.
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?
Let me answer this with another question. Have I ever written a character in any situation? Nope. Everything pretty much works out for my characters, at least so far, and the ones that I have planned. Then there are the ones that aren't planned yet, and I am going to have fun with those. :p

And ACC-kun, let me finish my beta work for Bay and Saff, and I'll be back to reviewing. So by the end of the week, you should have a review. (Hooray for three days off from work!)

Avatar credit: Fairy
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
How do you choose what fan fiction you are going to read? Randomly, or is it organised?
pass.

What are your guys' fanfic resolutions for 2008? Any new fic ideas you want to write or want to get the chapters done faster?
New Year's resolutions? I never believed in that crap.

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?
Can you even answer this question if you're the type that's planning everything out ahead of time?

Now that I've got those questions out of the way, I've got one to ask myself... a bit of a double-question, actually. What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

Personally, I'm rather fond of the Chekhov's gun. It's interesting when every little detail manages to come together in a story over time, and the author shows, not only a great sense of continuity, but that they've had something important (if not majorly crucial to the story) planned for a seemingly minor and insignificant item/character/event/line/etc. the entire time.

Of course, I'd like to use it myself.... unfortunately, I can't spoil anything. Not just because I prefer not to spoil much, but because the Chekhov's gun loses all meaning if you know what's coming. However, without divulging too much, I will say that I plan to include certain characters in the background (particularly in crowds), or even get a minor speaking role, early on in the manga. Some such characters will become part of the main focus in later parts, and one might even play an important role in the planned sequel.

Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

Not now at the moment. I tend to at least plan how the character will get out of a situation, although I might think of two or three and decide which is the most realistic.

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

I like foreshadowing mostly because I'm always interested what's going to happen next. For "Nothing, Everything", I did that like putting some scenes that will be revelant later on and also on the character's conversations.

And oh, I know it's a bit early but Happy New Year! ^^
Miles Edgeworth
Foul Play [On Hiatus]

Grovyle42(Griff8416)

No. 1 Grovyle Fan

Male
Seen April 11th, 2023
Posted May 14th, 2014
1,103 posts
15.9 Years
What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

The ones I use are Chekhov's Gun, Back-Story, Flashbacks, Foreshadowing, In Medias Res, Irony, juxtaposition, poetic justice, symbolism.

I'll say how later, but right now New Years Party.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™

On that 'Non stop road'

Age 97
Shimoda City
Seen 2 Weeks Ago
Posted January 25th, 2022
9,705 posts
15.5 Years
What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I use foreshadowing that's so cleverly hidden and vague even I have trouble telling where I'm inserting it:) I'm thinking in the future to include more backstory, and perhaps some of Lisa's possessions will play a Chekhov's Gun-type role in the future... it's still all in the planning stages.

@Hanako: If you have time, I would like a review as well:)
@everyone who's reading this: Have a great New Year and productive 2008!

DP479 out

Elite Overlord LeSabre™
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Gummy

by fire be P U R G E D

Age 30
Male
Brooklyn, NY
Seen December 26th, 2013
Posted October 26th, 2013
4,518 posts
16.3 Years
Whether or not you've noticed, I haven't been online (or rather, posted anything) for some time now. The reason for this is because my parents decided to ground me for the whole month after a mishap at school. Anyway, the point of this message is that even though my punishment is over, my parents have severelylimited my time on the computer. Until I can convince them otherwise, chapters for Shining Nightmare will be coming slower, the one-shot I'm planning will be put on hold, and all promised reviews are better off forgotten (sorry). Now, let's get back on topic:

Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?

This is exactly how my last fic ended. The main character and friends were pretty much trapped by the bad guys with absolutely no plausible way of getting out. Of course by now I've come up with a solution, but I'm well into my second fic with others coming before I can do a rewrite.

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?

I would like to say that I like to use foreshadowing, but the truth is most of my foreshadowing is done without my knowledge. I just write what's going through my mind at the time and only when I get to a certain part in the story do I realize that I hinted to it a few chapters back.

I apologize for all typos in this message, but I'm in a rush. Happy New Year to all!


Monotype Fire Challenge

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
Have you ever written a fanfic character into a situation where you could not think of a believable way to get them out?
I try not to because I realize doing that to myself tends to make it obvious that I did it to myself when someone else does it. That is, if I wrote myself into a corner, realized it, and actually tried to dig my characters out of a situation, my audience usually can tell. (Mostly because they usually can tell if I pull something out of my rear in general.)

So, whenever I prepare to write about a situation, I try to plan it out the end as soon as I do the beginning. That way, I can easily see where I want to go and work through it as logically as possible so the two ends can connect as neatly as I can get them to do so. As in, once I can picture exactly how the ending should be, I can work backwards to the beginning to see just how the domino effect falls. That way, when I sit down to write, it's just a matter of working back through the path I've just walked up in my head.

I never believed in that crap.
Even if it just means setting a goal for yourself?

What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
Looking through the list, I'll have to agree with you about Chekhov's gun. Mostly, it's because I'm of the E.A. Poe school, where one of the rules is that no word should go into a work that won't be used in some way to add to the overall effect. In other words, literally, if you're going to put a gun on the mantelpiece in the first act, it had better be shot by the third. (Yes, Poe mostly said this in reference to the short story, but I love it when authors can make it apply to any work. It makes the reader think about every last detail the author brings into the story, and it comes as a pleasant surprise when they're suddenly reminded of those details later.) To answer the second question while applying this technique, Midsummer Knights uses it repeatedly, some instances more obvious than others. For example, the mystery package I seemingly forgot about in chapter seven will be brought up again soon, as will Viola's eyes.

That isn't, of course, the only technique I like. My other favorites (although it was a tough decision because I like so many of these techniques) are as follows:

1. Foreshadowing. Sure, when someone screws up with foreshadowing, it tends to be pretty obvious. However, when it's done correctly, it can come out awesomely in that it evokes essentially the same feel as Chekhov's gun (for good reason, as the latter is pretty much the former anyway). As for answering the second question, I'd think that the description of Chekhov's gun is sufficient enough. I mean, if you're going to do Chekhov's gun, you're pretty much doing foreshadowing anyway. It's just that foreshadowing can be so much more on top of that, like a single line spoken by a character that the reader passes off as unimportant.

2. In medias res. I think I'm overly fond of this technique, if only because it forces the reader to jump right into the action of the story, rather than waste time building up to it. If done right, I've noticed that it has the potential to start the story off on a dramatic note and leave the reader wondering just what's going on. Unfortunately, I tend to fail miserably at this instead but insist on doing it in nearly every short story I write. *shrug*

3. Irony, particularly dramatic irony. Because, really, nothing says twisted like walking a character off a metaphorical (or possibly literal) cliff without having them know it. Unfortunately, I can never get the same feel out of writing irony compared to when I read it (for obvious reasons), so I just don't employ this technique that often.

4. Self-fulfilling prophecy. While I enjoy the unexpected, sometimes, watching the way the expected turns out to be almost inevitable is just as enjoyable. (This is why I actually enjoyed reading Macbeth.) Unfortunately, I haven't really had the opportunity to play with this technique fully, and any attempt I've made so far are mostly implicit. (If it counts, "So the World Turned to Ash" might be an example. I won't go into too much detail about it except that it becomes incredibly obvious partway through.)

5. Unreliable narrator. As I've said before, I'm very fond of the unexpected in a story (or at least moments where things are not explicitly expected), and to lead the audience into believing the narrator is giving them the entire story only to reveal at the end that it's only part of the story (or not even relevant at all) just feels like the ultimate trick up the author's sleeve, so to speak, especially considering the fact that the voice in a written work people tend to trust the most is the person who's telling the story to begin with. Like with #4, I haven't really been able to use this in a written work as fully as I want to. The only time I've ever really dappled with this idea was in a poem of mine that isn't even online. (Maybe I'll post it later.)
Professional ninja. May or may not actually be back. Here for the snark and banter at most.

Need some light reading?
Anima Ex Machina (Chapter 20 now available)
The Leaf Green Incident (SWC 2012 winner)
Braid (Creepypasta apparently)
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In a House
Seen March 20th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2010
1,823 posts
16.6 Years
Literary technique? Well, I've definitely got a bit of Chekhov's Gun going on in "Thief in the Night". In Medias Res is fun, but I've left that one in reserve for now because "Thief in the Night" had to begin with the robbery of Phiros Tower and Gale's descent. It was the only scene I had planned out. Irony is fun, though I'm not sure how often I actually call it into play. The one device that will play a heavy role in "Thief in the Night" to explain the actions of certain characters is the Backstory because what the characters were doing beforehand definitely changes how they respond to the events of "Thief in the Night".

Hmmm... New Question on New Year's Eve.

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

I'm not talking about Mary-Sue, Look-at-me-I'm-so-cool/angsty/unloved, pity me/worship me characters. I'm talking about inserting a character, major or otherwise, who responds to situations in a manner which you probably would in the same situation. I actually plead guilty in regards to "Thief in the Night", since a few of my minor characters say and do things very typical of me. They aren't complete self-inserts, but they do reflect a little bit of my own personality which makes it easier to relate to them. (Laertes and his excuses about why the guard he was supposed to have taken care of was still conscious come to mind. That's definitely what I'd be saying.) In regards to my ideals, the only one that's really present in "Thief in the Night" as a main theme is "love is blind".

x x x x

Grovyle42(Griff8416)

No. 1 Grovyle Fan

Male
Seen April 11th, 2023
Posted May 14th, 2014
1,103 posts
15.9 Years
Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
Oh yes... hell yes. xP

There's a little bit of me in each of Jeff and his pokemon team. It's quite ironic that the one who is the most like me isn't Jeff but is in fact Treecko. Jeff initially was going to have my personality but that kind of quickly strayed away to only having a part of it. I'm actually not sure if it's Treecko becoming like me or me becoming like Treecko at this point. xD I'm also like Atlas, as well, when I want to be.

As for moral views, I give most of those to Jeff and Daedalus (the Taillow).

My sense of humor goes to Corphish.




Oh yeah, Hanako? I'm not sure if you were going to do this anyways, but I'd appreciate a review whenever you get the chance.