Fanfiction Lounge Page 194

Started by ^^NICK^^ v.2.0 September 6th, 2003 7:57 PM
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Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?

Both yes and no. ^^;

In "Nothing, Everything" there are characters that hold certain ideals identical to mine but at the same time I have characters challenging them. XD As sert-inserting my views...there are a couple of views I put in there but at the same time I also let the readers challenge them as I know they probably are iffy about it.

Spoiler:
Pretty much the themes of the fics is of in question form like, "Is it always good to have two birds killed in one stone?" and "How much should you really trust someone?" and later have the readers think about if what the characters did are right or wrong and also what if they're in their shoes.
Miles Edgeworth
Foul Play [On Hiatus]
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I don't really have an answer for that one. I like pretty much all literary techniques and love seeing them used. And I really don't know what technique I will use in my story. If they get placed in, fine. If they don't, fine again. I find that if someone forces a technique into their story, then it comes across as forced and they're just trying to show off. It becomes a case of "Look at me! I used foreshadowing!" and it looks really blatant that they tried and failed. Which is why I let things go their own way.

Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
One of my original characters started off as a self-insert and then developed into her own character. It doesn't mean that she doesn't share some views of the world. She's just not a character created solely to get my views out to the reader. But I do find it hard to not make my character think the way I do. So I have to remind myself to keep my thoughts out of her head.

There's a problem I'm having with the fanfiction I'm writing. See, the part that I'm writing now takes place five months prior to the main time setting of the rest of the fic. So would I count that as a prologue, or just as a first chapter? Since the part I'm writing now introduces the main character, and I heard that's a no-no for the prologue. But shoving in the back story for the event that happens five months ago would be kind of hard to squeeze in somewhere since it's a main event. It's just really confusing.

Avatar credit: Fairy
Age 35
Female
Blackthorn City. :3
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2009
119 posts
18.9 Years
Hanako, I wouldn't mind a review either, if you're still offering... preferably for 'At What Cost', because that one still needs improvement before the contest deadline... ^.^;; Thanks!


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

This isn't exactly something I actively think about... I don't go around thinking, 'oh, I think this literary technique will do well here', I just sort of write the story and whatever techniques come out of it, come out of it. ^.^;; So I really don't know how many of them I use or plan to use, although there are a few I have recognised in my own writing. The biggest ones would be foreshadowing and dramatic irony; I probably use them in almost all of my stories somehow. Flashbacks I also use quite frequently... plus a whole list of others that which are less frequent. Really, though, I generally don't intend to use any particular device, and while it's interesting to know that 'oh, the way I'm planning to write this bit is called ..........', it's something I'd prefer not to be aware of, just to avoid over-thinking things.


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

I've never really thought about it before, actually. Keegan originally began as a self-insert, so in some ways she could probably called a medium for some of my ideals, although her character has developed into someone very different to me.

I do use stories to kind of examine what I think, but in doing so I usually consider the complete opposite to what I believe in, so it's probably not so much an insert of my own views as an examination of a particular subject.
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
I don't really have an answer for that one. I like pretty much all literary techniques and love seeing them used. And I really don't know what technique I will use in my story. If they get placed in, fine. If they don't, fine again. I find that if someone forces a technique into their story, then it comes across as forced and they're just trying to show off. It becomes a case of "Look at me! I used foreshadowing!" and it looks really blatant that they tried and failed. Which is why I let things go their own way.
This isn't exactly something I actively think about... I don't go around thinking, 'oh, I think this literary technique will do well here', I just sort of write the story and whatever techniques come out of it, come out of it. ^.^;; So I really don't know how many of them I use or plan to use, although there are a few I have recognised in my own writing. The biggest ones would be foreshadowing and dramatic irony; I probably use them in almost all of my stories somehow. Flashbacks I also use quite frequently... plus a whole list of others that which are less frequent. Really, though, I generally don't intend to use any particular device, and while it's interesting to know that 'oh, the way I'm planning to write this bit is called ..........', it's something I'd prefer not to be aware of, just to avoid over-thinking things.
I'm not really knowledgeable on the types of literary techniques myself. As a matter of fact, I only heard the name "Chekhov's gun" for the first time rather recently, and when I looked up the meaning, I instantly recognized it as something I've always found quite nifty in story-telling. I'm not asking people to just look at a list and pick an item off of it, nor am I asking people how they'll force it into their stories (notice the "if")... that link is mainly there to help those who can't pinpoint a name to their favorite technique, much like myself.

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
There's a problem I'm having with the fanfiction I'm writing. See, the part that I'm writing now takes place five months prior to the main time setting of the rest of the fic. So would I count that as a prologue, or just as a first chapter? Since the part I'm writing now introduces the main character, and I heard that's a no-no for the prologue. But shoving in the back story for the event that happens five months ago would be kind of hard to squeeze in somewhere since it's a main event. It's just really confusing.
This...depends a lot on the contents of your chapter, really. If it's relating something that's not directly a part of the main plot but affects the reader's perception of it, it's prologue, if not then it's a chapter. My prologue (admittedly still open to edits) is technically introducing my main character, but since it occurs over ten years before the actual plot and only has the purpose of hinting at some things in my main's past for the reader's benefit (Heck, my main character is still a toddler and isn't even mentioned by name in it), I couldn't call it a chapter in good conscience.

Geez, this is turning out about as clear as mud, isn't it? Basically, the first chapter is what gets your main plot rolling, so if the events of the chapter aren't directly part of the chain of events that is your main plot then it's prologue. As with many things in literature, it's sort of a fuzzy gray area though. Since you said that it's a main event, then I'd call chapter, but not having the writing in front of me I really can't say anything definite. Just go with what feels right for you. :3

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


Haven't gotten that far yet. Even the events I have lined up aren't anything that a creatively applied can of Max Repel couldn't solve. ;D

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

Epiphany, I just love it when something that's been bugging me from the start finally clicks into place, makes me feel all smart. x3 And yes, I'm implementing it into my story. In fact, the epiphany is something that the better part of the story will be building up towards, but I don't want to get into details. The more I babble about my ideas, the less I tend to do about them. <.< Anyways, I like Chekhov's gun too, since that's a lovely device for an epiphany of sorts, and I've always been partial to biased narrators of all kinds. (Particularly free indirect discourse :3)

But yeah, I don't actively think literary techniques, I just write what feels right, using whatever technique best fits the job. Besides, I can't even remember the names of half the stuff I've used. xD

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

Well...not consciously, no. If I want to preach I cut out the middle man and do it myself. Writing myself in fiction just seems...awkward (I mean, it goes to the point where I'm reluctant to use first person because of it). That being said, I have no doubt that part of my opinions and values will filter through to my characters whether I want them to or not, simply by virtue of me being the one writing. I try to balance out viewpoints without making anyone 'win' all the time, though. Besides, given my love for contrasts, if there ever was a 'me' character there would most likely be an anti-me to but heads with him/her. xD

But yeah, I prefer to maintain a clear distinction between myself and my characters, so if my character does some things that are clearly part of my own personality, I usually counter-balance it with a trait that's not like me at all. It's like, if I wanted to write about myself then I would do that, but I'm really more interested in writing about my characters. :3


And...thanks for the well wishes, guys. :3 Mind you, Griff, I've never had any thoughts of joining the military, but our country still does compulsory drafting and I don't have a health condition so I had to. >.<
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Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
Basically, the first chapter is what gets your main plot rolling
not true. The first chapter could also be used simply to introduce your main characters, the setting, or what-have-you. In fact, you can spend several early chapters just focusing on characterization, building relationships, etc. well before a plot comes up (now I'm beginning to see what separates "plot" from "story" ^^). Being one to heavily draw my influence from anime, I notice this a lot, and I'm interested in starting out my own serial in such a slow-paced manner.
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
Since you said that it's a main event, then I'd call chapter, but not having the writing in front of me I really can't say anything definite.
Since it's when she gets her first Pokemon, thus being officially recognized as a trainer though she doesn't leave home, I'd safely call that a chapter. Thanks, Alter Ego.

Sure, purple_drake, I'll add you to the list. The contest deadline is sometime in the first week of February, right? I try to get you a review with plenty of time to edit it if need be.

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
not true. The first chapter could also be used simply to introduce your main characters, the setting, or what-have-you. In fact, you can spend several early chapters just focusing on characterization, building relationships, etc. well before a plot comes up (now I'm beginning to see what separates "plot" from "story" ^^). Being one to heavily draw my influence from anime, I notice this a lot, and I'm interested in starting out my own serial in such a slow-paced manner.
Bleah, distinction between plot and story indeed. I can't believe I mixed those two terms up. >.< Mind you, even if focus is on characterization, I'd expect to see some inkling of plot by the end of chapter two. I mean, if there isn't any I'm really left going "Well, these are nice characters and all, but are they actually...you know, going to do something?". Strange thing about the anime, though, because in all the ones I've watched the plot is kicked off in the first episode (Presumably to catch viewer interest) and the serious character development tends to take place at the first few episodes after that, during which the plot is slowed down for a bit.
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Scandalous Maido Love Affair and Pair: Phani
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Illegitimate Lovechild: Mika
Card-gaming Beta on a Leash: Scarlet

Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted April 20th, 2020
4,423 posts
15.4 Years
Ok, time for a couple of thousand topics to answer:

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?

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
'It's been a prevalent notion. Fallen sparks. Fragments of vessels broken at the Creation. And someday, somehow, before the end, a gathering back to home. A messenger from the Kingdom, arriving at the last moment. But I tell you there is no such message, no such home -- only the millions of last moments . . . nothing more. Our history is an aggregate of last moments.'

Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
Oh yeah, more questions to make this lounge active again! XD

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?

Don't want to be mean but I would say he's not actually being active in the community and not taking advantage in the lounge. I think it's fun to take part on these topics and maybe learn a few things about writing. Meh, I guess I'm not bothered or annoyed by those people that much.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

Not sure how to answer that question. I guess it depends on how the writer wrote it. If it's chat speak all over the place, then it's SPAM. If if just has a lot of spelling and grammar mistakes than I would say it's just a real fan fic with the author starting out.

If by SPAM fic you mean the author is purposely putting chat speak, bad grammar, etc., then the author would usually put it in his author notes. Also, you can compare that fic and his other fic that is more serious.


Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Well, my first fanfic "Heart of the Sea" and "Simplicity" almost have the same amount of chapters, the former eight and the latter seven. I was also going to end "Through the Lenses" around seven to ten chapters as the plot is not going to be huge, but I scrap the project for a few reasons. Also, I have a romance genre fanfic (not Pokemon :X) that I plan to end around seven to ten chapters too. "Nothing, Everything" though has...don't really want to say yet until I at least finish posting Part One, though it's at least more than twenty. XD So yeah, it's pretty much me ending the stories around seven to ten chapters except for "Nothing, Everything" because I suck at making epic stories...XD That, and my very busy schedule. ^^;

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

I tend to have my characters love his/her Pokemon. In "Heart of the Sea", the main character really cares for his Pokemon, espcially one that's not his but not until at the end. In "Nothing, Everything", it's not really noticeable until the later chapters. The weird thing though is there are scenes the Pokemon is the one that loves his trainer (the two are together for a while ^^ ).
Miles Edgeworth
Foul Play [On Hiatus]

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
Do you self-insert your own views into your fiction, or insert a character who holds certain ideals identical to your own?
Yeah, I do. My character's into math, old cars, and hotels. Later, she'll reveal that she's one of those types who's all "It's not a dorm, it's a residence hall," a lot like me XD (yes, I'm one of the annoying college residence life fanatics lol)

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?
If they're a new author who hasn't thought about the topic at hand, I can't really hold it against them. It is annoying, yes, but not everyone has really thought about their writing enough to come up with responses to the questions that are being discussed. If I'm going to announce a chapter, I'll usually say something else along with it. If I can't think of an answer to one of the current topics, I'll just create a new topic XD

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
If the fic's like three sentences long, it's SPAM. If it is of a reasonable length, then it's a fairly safe bet that there are just grammar issues. Your typical SPAMmer isn't going to take the time to write three pages of poor writing just to clog up the forum. They're just going to type up maybe a few sentences of rubbish and click "Post."

A parody fic writer might deliberately use poor grammar, however, and at least one fic I read does include Messenger chats embedded into the fic..

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?
I only have one fic, but right now its length is going to be determined by flow more than anything else. Already it's more chapters than I had envisioned, and it's fixing to just keep growing:)

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
I'd rather leave it out personally, but then I'd be hounded by reviewers for not including Pokemon bonding, so in that sense I'm forced to include it. Sometime, I'd like to do a parody fic where the "trainer" is a machine and so the bonding thing is out of the question.

Elite Overlord LeSabre™
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Isaac Gravity

Supports hot-bloodedness

A quiet place where I can stare at the clouds
Seen August 23rd, 2008
Posted August 23rd, 2008
262 posts
18.5 Years
I'm not really knowledgeable on the types of literary techniques myself. As a matter of fact, I only heard the name "Chekhov's gun" for the first time rather recently, and when I looked up the meaning, I instantly recognized it as something I've always found quite nifty in story-telling. I'm not asking people to just look at a list and pick an item off of it, nor am I asking people how they'll force it into their stories (notice the "if")... that link is mainly there to help those who can't pinpoint a name to their favorite technique, much like myself.
Ah, if you put it like that then:What's your favorite literary technique? If you're implementing it into your story, how are you doing that?
Magic Realism. I really obsess over that style but always thought of it as simply "paranormal/supernatural/spiritual" you know, the greater mysteries of reality that we know/feel exist but cannot rightfully justify/solidify it no matter how much we try.

After that, there's my equal obsession with flashback and side story things that go hand in hand with what I like to see/do.

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?
Trying to play the devil's advocate? Heh, okay, I'll play along: Stuff like that doesn't cross my mind. I actually expect to see such comments.

We all have our reasons for being somewhere don't we? Let others rationalize their own actions is my thoughts. Letting your presence be known beats lurking sometimes especially if you don't really have anything to say about the current situation.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
*Shrugs* ...Someone who is trying to create versus someone who thoughtlessly doesn't give a damn I guess.

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. If the situation requires more material implied or is something I find great interest in fleshing out in greater detail for a while, I will work to the required length needed to satisfy the current situation at hand. If the situation is meant to be more episodic or no heavy input is required then the overall material will be modified for that.

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
Depends on the character and Pokemon comrade at hand. I'd like to emphasize teamwork and trust in general but...

Grovyle42(Griff8416)

No. 1 Grovyle Fan

Male
Seen April 11th, 2023
Posted May 14th, 2014
1,103 posts
15.9 Years
Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

Seeing as it's a big theme/plot point in my fic I like to keep it in. Also, it gives me warm fuzzies to read/write about xD.
Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted April 20th, 2020
4,423 posts
15.4 Years
I'm bored, so I may as well post...

Just a few replies:

I'd rather leave it out personally, but then I'd be hounded by reviewers for not including Pokemon bonding, so in that sense I'm forced to include it.
Weren't you against fan service?

Trying to play the devil's advocate?
I do very well at it. No, seriously, I just thought it'd be a good question... Or topic... Or whatever.

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?

Ok, I think we'll all agree that most of the people that do that don't have the best writing ability... I agree with Bay when she says that they're taking advantage of the lounge... It's pretty rude, if you ask me.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

I can't, really... I mean, if you look at 'The Piplup Ganstas' - I really wasn't sure if he was being serious or not... It really depends on the writer's past record within the forum, doesn't it? But myself and Jax are working on a project, and the example I'm using is a real fan fiction... When you see it you'll understand why it's hard for me to see the difference.

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Whatever goes with the story, really... I mean, why would you limit your story to a certain number of chapters? That will be boxing your story in and will only work if you have planned it chapter by chapter.

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

I have it there discreetly for those that are smart enough to read between the lines.
'It's been a prevalent notion. Fallen sparks. Fragments of vessels broken at the Creation. And someday, somehow, before the end, a gathering back to home. A messenger from the Kingdom, arriving at the last moment. But I tell you there is no such message, no such home -- only the millions of last moments . . . nothing more. Our history is an aggregate of last moments.'
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
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?
They are the plague that's killing /b/.... er, Fanfic Lounge.

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?
pass.

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?
Why the hell would I give myself a set limit of chapters? Maybe if I was being published and needed to meet some kind of page criteria, or if I was directing an anime that was intended to have a set number (often one or two) cours, neither of which are extremely likely scenarios.

That will be boxing your story in and will only work if you have planned it chapter by chapter.
Even if you planned out the events of the chapter, as I've discovered when working on my scripted revision (which was originally meant to just convert my narrative chapters into a different format), said events could end up looking a lot shorter or longer than intended once it's actually put down in writing. As of this point, I still haven't a clue how my work will flow as a manga, let alone how long it'd end up being. However, I would like to have my chapters be around 40-60 pages in length. It seems to be a standard for monthly manga publications (not that I plan to do chapters on a monthly basis), and probably a good enough length to carry out most events without having to cut it off. I get the feeling that if chapters were 15-20 pages (which is a standard for weekly publications, like Shounen Jump), it'd be a tad short. Hell, I plan to have some action sequences, and if Dragon Ball's any indication, it can be very easy to fill up these 15-20 pages just trying to display battle choreography in all the panels. But like I said, I won't really know how things will flow until I get into it.

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?
As mentioned, I'm trying to lower the over-emphasis on Pokemon that the franchise tends to display. However, I also mentioned that Pokemon would still be important (it's kinda hard to ignore when you've got super-powered animals being commonplace and entire cultures being built around this.... I'm just not having people go bat**** crazy every time the antagonist injures a Rattata, making light of the fact that there're far bigger issues at hand, namely the fact that the antagonist is causing catastrophic amounts of damage and putting fellow humans in danger). That said, I intend to have humans bond with their Pokemon, even give those Pokemon some decent amounts of spotlight (albeit, it's a little difficult given their lack of dialog). However, just as we may act in real life (unless you're one of those crazy-ass PETA members), humans WILL act biased towards their own kind. Even if they're real close to their Pokemon, the bonds with humans will often be greater, even if only slightly. Thus, as difficult as it is on the characters (and I do intend to portray this properly), they will have to choose to save their family members over their Pokemon partners now and again (given, this is kinda magnified by the fact that Pokemon are oftentimes capable of handling themselves far better than any human could, but there will be situations where both Pokemon and humans do end up in real danger).
Female
Earth
Seen 2 Days Ago
Posted November 13th, 2019
169 posts
16.6 Years
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?

They don't really bother me, but I do wonder how they can do that without feeling terribly obvious. o.o; I know I'm not particularly comfortable with the idea of posting just to announce a new chapter or ask for a review... ^^;

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

I'd pretty much call any fic whose author actually cares about it (even if the quality of it might lead some to believe otherwise) a real fic. Something just thrown out there with no care on the part of the "author" and no purpose except to increase postcount is the sort of thing I would consider a SPAM fic.

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

I never have a pre-planned number of chapters. I just write as many as it takes to tell the story in its entirety. If two or more of my stories were to end up with the same number of chapters, it'd just be a coincidence. XP

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

The former. I don't have many characters who have Pokémon, but those who do have them love them.
In a House
Seen March 20th, 2016
Posted January 22nd, 2010
1,823 posts
16.6 Years
So much for getting a review by the week's end, eh Hanako?

Ahem, yes. Now that my obligatory jab (all in good fun, of course) at everyone's favorite fanfiction mod is out of the way I can get down to serious business.

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?

I think that what they're doing is basically counterproductive, though I now understand what it feels like to wait for weeks with no reviews. *cries*

How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?


"Pokemon goes to school"=Fic with bad grammar etc.

"Piplup Gangstas/Fat Tony"=Spam, and poorly written spam at that.

Do you always have the same amount of chapters in your fan fictions, or do you just go with the flow of the story?

Whatever it takes to get the story from beginning to end while working in all the characters or scenes I have planned. (Maybe I should explain that when I write a fic it's because I have an idea "What if Character X got into Situation Y resulting in Z?" The fic is basically transitions between the most important scenes. Thief in the Night is only an existing fic because I thought of a cool scene involving an escape from a giant tower after stealing a necklace.)

Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

Depends on the character. Gale has been with Augustus for a few years now, so they view each other as partners. Laertes and Aristo, on the other hand, think of him more as their boss and follow his orders because that's where the food and battle experience comes from. :3 Later characters will have bonding experiences with their Pokemon (with occasionally humorous results, such as the unrequitted Human x Pokemon love I warned you peoples about.) But really, bonding is present depending on the experience of the trainer. And there are more complex relationships then simply friends, the same way there are between people.

x x x x

Age 35
Female
Blackthorn City. :3
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2009
119 posts
18.9 Years
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?

I'm mostly not fussed as long as it doesn't go overboard with people begging for reviews every page or something. Although I'm not entirely sure what the point is of saying that a new chapter is up... if the thread's at the top of the page then anyone who's reading the fic will be going in to check to see why people are posting in there anyway, so they'll see that there's a new chapter. And if they're away for so long that it gets bumped to the second page, then it's likely that they'll have missed the post in the Lounge too... well, unless the Lounge goes on a lull like it did over New Years'.


How do you figure out the gaps between a SPAM fic and a real fan fic with bad grammar ect?

I don't think about it, really. ^.^;; But people can post spam without meaning to or realizing that they are, so even if they intend for the fic to be taken seriously it could be considered spam anyway. I'd probably say a combination of being ridiculously short in length (as in, the story doesn't elaborate on important things nearly as much as it should, as opposed to having a deliberately short prologue or something), general bad grammar and ridiculous storylines (like the Piplup ones). And yeah, if it's clear that the author isn't taking the story seriously and is just posting for the hell of it.

...oh, and posting multiple chapters in one post can be an indication too...

Mostly I'd say to judge on an individual basis, though.


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 of the story, definitely. :3 That's speaking in theory, though--that's what I would do when the time comes. I've only got one chaptered fic under my belt and I can only think of two others which I've actually planned out in enough detail to know how many chapters there are going to be, although if necessary to the story that would change.

Though, considering that one story has 7 chapters, one will have 15 and an epilogue, and the last has a planned 28 chapters, I think it's safe to say I'm going to vary a lot with future stories too. XD


Are you more likely to make your character love his/her Pokemon or to leave the whole bonding thing out of your work?

This question sounds like it's making an assumption that a trainer must eventually love their pokemon. A trainer can travel with their pokemon for a long time and bond without necessarily loving them--respecting them, certainly, or understanding them even--or without necessarily considering them to be equal to humans. Since pokemon should be considered as characters in their own right, and developing the relationship dynamics between characters is a part of telling the story itself, then I'm not entirely certain how it can be left out.

For my own stories, I don't actively think about it. Keegan does have a close relationship with her pokemon, so the 'bonding thing' goes in there. Tynan's a little harder to explain; he doesn't buddy buddy with them, but he's far from being an abusive trainer. I suppose you could say that he takes their presence for granted.

So for me, if there's going to be 'bonding stuff' it really depends on the character, because some are going to bond with their pokemon and some aren't.

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
Male
Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
Hmm... Apparently nobody had time to when I asked before, but could someone please review Biohazard's first chapter for me? I find it very unnerving having seen it gone days without a single response, and I'd really like to know if I'm doing something wrong with it or not...
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
さーっ、質問の時間だ! Saa, muksumon no jikan da!
(Alright, it's question time!)

How do you treat the subject of character death?
I say death in itself is a pretty sensitive subject, and one can expect the audience (as well as yourself) to get rather attached to some of your characters. However, by including death, it adds an extra sense of realism and danger, because common sense dictates that not just anybody could make it out of even a mere percentage of the type of grave situations commonly portrayed in media (let alone not suffering some severely debilitating injury or mental scars and otherwise getting through the entire ordeal completely fine and capable of resuming normal life as if nothing had happened), so not even the major mainstay protagonists should be 100% immune from it. By killing off a major character, it tells the audience that your story's not the type where everyone's going to get out of the situation safely and have a predictably typical happy ending (and in such stories, not even the main character is completely safe).

Of course, given what I just said, there are some authors who think that death and violence automatically makes a story dark and deep (or those who'll try to appeal to an audience that thinks that way), so they'll insert character death just to be gratuitous. In some cases, characters will get offed left and right, becoming forgotten immediately afterwards. It goes without saying that death probably shouldn't be handled in such a way. Not every story calls for death (especially ones that lack any action or other dangerous scenarios), and if a death is deemed necessary, it should be handled delicately. Any time a major character dies, especially one who had a highly prominent role throughout much of the storyline (whether as a protagonist or antagonist), their death should be treated as a big deal, and clearly something that should effect the story (particularly effecting those who were close to him/her). As for the matter of frequency, personally, I'd like to use (both major and minor) character death sparingly, but still include it nonetheless (though, I can see at least one of my stories ending with something of an apocalyptic scenario where several characters are offed at once.... in such a situation, giving each character focus in an on-screen death sequence, as opposed to leaving it all to implication, is the least I could do).

Grovyle42(Griff8416)

No. 1 Grovyle Fan

Male
Seen April 11th, 2023
Posted May 14th, 2014
1,103 posts
15.9 Years
How do you treat the subject of character death?
I make death a big deal in my fic. So far I've only had a very near death-experience (and a poor Wurmple who was Daedalus's breakfast. :P )

In all honesty, I'm not sure if I can bring myself to kill off any characters or not...even the villains.. But when/if I do have to, I plan to make it realistic and tasteful (so no blood and intestines flying every which way).

Isaac Gravity

Supports hot-bloodedness

A quiet place where I can stare at the clouds
Seen August 23rd, 2008
Posted August 23rd, 2008
262 posts
18.5 Years
How do you treat the subject of character death?
I'm a bit of a wimp towards character death. Major, minor, heck even people in the background and villains who really deserve it I have no problem bringing injury (massive or minor) their way but I don't have the guts in me to bring them death.

I can make exceptions though but in that case its for two things: character back stories (only if really needed) or for character development. Even then I'm shaking doing that out in the open.

As a whole, character death is something I like to avoid so I use it only when its necessary.