Fanfiction Lounge Page 198

Started by ^^NICK^^ v.2.0 September 6th, 2003 7:57 PM
  • 882196 views
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Age 35
Female
Blackthorn City. :3
Seen February 5th, 2011
Posted November 1st, 2009
119 posts
18.9 Years
Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?

You should not have asked that question. Seriously. XD

I'm going to assume you only want to know about the Pokemon fandom, or we'll be here all day. :3 Anyone who doesn't want to listen to me rambling on about my various planned fics should just skip my post. Really. I mean it.

To start with the one-shots, I want to do a rewrite of a fic I posted way back when called Brother My Brother, and is a companion piece to the chaptered fic I'm working on now. I also want to do a revamp of Keeping My Sanity: Mirrorscape (a Lance character study), to reflect my changed perception of the characters, and obviously I need to fix up At What Cost (which used to be my entry for the angst contest on SPPf; it's not working properly so I'm entering something else, but thanks to everyone who reviewed it) and Another Ordinary Day (which was my entry for the battle contest).

Then there's The Eyes of the Abyss, which is kind of a companion piece to At What Cost. Where AWC is completely anime-centred, EotA is completely manga-centred, but they both have the same sort of theme and are intended to examine the completely different sides of Lance's character. I'd also love to do a couple of sequels of Mirrorscape (which was from Lance's PoV), from the PoVs of Steven and Wallace, but I lost the notes I did have for them, so they're on the backburner. >.<

Speaking of Wallace and Steven, I was supposed to write a friendshippy fic for someone for Christmas, but every time I sat down to do it, nothing happened. >.< That one's called Of Pillows and Picture Books, and the storyline's kind of generic, but meh. :3 The other Steven and Wallace one I'm going to write might actually end up being a two- or three-shot, but it's basically an exploration of Originshipping without the story actually being a pairing. That one's called The 'Thin Red Line'.

Then there's 'Disillusions', which is a trilogy of one-shots focussing on Lance (big surprise). The first one is actually my new entry for the angst contest on SPPf. It's called The Good Fight, and was originally supposed to only be a standalone, but then I decided there was more story to tell, so The Mighty Fallen and A Fool's Paradise came along. All of them have a kind of case-file tone to them.

Then there's Legacy, which is intended to be a prequel to a larger fic the same way HotM was, but that particular series has been put on the backburner due to my dramatic shift in character perception.

...oh yeah, and that old one-shot I want to dust off and redo, the one about time travel. >.< Can't even remember what it's called now, but it was anime-based.

*cough* So yeah. Now the chaptered fics. Skip me if I'm boring you. :3

Obviously I'm going to finish the fic I'm working on now, Choice and Consequence, which is being difficult at the moment. >.< I keep on having to rewrite the same scene, it's driving me nuts. I also have its sequel planned, which is at the moment called Games of Dominance, but I've been considering changing it. Plus there's the collection of AU one-shots in which the shipwreck in HotM did not happen, called, ever-so-originally, Magma Tales.

Then there's my OTs. The first one is based on FR/LG, so yeah, it's a journeyfic; it's called Pokemon Journeys: In the Company of Gods. The sequel is based on G/S/C (surprise surprise) and is called Pokemon Journeys: A Road Already Travelled. And yes, the 'Pokemon Journeys' thing is necessary and deliberate. :P I intend to make a bit of a point with these fics, so they may end up being slightly satirical in nature.

The third OT I have planned is completely unrelated to the other two; it's not a journeyfic. It's called From Fledgling to Flyer and is intended to be an exploration of the Dragon Clan and their traditions, place in society, their training, etc. It follows a trainer from the day he's accepted as an Initiate to the day he becomes a full Clan member.

There's an as-yet untitled crime fic I want to write, drawing inspiration off the Lake of Rage incident and including a number of anime characters. I also have a fic centering on the unown, which is, at the moment, called Twisted Memory and has a look at the unown's possible place in the universe as the guardians of Time (yes, I am aware that Dialga is the Time Pokemon, but I'm still ignoring Sinnoh), History, Chaos, etc.

The last standalone I have planned is so far called Reign of Terror (gag me with a spoon) and is pretty much about a war in which the League is trying to take back Kanto, Johto and Hoenn from the three Teams. Not sure on details yet.

...oh yeah. Can't forget my Phantom of the Opera parody. :P Scriptfic, with Morty starring as Christine, Will as the Phantom and Eusine as Raoul... so I was influenced by yaoi shippers, so sue me. :P

Finally there's that series I mentioned that's been put on the backburner because of my shift in character perception. The first chaptered fic is called Viridian and is basically about an original region in which pokemon have been enslaved and they're trying to rebel (wow, that sounds so cliche). The sequel, Twilight, actually has very little to do with the region but a lot to do with the protagonist afterwards having to come to terms with all the muke that happened to him in the first one, and then all this muke that's happening to him now because of all the muke that happened in the first one. Then there's the third chaptered fic in the series, Legend's Rising (blergh), which actually comes before all the others. It was originally supposed to be a standalone but got delegated to being in this series because it uses the same outdated character perception.

...I think I'm done. ^.^;; I told you you shouldn't have asked that question. And people wonder why I have so much trouble getting things out regularly. >.<

...well, you probably don't, but meh. :P Anybody who actually read this, say it with me: 'fangirl'.
Seen December 12th, 2016
Posted July 9th, 2016
849 posts
15.6 Years
Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?

I'm trying to think up a One Shot, but I'm not sure that One Shots are my style of writing. I'll have to practice.

As far as future fics, I'm planning two more fics:

1. When the third game comes out, I'll make a fic based off it.
2. If they remake Johto, I'll make a fic as well, similar to the Fire Red/Leaf Green saga of Pokemon Special.
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
For the "asking for a review" thing, why don't we just make it a thread? People can come in asking for a review, and others can either choose a fic to review or review fics in the order they came in. It would make this argument go away once and for all...
Ask, and ye shall receive.

Fanfiction Announcement Thread

Dig it.

It's up for tweaking. So if any improvements are wanted, just holler away. I might ignore you in the beginning, but for now, it's good.

So from now on, all posts about new chapters/one-shots/fics go in that thread. The Lounge will just be a place for us to discuss writing (like a real lounge).

Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?
Maybe. Don't know. I'm still plugging away at the same fic that I've been working at for the past many years.

Avatar credit: Fairy
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
What is your favorite pokemon to write about/Which one would you most like to write about? Why?
easily the Treecko line. As the anime has portrayed, they could be quite the melee fighters, and they've got a wide movepool to pull it off with (they've got a great selection of special moves as well). Now, several people like Grovyle more than Sceptile, but the way I see it, Sceptile is the perfect representation of power combined with speed. I'll agree, its Sugimori artwork isn't that great... makes it look kinda fat and laidback, but the anime managed to portray Ash's in a much better light, thankfully. With a slightly trimmer redesign, it really shouldn't be hard to picture it like a swift-moving assassin.... hell, some of my inspiration for its battle choreography comes from Renamon (Digimon Tamers). They look a little alike when you think about it: human posture, bulky thighs, legs that bend backwards, pointed snout (or rather something of a beak in Sceptile's case), and interestingly enough, they're both meant to be agile.

As purple_drake mentioned, Unown's a very interesting Pokemon as well, albeit extremely under-appreciated (I find it interesting to collect the alphabets and see what each of their Hidden Powers is like.... it probably won't be used in competitive battling, but in single-player RPG tradition, it's always fun to go around picking off small fry in random battles ^^). And being so shrouded in mystery, and supposedly being related to legendaries, how could you not take advantage of that? Speaking of legendaries, a lot of them are interesting to write about as well, if only for all the creation myths that canon surrounds them with.

Also, as much as I enjoy speedy fighters, I've got an appreciation for the slow types as well. In particular, my erogee will feature a number of small, stubby Pokemon (Cacnea, Aron, Trapinch), and as I probably mentioned before, I intend to portray speeds accurately and consistently from the games (as opposed to the route the anime took, in which a friggin' turtle zips all over the place -_-). It'd be interesting to see them battle in spite of their lack of movement, and outside of battle, I'm picturing their slow movements to appear rather cute, even making for some funny situations.

Do you ever get that feeling in writing where you just don't want to write anymore?
I've got a discontinued narrative and script, so I'd have to say "yes". I guess I lost interest because, aside from the fact that I started to think my narrative style sucked (not so much script, but still.... I wanted a manga from the offset), I felt the story was turning into a complete mess (which is all the more reason I am seriously planning things out ahead of time now). Back when I wrote a narrative, I was just getting out a story that my brother began and gave up on, and it wasn't until later I realized how many of his early ideas (as well as ideas for later that he told me about) really weren't working out, and overall seemed extremely half-assed at that (I'm currently wondering just what the hell I saw in them).

For instance, "Hiro" (who was pretty much my brother's self-insert) and his friend "Chris" (my brother actually has a friend named that, too) are suddenly invited by Professor Elm to go to Newbark Town to discuss seeing the legendary beasts awaken when they just so happened to be there (as if they couldn't just discuss it with Elm right there when he happened to be visiting Ecruteak). Also, Kenta from the Crystal special (later given the English name Jimmy) joins up with Hiro, and trying to fit into anime continuity, he's finished half of his gyms and did some backtracking for whatever reason, so..... he's kinda left doing nothing but stagnating in the background half the time (and I doubt he would've done anything important anyway). The script wasn't much better.... sure, I took time to develop the characters more, and cut out several of the unnecessary things, but I feel I went overboard with my "attempts" to make the story seem more deep. Seriously, Hiro's homesickness seems kinda shoved into the reader's face.... no, more than that, it's outright jammed down their throats. What's even sadder: I didn't even agree with the theme I was trying to come up with.... I was going to have later chapters focus on getting Hiro try to appreciate Pokemon battling. So what, he's pretty much forced into it? And he's supposed to see it as more important than his regular life that he treasures so much? That's kinda ****ed up, wouldn't you think?

Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?
Of course... in fact, pretty much everything I've talked about is only in the planning stages right now (unless you want to count the serial, for which I've written and discontinued earlier versions of).

Take the Harry Potter series - technically readers are forced to conveniently forget about the existence of time-travel in it in order for the story to work out at all, because the time-travel is too unrestricted and technically somebody could just go back in time and undo, say, the birth of Voldemort. (The only reason given in the books for not doing so is that in the particular context time-travel was actually used would involve the main characters seeing their own future selves in the past, which would freak them out too much - there are no technical restrictions on causing paradoxes at all.)
the whole "you shouldn't see yourself in a different time" thing has gotta be one of the crappiest time-travel ideas I've heard of. In all actuality, your past (or even your future) selves are no doubt going to be affected by every small little detail that no doubt results from you being there in the first place, so seeing your own face is nothing more than pouring water into a pond. Even though no one asked, I would like to present my personal analysis on the whole matter of time travel.

Some of you might be familiar with what's called "the butterfly effect", in which a butterfly fluttering its wings in one place can cause a hurricane in another. Now maybe it's not that extreme, but nonetheless, the butterfly's presence is causing a small change to occur in air currents. Should you place that butterfly there a few minutes ago, it'd no doubt be too insignificant to matter. However, the further back you go, the larger an impact every tiny change will have.... given a few years, possibly even centuries, that small change in air movement actually could cause a hurricane somewhere in the world.... or, it could slightly move a hurricane that one area was supposed to have over to a completely different area. Nonetheless, this shows how significant change over much build-up. Similarly, if you were to move just a grain of sand, it probably won't impact a rock during wind erosion (or it will hit a rock it wasn't supposed to hit). It doesn't sound like much, but given a million years, that could be a countless number of impacts that single grain was or wasn't supposed to make (quite easily the same number of impacts needed to take out a boulder).

Chain events are also a problem. If you were to stop World War II from happening, certain soldiers who should've been killed will end up producing a child with someone who was supposed to move on and find another mate. Hell, every small conversation and event each person has in their life could easily effect their future partnership, lineage, as well as those of other people they encounter. And going back on the butterfly effect, one has to take how we're conceived into consideration. It's not so simple as "Marty's gotta make his parents kiss at the dance". Getting really technical here, we result from the combination of two single-cells. With millions of sperm fighting to get to that egg, so not only must the time of conception be exact, but causing your ancestors to shift so much as a millimeter will cause a different person to be born. One must also consider the diets the parents take to produce their sex cells (as well as the unborn fetus), and even if the right sperm made it to the egg, how can one insure the chances of the parents' genes dividing to match the genes that their offspring's supposed to have? Even the correct person could end up with traits from one parent that they should've had from the other.... being born the opposite sex is also an easy possibility.

Thankfully, fiction often overlooks these sort of technicalities. Nonetheless, realistic time-travel (assuming my theories hold weight) is extremely dangerous and not to be taken lightly. Though, even fiction tends to have enough sense not to send someone back 200 years, cause/prevent a large incident, and expect everything to be completely fine in the present (unless it's applying the alternate universe theory, a theory I'm actually rather fond of).

Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?


...I think I'm done. ^.^;; I told you you shouldn't have asked that question. And people wonder why I have so much trouble getting things out regularly. >.<

...well, you probably don't, but meh. :P Anybody who actually read this, say it with me: 'fangirl'.
"Fangirl!" XD

Don't worry, I'm acutally in the same boat as you, purple drake. XD All right, my time to ask this questions...

For one shots, here are the plans I got:

-Wanting to do the remake of "Forever Young". The plot and characters will be the same but the writing style will be quite different. I still hadn't have time to do it yet. >.>

-A prequel to my first fic, "Heart of the Sea", which will be called, "The Other Side of the Sea" (sue me! XD). Bascially it's going to be a short backstory about the Whiscash in that story. Still didn't have time to write it.

-A one shot that was originally going to be the entry for the tragic one shot contest but won't be able to enter because of school, work, and a few other things. :X It's going to be called "Will I Be Remembered?", bascially a one shot inspired by one of my friends' story and a thread at Serebii...and oh, it'll be on Cynthia. That's all I'm going to say at the moment. XD Probably might be able to do this in Spring Break.

-My unfinished one shot "Midnight Song", which is mostly about a sailor one day hearing a Lapras' song. A short, short verison of "Moby Dick" I like to call it. XD Will finish this one day. XD

-My finished one shot but thinking of rewriting it, "Mori", which is an OT one shot of a grass type trainer suddenly found a very simple village after gone through a blizzard and hanging out with a girl named Mori. Will edit that story one day. :X

For chaptered fics:

Spoiler:
I'm actually thinking of doing a prequel called "Twisted Rain". This was originally going to be the title of "Nothing, Everything" (the redux version that's posted here), but then decided to keep the title NE because I love it so much. ^^;

(coughs)

Anyways, "Twisted Rain" is going to be a backstory of one of the characters in "Nothing, Everything" that died way early. Been thinking about this for months.


As for other chaptered fics, probably the one I mentioned in the spoiler might be my last Pokemon chaptered fic. School and work is eating a lot of my time and I so would like to write an original story or two one day. ^^;
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
Do you ever get that feeling in writing where you just don't want to write anymore?

It usually just lasts a day or two.

What is your favorite pokemon to write about/Which one would you most like to write about? Why?

I'm going to say Treecko and evos. They are my favorite pokemon, and, as Yamato-san brought up, quite fun to write in battles due to their moves and stature. I also love the overall personality.

Due to the one shot contest over at serebii, I found myself really enjoying writing about Beedrills and their societies way of life which I came up with as sort of like the Red Army during WW2.
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
Hiro's homesickness seems kinda shoved into the reader's face.... no, more than that, it's outright jammed down their throats.
speaking of which.... I would like to know a bit more about subtlety and how to go about handling it. As I've said before (I'm throwing this term around a lot... should I really bother, since most people here read through all my long-ass posts anyway?), I've learned a lot about story complexity through reading various anime reviews over the years. A lot of reviews do bring up how the themes are kinda shoved in your face, holding the viewer's hand through the whole thing instead of letting them figure things out themselves. I agree that making the theme too noticeable is annoying (especially when they blatantly say it several times throughout the series).... however, if it's too subtle, a lot of people could hate it (ex. Evangelion).

Given, most people likely hate such stuff because they just missed the point, and once you do understand the point, it's all the more better because of it. Nonetheless, it would be a shame to have something that's overly confusing to most audiences, so having an easy-to-follow story with some deep underlying stuff seems like one of the better routes to take. Though, I would like to know how you go about making themes subtle without making them seem damn outright non-existent to even the most profound of viewers (if not something only the original author would know). To sum this up in a question, I guess I'm asking....

How do you deal with subtlety?

And if you anyone has anymore info on how to handle it, that would be much appreciated. Just a reminder to everyone, I'm still looking for more understanding on themes in general as well.

txteclipse

The Last

Age 32
Riverside
Seen March 23rd, 2023
Posted November 2nd, 2016
2,322 posts
15.7 Years
How do you deal with subtlety?

This one's a toughie. You can either use a few subtle things until the reader finally finds out what the subtleties have led up to and hope that they remember said subtleties, or you can be less subtle and keep pounding the points into the reader's head until they either figure out a plot segment early or get annoyed at being kept in the dark.

My method is to do a few (one or two) allusions to whatever I want to be subtle about that will make the reader suspicious, but then not mention it again until I want them to remember said subtleties. Hopefully when they read whatever the "punchline" happens to be, they'll remember back to the subtle moments, smack their foreheads, and wonder why they didn't see it right away.

It's a delicate balance, in any case, and I can't say for sure that I'm all that good at it in the first place. Good luck, though...

Saffire Persian

Feline of Light and Shadow

Age 35
Female
Utah
Seen November 6th, 2011
Posted June 2nd, 2010
140 posts
17.6 Years
How do you deal with subtlety?

Very subtly. It's a hard beast to tame and I can only hope I can wrestle it into place without people noticing.

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

Hissy Fit

Paranoia + Insomnia= Me

Amongst the Corn Children
Seen November 9th, 2008
Posted February 8th, 2008
41 posts
15.3 Years
Not to be off topic but I have a question that I can't seem to find the answer to...

I'm very paranoid about fanfic and art theft. It's preventing me from actually showing off any of my work. I was wondering that if I post my works on DeviantArt; being sure to mention that I am indeed 'Hissy Fit', would it then be alright to post them here also?

(Sorry if I worded that a bit funny. My aching head is affecting my thinking).

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?
Oh yes. Most of them are requests from Christmas that I have yet to finish because I suck. One of them is a one-shot involving my friends' OCs and an elevator, with my only explanation of why I have yet to write it being "I can't think of how to tackle this decently." The second is the next chapter of a collaborative work I've been doing with another friend titled Long Live the King. The third is a nameless serial (though I've been thinking about calling it Cross) involving the five Storage/Retrieval System developers and one too many references to Ouran High School Host Club. (Bill = Tamaki?) I plan on posting the latter to PC once I get off my rear and write it.

The other serial I plan on doing may be released this October. It's a sci-fi fling that, when I proposed the plot bunny on my LiveJournal, successfully creeped out half my friends list.

Lastly, I'm contemplating actually working on Project: Firefly (my most recent failed NaNo), although I don't like what I've done with it in the revamped version.

And only now do I realize how much Bill fanfiction I write but fail to actually publish.

How do you deal with subtlety?
Unfortunately, my problem with subtlety is that I've realized exactly what you've realized: either that something is laid on so thick that it's smacking the reader in the face or that it's laid on so thin that the reader doesn't pick up on it. However, I personally believe that it's usually better to go with the latter than the former, as I feel it's safer to make something vague than risk insulting the intelligence of your reader. Not to mention the fact that if things are made to be obvious, it ruins the entire thing because, yes, being obvious completely defeats the purpose of attempting subtlety. Ergo, I lean to the side of ambiguity and don't worry too much about it. That is, if I attempt a theme at all. Most often, I really don't work with a theme in mind at all because from my own experience, if one attempts to be conscious about a theme, it just comes out thick. Likewise, not many professional writers go into a work and allow themes to take precedence over the actual story. That is, when they sit down to write, one would expect them to say first, "I want to write a story about a city built on the misery of one child" and maybe after that, "It's a story about the cruelty of society against the individual."

While, yes, I understand the actual definition of a theme (that it's a broad idea represented in a work), the truth of the matter is that I try not to, well, try. Because of that, if my work happens to have an overall theme, I end up leaving only hints about it as I go through the events of the story, rather than attempt to actually have a conscious theme, if that makes sense.

I'm very paranoid about fanfic and art theft. It's preventing me from actually showing off any of my work. I was wondering that if I post my works on DeviantArt; being sure to mention that I am indeed 'Hissy Fit', would it then be alright to post them here also?
If it's yours, then I don't see what's stopping you. A lot of us post our work on various sites as well.

At which point, I hope to see your work soon.
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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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
*wakes from the dead* Oh man, haven't been here in a while. I've recently been a little turned away from writing due to lack of interest. However, I feel that I owe it not only to my readers, but to myself for finishing at least one of my fics. With that said, lemme answer some of these questions:

Do you have any fics/one shots planned for the future? If so, what?
Hah, don't get me started. I HAD two one-shots and a whole new fic planed for '08, but I'm having some second thoughts. Before writing anything new, I intend to finish one of the two unfinished fics I already have (whichever I choose will be completely rewritten). I've also learned my lesson and will be sure to have many chapers under my belt before posting.

What is your favorite pokemon to write about/Which one would you most like to write about? Why?
I absolutely, and without a doubt love writing about Absols and Larvitars (big suprise, eh?). Since Absols are pretty rare in fics, I was able to add any personality I wanted when I wrote about one. I like Larvitars and its evos for the sole reason that it's just a cool Pokemon.


Monotype Fire Challenge

Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
Most often, I really don't work with a theme in mind at all because from my own experience, if one attempts to be conscious about a theme, it just comes out thick. Likewise, not many professional writers go into a work and allow themes to take precedence over the actual story. That is, when they sit down to write, one would expect them to say first, "I want to write a story about a city built on the misery of one child" and maybe after that, "It's a story about the cruelty of society against the individual."

While, yes, I understand the actual definition of a theme (that it's a broad idea represented in a work), the truth of the matter is that I try not to, well, try. Because of that, if my work happens to have an overall theme, I end up leaving only hints about it as I go through the events of the story, rather than attempt to actually have a conscious theme, if that makes sense.
I didn't start my story with a theme in mind neither.... however, in my experience, if the story doesn't have some level of complexity to it, then the ending will more than likely end up seeming rather underwhelming. Predictable outcomes, a "What? That's it?" feeling, several events and characters ending up serving absolutely no purpose towards the plot whatsoever, and an overall sense of shallowness that doesn't leave you looking back on it for long. I really don't want my works to have that kind of feeling. Given, I guess this partly comes down to execution and how typical the scenarios are made out to be, but themes certainly seem to help craft something unique often times.

JX Valentine

Your aquatic overlord

Female
Harassing Bill
Seen August 19th, 2020
Posted December 8th, 2012
3,276 posts
19 Years
*shrug* Just because you don't consciously add a theme to your story doesn't necessarily mean that it doesn't have a level of complexity, but you've pretty much covered it with your last sentence -- that it depends on how you do it. You can still pull off an interesting story if you merely look at the events, rather than what it means metaphorically or philosophically or whatever you're going for in a conscious theme. Otherwise, something like Chekhov's gun would have no hope of ever really working. (That is, because a story is primarily entertainment, if a plot is executed with its own innate sense of intricacy, it still can be enjoyable to the majority of your audience. In other words, my advice: just keep track of what you added to the story and where you were going with it. Take it out and fix up the plot in the revision stages. Publish when ready.)

Likewise, as you've brought up before, it's possible to create a feeling of flatness and singular dimensions (that is, the shallowness that you've just described) if you consciously attempt for a theme by overemphasizing what you're talking about, which in turn, for the reader, is equivalent to being smacked repeatedly in the head with a shovel. While I realize you don't follow the dub, consider the the first Pokemon movie. One of the major themes was that violence doesn't solve everything, and smack in the middle of the movie, you get some pretty trite dialogue out of the characters (such as James looking at the fighting Pokemon and muttering, "I was prepared for trouble... but not like this," a la anti-drug commercial).

Additionally, you have to be careful with themes as well. Just like there's such a thing as bad poetry, there's such a thing as a bad theme. In other words, just because you write it doesn't exactly mean that you're achieving a level of depth. It may in itself cause your writing to become shallow because you end up either (A) sounding ridiculous in an obvious attempt to be pretentious or (B) writing about themes that have already been covered countless times. Sure, it's possible to avoid both points altogether or at least going for B and pulling it off anyway, but I'm just saying the risk is still there.

So, yes, it really just depends on how the story is executed and the skills of the individual author. Some people pull off stories without really giving theme a particular precedence over plot, whereas others consciously make an attempt and still pull off an awesome literary work. Sorry if this really doesn't help you with your writing, although my advice to you is to just figure out what wouldn't be a predictable outcome and work from there. That and you're probably worrying yourself to death about something the average reader probably doesn't really think about. As in, I wouldn't worry about avoiding a shallow story too much if I were you. Speaking from experience, sometimes, the harder you try to avoid something, the more likely you are to hit it anyway. (I mean, I only really know of one or two reviewers who actually look for themes in a fanfiction... unless it smacks the reader over the head like the aforementioned shovel. Unless this isn't fanfiction, but even then, searching for themes, from what I can tell from various lit classes, is more of a critic thing than a conscious effort by the author. Only one story I've ever read has ever come across as attempting to push a theme, and that's "Those Who Walk Away From Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin. Everything else more or less felt like they just happened.)

Edit: At least, I hope this made a bit of sense. Apologies if I've rambled.
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txteclipse

The Last

Age 32
Riverside
Seen March 23rd, 2023
Posted November 2nd, 2016
2,322 posts
15.7 Years
Since Absols are pretty rare in fics, I was able to add any personality I wanted when I wrote about one.
I didn't really know about this, but it's weird. Absols are just so cool: I can't imagine why people wouldn't use them more. I have one in my fic, and it's going to be very fun to write about.

Bay

She/They
Dani California
Seen 6 Hours Ago
Posted 7 Hours Ago
6,347 posts
17 Years
How do you deal with subtlety?

Yeah, I pretty much sprinkle hints here and there on "Nothing, Everything" on a few things like what is going to happen next, which characters are important, and themes. So far my reviewers hadn't really quick the themes and such yet, but then again the story is only on its fouth chapter! XD In short, I do leave important clues and such but it's more that I sneak it in than keep smacking them on my reader's heads. XD

On themes, well I tend to think of a couple of themes I would like to do, sort of a goal to myself on what I want the path of the story to go to. After I write though, the themes I planned are still there but then more themes began to branch out that I hadn't planned. XD

Sorry in advance if I misinterpet anything. I'm quite tired at the moment as I hadn't gotten much sleep from writing one of my essays and studying for quizzes and midterms. ^^;
Miles Edgeworth
Foul Play [On Hiatus]
Age 36
Seen February 14th, 2012
Posted February 1st, 2009
446 posts
18.7 Years
While I realize you don't follow the dub, consider the the first Pokemon movie. One of the major themes was that violence doesn't solve everything, and smack in the middle of the movie, you get some pretty trite dialogue out of the characters (such as James looking at the fighting Pokemon and muttering, "I was prepared for trouble... but not like this," a la anti-drug commercial).
actually, I did follow the dub until about three years ago, when I finally got access to the Japanese episodes. Not only that, but I do still hear about what gets changed in the English version (particularly through Dogasu's comparison site).

I can see what you're saying, and I do sometimes think I'm overdoing it.... still, a deep and moving story is something I've wanted from the start. I want to be able to have drama without it seeming half-assed, overdone, empty, and/or forced (the last part being rather ironic to say, considering I actively strive towards such a thing in the first place ^^'). Though, I have come up with a number of dramatic scenes that I think could work, so maybe I'm alright. Though, dialog's not something I've worked on too much, so it would help me to know how much is too much.... when the length and content of the dialog is acceptable, if not perfect, and when it just drags out or divulges too much, thus me asking about subtlety.

Even though I've been searching for a theme, I don't think I've ever radically altered any of the major events of the plot to try to expand on said theme or in order to shoehorn one in (at most, I'd try to alter characters' attitudes and minor actions to fit in with it.... resulting in my whiny, homesick protagonist from the script -_-). I know it's possible to just think of the events for a plot, but themes still seem to be an essential for practically any story.... some apparently come later in the planning, some crop up naturally, but they're there all the same. I keep looking at the events planned in my story, and try to figure out what could be there.... problem is, my basic idea of what the central theme could be is constantly changing, and I still don't have a consistent personality for the main character because of it. Perhaps several authors don't even have a theme in mind, and it's just something that a reviewer claims is within the story later.... still, I get the feeling that knowing my theme could help me, especially when the events in the middle of the story are still rather fragmented (hell, a theme could probably help me come up with new events... there's also the aforementioned protagonist and me unable to come up with a consistent personality).

But I guess, for what it's worth, one thing I've always wanted to do with my doujinshi is provide a rather tongue-in-cheek outlook of the Pokemon franchise in general, especially the serious business I was talking about earlier. Maybe this could be an example of a concept, perhaps even a theme, which I could consistently run with (don't get the wrong idea, though.... I said "tongue-in-cheek", but it's not meant to be an outright parody. Pokemon are still treated in a serious light, but I often portray characters having normal lives that don't revolve around the creatures 24/7. For that matter, having the protagonist not take an interest in Pokemon raising has to be one of the few consistent traits I've had with him).

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
Male
Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
How do you deal with subtlety?

When it comes to being subtle about stuff, I try to keep things obscure or not to reveal everything at once. Example, in Feral Twilight, my main character Jay Christie was supposed to have been the best trainer in his home region of Ronac until losing to his little sister six months earlier. The fic is in first person, and since he's kind of haunted by that fact and holds a grudge against his sister, it'd be too easy just to have him say it in the narration, which is why I only have him show his grudgeful attitude without him really saying a thing.

Okay... That's probably as clear as mud, but what I'm getting at is that I'm trying to avoid just telling stuff and give clues to it instead. That's also something I'm trying with my fakemon or, at least a few of them... I'm learning it's kind of hard to just give clues as to what to a few of them are without some type of decent explanation as to how they came about and develop and stuff like that.
Seen January 1st, 2023
Posted April 20th, 2020
4,423 posts
15.4 Years
How do you deal with subtlety?

I don't, because when I attempt to use it, I fail horribly. But I do use certain phrases to foreshadow events, whether they'll happen or not is all part of the fun.
'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.'

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
Male
Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
I remember hearing once that even experienced authors tend struggle when it comes to subtlety in their fiction. I can't remember exactly where I heard that, but I've noticed in quite a few published works that the POV is normally third person omniscient and, though there tends to be usage of techniques that build some suspense or mystery, it just seems that they're normally a lot more straight-out stuff rather than a bunch of little stuff that eventually ends up revealing stuff. But then, maybe it just seems this way to only me...
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
I don't know about other published writers, but I know that my favorite one wrote his more popular book without any idea of subtle messages. Yet on my fifth (and yes, I need a life) second read through, I noticed little subtle hints that are in the first few chapters about later events. I was all confused about how I missed it before.

And the fantasy novel that I'm reading now is annotated with notes by the two authors and their editor. So they point out the text where hints are dropped about future events. And they had planned out what they were going to add.

So, in summary, I guess it just depends on the writer.

How do you deal with subtlety?
I let it happen when it happens. If I notice that there's a great phrase that I wrote that leaves a hint, then I'll leave it in and see if readers notice it or not.

Avatar credit: Fairy

txteclipse

The Last

Age 32
Riverside
Seen March 23rd, 2023
Posted November 2nd, 2016
2,322 posts
15.7 Years
Hanoko brought up something I really enjoy about fanfic writing. As you post chapters, you're allowed to do a little commentary on the side to involve your readers more. For instance, if you post a chapter that contains something you alluded to in an earlier chapter, you can point it out. You can also explain where ideas came from, why you chose a certain name/place/etc., and many other things. It's almost like a book reading performed by the author, and commentary and questions from the audience is allowed, even encouraged. It's more involved, and I think just more dang fun than reading a book where the author is distanced from his or her audience.

Incinermyn

The Abomination Lives!!!

Age 37
Male
Wisconsin, USA
Seen July 29th, 2018
Posted May 21st, 2016
646 posts
15.8 Years
Commentaries are kind of fun. I like learning about the ideas that went into other people's writings. Now if I'd only get past the first chapter or so of my fics Feral Twilight and Biohazard and get one of them posted, I might actually be able to have a couple...

Anyways, there's something that's been bugging me lately regarding a shadow Pokemon fic I've been working on (forever). It's about one of my characters. I was wondering if anyone would find a story involving a trainer who has a good amount of experience under his belt to the point where he actually beat his home region's Pokemon league interesting. There's a twist to that, though, as in he was the league champion until losing to one of the worst possible people, his little sister (little in the sense she's two years younger than him). After that, the story's supposed to chronicle his life after the loss, how he gets involved with the region's professor who's created a biological monstrocity, and then how a crime syndicate using the power of a cursed item that allows for the creation of shadow Pokemon try to capture that monster in order to summon forth a legendary beast that has the power to control the emotions of fear, envy, and rage.

Yeah, that's probably as clear as mud... So, what do you guys think? Good or bad?
Age 36
Seen 17 Hours Ago
Posted 2 Days Ago
If there's conflict in the story, then you're all set. You might have to work a bit on the main character to not make him uber strong in Pokemon battles. He was strong enough to be the Champion, so his Pokemon are going to be stronger than, say, my OT with her baby Pokemon.

Of course, a question I have is what is the main force of conflict? Is the main character going around stopping the evil team? If so, then you have to deal with the problem of him being stronger than a punky kid.

And, is there going to be the main character dealing with the fact that he lost to his little sister? That would be fun to deal with, having him come to terms with it. Maybe a form of conflict could be him thinking that his battle skills aren't good enough anymore, and through some inspiring event, he gets over that fear.

Okay, I'll stop now, Skunter. ^^ I hope a little bit of my ramblings helped you.

Avatar credit: Fairy