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A rant of the lack of creativity

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
This thread is NOT what you think it is. I'm not complaining about fics being uncreative. In fact, just the opposite--I want to take this moment and praise every single person in this forum, n00b writer and fic celeb alike. Because the General Pokemon Discussion Forum is driving me completely insane.

Lemme explain: yesterday there was a thread on why smart Pokemon like Alakazam bother listening to dumb trainers. I was too annoyed with the thread to post my own words or opinions, so I just fetched a quote from QFTL, posted, and left.

But I couldn't help but see some people saying "it's just a game." Other people said, "It's fictional, things don't have to make sense." Or even worse, in some threads there are the competitive battlers who say, "Pokemon are just bits of data, nothing else matters." (I most certainly don't mean any offence to competitive battlers, as I know many who write fics or post realistically in the GPD forum.)

Then I made a thread on how Pokeballs work, whether Pokemon are energy-based or not, or whether Pokeballs just have the totally illogical ability to turn all matter into energy. I put one of the poll options as "It's just a game" to gauge the amount of people without any theories. It was in the lead for awhile. I curtly replied saying that "some people like having opinions," before storming off.

"It's just a game." "It's just a game."

Well, NO, it's NOT just a game! That's what we DO! Even those of us who don't strive to bring logic to every ounce of the Pokemon world at least have SOME theories and opinions. Why do so many other people have to just be bland, thoughtless, and opinionless, spouting Pokedex entries like they make sense and criticizing anyone who likes to take a realistic perspective on things? I used to think of Pokemon as being an intelligent game, because Pokemon is so open-eneded and open to interpretation, that everyone had to have their own creative take on the way things work. Ha....haha.

So here's to the Fanfiction community, which utterly pwns the General Pokemon Discussion. That's why I posted it here, because otherwise everyone would form an angry mob and a flamewar would start and I'd get banned for disturbing the peace or something like that. =P

Sorry, I just had to get that off my chest.

~Chibi~;249;;448;
 

Dilasc

Boip!
Why do you concern yourself with the thoughts of what lesser individuals think? If you find yourself thinking and worrying about what they think (or lack thereof) or say, then THEY win. Don't let them win!
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Ah...if you knew me irl, then you'd know that my single greatest weakness in an argument is that I care immensely what other people think. =P That's why I always lose when debating with my sister.

~Chibi~;249;;448;
 

nashie1

Well-Known Member
i know what you mean. Some of my friends are like that but then get hypocritical and go on about final fantasy or star wars in that way. I also care way to much about what others think too..
 

Negrek

Lost but Seeking
I agree that it's quite annoying when people come into discussion threads like that only to post stuff like "It's only a game, who cares?" or "It's fictional--stuff isn't supposed to make sense." Really, I don't see the point of posting in such a thread if you're just going to do that; all it's saying really, is, "I have no opinion on this discussion but posted here anyway because I wanted to up my postcount/felt like annoying the lot of you."

However, I really don't see any problem with such a literalist interpretation of the games. It certainly doesn't show a lack of creativity: just a lack of interest in that sort of speculation or a different perspective on what makes the games fun to play. It's true that a lot of serious NetBattlers don't view pokemon as anything more than bits of data to be played with; however, any good NetBattler needs to be very creative in order to win--they just have a different outlet for their creativity than waxing poetic about what it might be like on the inside of a pokeball. People who play the games because they're games and don't consider them to be anything more than that aren't necessarily uncreative; they're just in the games for a bit of fun and not serious intellectual discussion. And there's nothing wrong with that.

In short, a very theoretical approach to the franchise is only one way to enjoy it, and no method of appreciating the pokemon games or series is inherently better than any other. Creativity has nothing to do with it.
 

Orange_Flaaffy

Jello Pokéballs
I think creativity does have a lot to do with it, at least in terms of imagination. But that is just my two cents, I love to look deeper at all games and many of them from an 'if they were real' view (My view on Nurse Joy-dom is one of these ideas).
Nothing gets my goat more than someone who battles online calling a certain nature 'bad' for a captured/hatched pokemon. I love all my pokemon (yes I am one of those odd people that attaches emotion to the games) I breed and could not worry less about a nature of a pokemon is because the moment I view a nature I start to think of the Luvdisc etc as a character to be written into fic, with all the depth that goes with it :)
 
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DGCatAniSiri

Charmingly Cynical
I am secure in my level of hypocrisy.

Actually, with me, I know all these things that I enjoy, Pokemon, Star Trek, Star Wars, Buffy, are all fictional worlds. I emerse myself in them, but if I'm not watching/playing them at the time, I've also managed to pull myself out of that world just enough to at least aim for an objective viewpoint.

Oh, and the main reason I went with the 'it's just a game' option in your poll was because I wanted to make a joke about the grizzly bear.
 

Komedic Konservationist

N00b in the dungeon!
Here, here. The uninspired attitude towards creative, productive, and interesting theories in GPD is just downright sad and pathetic, and is also the origin of much spam. ITZ JUST A GAMEZ THIS IS A WASTE OF TIME LOLZ11111!!!11
They should just shut the f*ck up and leave those who actually have imagination to exploit their creative juices in peace.
 

Arcanine Royale

Well-Known Member
It's there choice to have that opinion, not ours. If they don't care about how things could work... it's not our problem. Now, if they came over to our little ficcing island and started writing stuff with that opinion, that would be a problem for certain.
 

Dilasc

Boip!
I still don't understand why we're letting this upset us beyond the morbid fascination of wanting said people to die in a fire. That may be a bit extreme, but I think the point is made. If they don't care, then why should we care if they don't? Hmm?

Just ignore them and follow your passions of reading and writing stories for the reasons we love to write: Attention, glory, fun, enthrallment, humor, and so on. If a few bozos don't care, let them remain ignorant and move on towards glory rather than wallow in despair over it. This stuff is not going to hurt anyone.
 

Isfahan

Well-Known Member
It's there choice to have that opinion, not ours. If they don't care about how things could work... it's not our problem. Now, if they came over to our little ficcing island and started writing stuff with that opinion, that would be a problem for certain.

They'd be some pretty boring fics, I bet.

THE FIRST POKÉBALL

by hoocares39482

"Eureka!" cried Professor Bell, holding aloft a slate-gray sphere. "First I invent the telephone, and now... the Pokéball! I've forever revolutionized how Pokémon journeys are conducted by the world's youth!"

"Wow, that's great, professor," said his assistant. "How does it work?"

Professor Bell suddenly recoiled in shock, pointing at something behind his assistant. "By Ho-oh! What is that?"

As soon as his assistant turned to look in the direction he'd pointed, Professor Bell leapt through a nearby plate-glass window to make his escape, prototype Pokéball still in hand.

TEH ENDz
 

Astinus

Well-Known Member
Everyone has a different way of focusing on the aspects of the Pokémon world. You have those on one end of the spectrum, who see it only as a game, as Pokémon as little pixels, and that there is no reason to explain anything. On the opposite side of the spectrum, there are those like us, who look at one small plot line in the game and think of wild stories that could be written about it.

It really isn't fair to say that they are wrong to not look at creativity. It really isn't right for them to say that we are wrong to look at the creativity.

The game always has different views from different people. There is always that one person that looks at the game in a whole new way, and blows in up in other people's faces.

Just like other people focus more on the games of Pokémon, or some enjoy the anime, or some even just enjoy the writing of the world, so there are those who look at the world in different ways. Just try to ignore them as best as you can. They have their little area to dominate, you have yours.

-

I do, however, know what you mean. In a personal example, I looked at the names of Ash's rivals from the Hoenn League, compared those names with the name of his rival from Johto. Plus, I looked at their Pokémon teams. I felt that the three teens knew each other before. When I offered up that suggestion, I was told that their names only matched for "dubbing". I still stick by my idea, and use it in my fanfiction.
 

Chibi Pika

Stay positive
Blagh...yesterday I wanted to reply to this (and ultimately end this ridiculous thread of my creation) but I didn't get time. To be honest, I was more insulted by the thought that making complex theories was too over-the-top, then by just pointless comments on polls and such. It wasn't so much that I needed to yell at them than my needing to justify myself. Which, in itself is pointless--LC offers me enough confidence in the value of dissecting the Pokemon world. So I see some in agreeance, some in disagreeance, but after looking at it more, I suppose it's not an issue. I just get irritated really easily, that's all. xP

So I guess a mod can close this or whatever... =P

~Chibi~;249;;448;
 

Lady Myuu

Damsel mostly Stressed.
I agree and such. Though I have said 'its just a game' when people started freaking out over the new 4th gen.

o_O I mean yeah sure its more to us then just a simple pointless game. We enjoy giving it meaning and such.

But it is a game.

What I mean is, don't let it run yoru life, destroy friendships or get mad at people who think its stupid. Because thats an opinion in itself. Thats the only thing I mean if I ever say it.

Pokemon =/= life

anyway. I got mixed feelings on this subject really o_O I mean I have met people who realyl don't have that much creativity, or just haven't practiced it enough (Its like a muscle, needs devolping.)

actually, I agree with Negrek the most. Said everything I probably would have said if I hadn't just gotten up.

Edit: Oh ;x guess this thread is at a end. Poot.
 

Dragonfree

Just me
I don't really see why this needs to be locked. I think it's an interesting discussion, to be honest.

I somewhat agree with Negrek, but replies like that annoy me not only for being spam, but also just for the underlying disrespect of feeling the need to tell people that "nobody cares" because it's "just a game". Dunno, it just implies people can't ponder about it in peace if they want, like it's "just a game" and therefore people shouldn't try to be creative about it. :/
 

rybo5000

<- so cute <3
I totally agree, i get so annoyed sometimes,
on a slightly different topic today i nearly exploded when i looked at all these negative comments on my fic then i looked at someone elses and the same peple who called me crap were congratulating this guy on his fic!
Not bad? You say? Well his fic was one paragraph long, had no desciption and broke basically every rule on this forum!
I really hate some people on this sometimes!
 

Freawaru

Well-Known Member
I hate broccoli, but my friend loves it.

I love spiders, but my friend (the same one) can't bear them.

People just like different things, that's all. Yeah, it's annoying when you want to have a really interesting discussion about... say, spiders... and the person you're talking to just says "Ugh, spiders are nasty" and ends it there.

To respond specifically: I agree with both viewpoints. Yes it IS just a game (and some people in many fandoms could do with a dose of reality there), but at the same time it's fun to make stuff up about it. I like to play WITH my games as well as just play them, if you see what I mean.


EDIT: Just gone back over the thread and have to say, Orange_Flaaffy, love your post XD On pokemon characters: When I first got Mystery Dungeon I answered the questions honestly, decided to be male and got Machop (eww!!). I restarted after beating the story to get Eevee instead, but ended up restarting again to get my characters Lock and Toto back. 'Cause I missed them. XD
 
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Orange_Flaaffy

Jello Pokéballs
EDIT: Just gone back over the thread and have to say, Orange_Flaaffy, love your post XD On pokemon characters: When I first got Mystery Dungeon I answered the questions honestly, decided to be male and got Machop (eww!!). I restarted after beating the story to get Eevee instead, but ended up restarting again to get my characters Lock and Toto back. 'Cause I missed them. XD

They grow on you, don't they? ;)
I guess in the long run I am not annoyed at people that don't read deeper into the games more than saddened for them. They will never know the joy of feeling like they know their characters and reading into everything that happens in the games in such a way that it is no longer a game with little depth (something people often say of pokemon) but a flight of imagination just waiting to be written of in some way :)
 

Ash_Junior

Irredeemable Nerd
personaly, that really annoys me, because if I stuck EXACTLY with the games/anime, I would literally have NOTHING to write about.

my created countries/Pokemon (NOT Fakemon, which is another rant for another time) ARE the bulk of my stories. Kanto/Johto play roles, yes, but they're far from the major players--in HHNF, Lorelei was in Johto for, what, one and a half to two (three?) chapters?

as for the Pokeball thing, I've created a page-long summary for my "Technodex" describing how it works. then there's all the other technical thigns, too, that I have made...an example (inspired by Stargate SG-1's Goa'uld's genetic memory, actually) is the genetic memory of techniques--basicallythe level moves are known becausethey're in the Pokemon's genetic structure--TM/HMs work by adding their move to the Pokemon's genetic structure WHILE they are in their Pokeball.

In the Pokeball, they are pure data, so it's a simple matter of genetic manipulation--that's not to saythat the first experiments in this was a success--far from it....

*forces self to stop typing*

I could go on for a while along that line, covering quite a few things....:D

I like finding practical uses for things in the Pokemon world, or simply making up new things....:D

it's so much fun, and adds SO much more to fics...

some people have said that HHNF has too much history, but the entire Engaran Wars Trilogy would fall apart WITHOUT that history...

*forces self to hit the post button before I ramble on any further*

in closing, with all the backstory/back-technology I have deveoped, it is definitely annoying when people say that it doesn't matter...all those hours of making stuff up.....

GAH!! must...stop...typing....

*posts*

EDIT: a note on the genetic moves/TM moves--they are known, but can't be used without exhausting without the Pokemon...they need to practice with that technique quite a bit before it becomes a viable technique in battle...this prevents a baby from using Fire Blast to own all comers....:D
 
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