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~Shipping Authors' Café~

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Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
I don't think we're getting a challenge thread any time soon...

What do you prefer, characters showing slight hints and confessing/getting together or not at the end of the fic, or two characters actually being a couple throughout the fic?

Both have their merits, but the former tends to make people groan and roll their eyes more with the getting together because it's "predictable"--and in a way, it is. If not done right, it will seem forced, and that's why most people don't like that cliché. However, I feel that if you want a pairing to truly be canon by the very end, you should have conflict with the relationship between the two throughout the story. That way when they do get together (or not, but particularly getting together), it will mean something much deeper than just "I like you, wanna go out?" "Okay~" and leaving it at that.

But if that fails to deliver, at least there's the latter choice, since it's established from the very start the two are a couple, and it can only go down one of two ways: they stay together and are happy, or they part because it wasn't working out. It always helps to add twists and turns to those paths because playing with your readers' emotions gives you power it'll make the journey that much more interesting and engaging. No relationship is a perfect, happy world, all relationships will have troubles in which every choice made is crucial in determining the future of that relationship.
 

Skiyomi

Only Mostly Dead
I don't think we're getting a challenge thread any time soon...

It is underway, guys, so please be patient and don't predict its demise yet :)

What do you prefer, characters showing slight hints and confessing/getting together or not at the end of the fic, or two characters actually being a couple throughout the fic?

Both can be done well, but I think the main issues that decide how well it gets pull off are: 1. Believability and 2. Conflict. The first type of fic tends to lend itself much more easily to those two because the author has to sell the relationship throughout the story, and the will-they-or-won't-they conflict (however overused) is baked into the premise.

When it comes to already-established couples in fics, you can run into problems with those things because it can look cheap to a reader if all the work of making the two characters a couple was essentially done off screen and the reader has to "take your word for it" that the two cemented a relationship together. If the reader is skeptical of the pair, this can look like a shortcut.

I think this becomes a little bit more of a problem with our younger characters in Pokemon, because putting them in a legitimate relationship together tends to involve a pretty major time skip. With several years gone by, the characters would've had to have changed. The balance is to make them believable for their age, keeps aspects of their canon personality so there's continuity, and, as always, sell the relationship as legitimate. It can be done, no question. But it's a different challenge than will-they-or-won't-they.

Conflict becomes another issue because, in a shipping fic, there really ought to be more than just an external plot with an established couple going through it. There needs to be some emotional, internal, and relational aspect to make the story interesting and make it about them as a couple. Again, totally can be done. It's not like conflict goes away when you enter a relationship ;) no, far from it. But keeping the tension up is not always as obvious as will-they-or-won't they.

IMO, I guess you could say there's more you can do with an established couple, but there's also more you can get wrong.
 
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It's time to boost this thread's activity again with a new question again.

Do you prefer writing with couples with lots of interactions and/or hints in the anime, or with couples with little interaction and/or hints?

I can see the merits of both. When writing with an established couple like Ash x Misty or Drew x May, it's easier to use the anime, and you already know how the interactions between the characters should be. This makes it easier for the writer, while it's also easier for readers to understand the interactions and see them as believable. These pairings will also attract more readers than crack pairings, unpopular pairings or pairings with little to no hints and interactions.

Meanwhile, when writing with couples that lack hints and/or interactions, you'll have to come up with things yourself more often as a writer, because the anime doesn't deliver enough material to work with. This allows you to have more freedom, which can give you room for more ideas, but it can also be difficult to come up with something believable or realistic. This gets even harder, because the pairing itself isn't very realistic by anime standards, which might make it harder to make it work between the two characters. Making two characters that would normally never fall for each other develop feelings for each other and interact in a realistic way can be very difficult. I don't have experience with this, but this is what I think.

I'm a PokeShipping writer myself, I lack experience with couples that lack hints and/or interactions. Everything I said in this post is just interpretation, I hope I didn't offend anyone.
 

Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
Do you prefer writing with couples with lots of interactions and/or hints in the anime, or with couples with little interaction and/or hints?

I have no preferences. If I can come up with a story for any two characters I wish to pair up, then I'll write about it. I just have to make sure I keep them in character while doing so.

With that said, I tend to write pairings that have a little bit of both, at least when it comes to Pokémon (because... the couple are usually two Pokémon, hurr hurr :B). They do interact with each other, but there's really nothing in canon that backs up any hints of them ever getting to be romantically involved. I'm not entirely sure why, either. I guess I just like experimenting or something, especially if they're a pairing that isn't that common, so there's still a wide variety of stories that can be made.
 

MonMonCandie

Radio - On Air!
I saw challenges listed on this page and I have a thing for challenges apparently. Not sure if I will touch them, but the Tarot Card one seems interesting.

Anyways... Do you prefer writing with couples with lots of interactions and/or hints in the anime, or with couples with little interaction and/or hints?

Well, seeing as how most of the shippings I like in the Pokemon fandom have little to no interaction whatsoever (I ship more game pairs than anime pairs), I definitely like the latter. It's a little difficult yes because some readers prefer reading pairings developed in a canon setting, but I also find it kind of fun. You can basically fill in the blanks with how A and B met, how they get to the point of being in a relationship, and the struggles along the way. It happens with a lot of ships, but I find having to make it for ships that are probably nevermet a fun challenge. :) Some of the ones that I've read are really good and almost believable. It's fun twisting interactions that way so it (kind of) makes sense.

Though, sometimes I do wish that the ships I like DID have some basis like the characters in the anime. At least then, I wouldn't have to think so hard coming up with something to write. lol
 
New topic question, I really hope to get some more activity in here: Do you prefer writing anime-based or game-based shipping fics?

I prefer anime-based. I like the anime way more than the games, and always write with anime characters, so I use the anime universe and not the game one. If I'd ever write a fic for smaller, cracky or nevermet shippings, which I probably wouldn't do, I'd probably use both the anime and the games, because otherwise, there might not be enough material to work with. But the universe will always be the anime universe.

Another one: Are there shippings you support, but really don't like writing about? And are there pairings you don't support, but still like to write about?

This is my shipping list:
- Ash x Misty, PokeShipping, OTP
- Drew x May, ContestShipping
- Ash's Pikachu x Misty's Togetic, JoyShockShipping
- Brock x Lucy, LuckShipping
- Tracey x Daisy, HandymanShipping
- Zoey x Dawn, AppealShipping
- Cilan x Iris, WishfulShipping

Well, I'm a ContestShipper, AppealShipper and WishfulShipper, but aside from small mentions in fics for other shippings if necessary or relevant, I don't think I'd be able to do an entire fic for those shippings. I like them a lot, but the investment is not enough for a fic. I also don't think I'd be able to write a HandymanShipping fic without Misty in it, but maybe I can't write anything without Misty in it, she's my favourite character, and I can only have a good fic if I really like at least one of the main characters a lot. My new fic "Working On A Dream" has HandymanShipping, but Misty is the main character while travelling together with Tracey and Daisy, who are boyfriend and girlfriend there, and it's going nicely so far. I'm also a LuckShipper, maybe I'd be able to write a Brock x Lucy fic, I'm not sure, I might try someday. I do like Lucy quite a lot (maybe because she has quite some things in common with my girlfriend), and I think Brock is great as well. And for JoyShockShipping? I don't think a fic without PokeShipping would work for this shipping, because aside from Togetic returning, it's dependant on PokeShipping to succeed and to bring Pikachu and Togetic truly together. For PokeShipping, it's easy for me to write fics without other shippings or third wheel characters, it's my OTP and I'm a Misty fan.

I don't think I'd be able to write a fic for a shipping I don't support, I have to like the pairing to truly write with my heart. I also need to like at least one of the characters, and I'd refuse to write Misty x another guy than Ash. I don't think she'd be interested in other guys, it wouldn't feel right. But having one-sided another guy x Misty is fine with me, I did that in "Aquatic Passion" and will do it in "Working On A Dream". However, I do think I can include Ash x another girl he sees as hot if it's inside a PokeShipping fic. Ash saw Giselle and Melody as hot in the anime, and in my fic, there's some two-sided KissShipping (Ash x Melody) for conflict reasons. But it's not a KissShipping fic at all, Ash is only together with Melody for two out of the forty-two chapters, purely for conflict reasons. And in the beginning, Gary is together with Jasmine, but that ends quickly. I don't support Gary x Jasmine.

To put it short:
- there are shippings I support, but wouldn't be able to write about.
- there are no shippings I don't support that would be worth writing an entire fic about for me, but including them as a "side shipping" that gets mentioned or is only there for a very small portion of the story, or for conflict, that's fine with me, as long as I think the characters having feelings for each other isn't completely unrealistic.
 

tzhaa

Well-Known Member
Hello guys, I've never really posted in here much before but it seems to be generating a certain amount of buzz, so what the hell.

Do you prefer writing anime-based or game-based shipping fics?

For me it's anime all the way. There is just so much awesome material there that can inspire some amazing fics, great story, great action scenes, great emotional development. The anime universe has a deep pool of great artistic works that fill me with inspiration whenever I sit down and watch a few. Particularly the series based ones, where I can watch back to back episodes and get hooked into the story for hours on end. It's these that inspire my current works and give me the motivation to keep writing.

As for shipping when it comes to Pokemon, I only really support Pearlshipping (AshxDawn), Pokeshipping (AshxMisty), and a slight bit of Advanceshipping (AshxMay). The rest I don't care about. Amourshipping looks interesting, but it's still too early for me to have any investment in that.

I started my fic when I was high on Pearlshipping, and my love for the pairing spawned countless ideas in my mind. Although the writing in the earlier chapters makes me balk sometimes when I read back with how bad the grammar is compared to how I'm currently writing, I still had a ton of fun actually writing it at the time, as I was able to get all this shippyness out of my head and onto paper - so to speak. My fic 'Ash and Dawn: The Unova Chapter' basically started out as all my Pearlshipping high's written down, but for me I personally think it suffered because of that. When you get too zealous it's all about the shipping and you neglect many things needed to keep the story good. While I fixed that later on, it stills annoys me when I read my earlier work to see how many ways I could of done it better. I've also had a mind to do a Advanceshipping fic, but my current story has turned into a giant, and with the sequel I have planned to follow it, I really don't see how I'll ever get around to doing it.

The only shippings I can't stomach are Contestshipping and any ship that involves Dawn with anyone but Ash. The former because I really dislike Drew as a character and strive to see him fail, and the latter because my once overzealous Pearlshipping fanaticism has forever ingrained into my head that Ash and Dawn are a sacred item that shouldn't ever be despoiled.

I always find it interesting with how passionate the shipping community is. It has spawned some fantastic works that I've enjoyed reading, and has spawned several colorful debates over the values of certain ships.
 
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ChloboShoka

Writer
Does anyone like the idea of a review game?

The main fan fiction forum had one like it and I think it worked really well. I think it would be really nice if we had our own version. In case you don't know how it works, someone reviews a fic or a chapter of a fic and then they got theirs reviewed in return. I think it could be a great way to boost some activity into the shipping fic thread.

What do you prefer, characters showing slight hints and confessing/getting together or not at the end of the fic, or two characters actually being a couple throughout the fic?

I don't really mind. I've done fics in both of these settings but I think a mixture of a two would be great where you get to know how they get together and how they cope as a couple.
 

Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
Does anyone like the idea of a review game?

Was this a question previously? If so, I don't remember answering it, and if I did answer, oh well, I'd like to have a review game for the Shipping Fics. It would help boost activity as Chlobo said, and I think it would probably be so it would be kept amongst the shippers, since I don't think a lot of the regular fan fiction writers are too fond of shipping to begin with (even though it's nice to get out of one's comfort zone every now and then). Now would it be stickied or not? And where would it be posted: here, or in the Community forum?
 

Skiyomi

Only Mostly Dead
Y'know, in the past I've thought that using the one in the main fic section was best because there's more traffic there and I like the idea of conversation between our two sections because there are fanfiction writers that think touching romance will burn them like acid and it won't. But I think I might change my tune. The one that exists in the main section isn't as active as it used to be and a lot of people who strictly write shipping fics might not even know it exists. Plus we are our own writing community and, damn it! We deserve nice things!

Now would it be stickied or not? And where would it be posted: here, or in the Community forum?

I'd say yes for visibility and for the sake of keeping non-story threads separate from stories. And I'd say here because it doesn't necessarily apply to people who go to the main shipping section--not all of them are fanfiction writers.
 

ChloboShoka

Writer
If its alright with you guys, I was thinking of making a thread for our review game. Mak2 drabbles count in too. Unless one of the other mods was planning on doing one.
 

Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
I'm not picky, Chlobo, though I guess a mod like Skiyomi was planning on making it so it can be automatically stickied. Unless you two collaborated or something. *shrugs* I can see it coming about after the Shipping Oscars are done, for some reason. Is the OP going to be the same as how it is on the Review Thread, or will it be slightly changed up?
 

Skiyomi

Only Mostly Dead
I was not planning on making it, so that'd be great ChloboShoka. I'd imagine it would need some changing since our section runs a little differently and, if we included drabbles as ChloboShoka is suggesting, there'd need to be a different set of standards for that.

I just ask that you PM me a draft of the OP for approval before posting it up in case any changes/additions need to be made.

For my part, I'd like to see some kind of "reserve" feature in place if we're making changes. That was always a very irritating thing in the main section, where you spend a lot of time writing a big, long review and then it turns out someone got their's in before you simply because they didn't write as much. Something like, someone can post that they've reserved a review and they have 24-hours to get it in, otherwise people can disregard the reservation and someone else can post a review instead.
 

Kutie Pie

"It is my destiny."
For my part, I'd like to see some kind of "reserve" feature in place if we're making changes. That was always a very irritating thing in the main section, where you spend a lot of time writing a big, long review and then it turns out someone got their's in before you simply because they didn't write as much. Something like, someone can post that they've reserved a review and they have 24-hours to get it in, otherwise people can disregard the reservation and someone else can post a review instead.

That's a great idea. That could also help keep inactivity at bay whenever possible, and let it move smoothly. Though how exactly would this reservation work? Does someone post in "I wish to reserve this review" before editing it within 24 hours complete with review link and their story, or do they post "I want to reserve this review, here's my story for the next person interested"? Or is that going to cause a bit of a clog?
 

Skiyomi

Only Mostly Dead
That's a great idea. That could also help keep inactivity at bay whenever possible, and let it move smoothly. Though how exactly would this reservation work? Does someone post in "I wish to reserve this review" before editing it within 24 hours complete with review link and their story, or do they post "I want to reserve this review, here's my story for the next person interested"? Or is that going to cause a bit of a clog?

The first thing. I don't want people posting a link to their story before they've done they've put in the legwork of writing the review. That could cause some trouble if they failed to actually get it done.
 

ChloboShoka

Writer
I was not planning on making it, so that'd be great ChloboShoka. I'd imagine it would need some changing since our section runs a little differently and, if we included drabbles as ChloboShoka is suggesting, there'd need to be a different set of standards for that.

I just ask that you PM me a draft of the OP for approval before posting it up in case any changes/additions need to be made.

For my part, I'd like to see some kind of "reserve" feature in place if we're making changes. That was always a very irritating thing in the main section, where you spend a lot of time writing a big, long review and then it turns out someone got their's in before you simply because they didn't write as much. Something like, someone can post that they've reserved a review and they have 24-hours to get it in, otherwise people can disregard the reservation and someone else can post a review instead.

Okay I've sent you the draft of the OP. :)
 

edgehead011

Active Member
is this tread still active? reading all the posts and wondering if someone could help me out with forming a summary for my fanfic
 

edgehead011

Active Member
Well since I'm around I don't mind lending a hand, what do you need help on?

in general for a summary, im writing a story about amourshipping and i want to change the summary i have now to something that can catches the readers eye
 
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