Writing something!

[Andrew1239]

I have decided to write a story on a journey through kanto and maybe other regions. I want to know what you would like in the story and please complete the poll.

Thank you

Just a few questions:

- Travelling through Kanto getting gym badges?
- 6 pokemon or more caught?
- Pokemon fully evolved or none evolved or just specific one's
- People on journey = 1,2,3,4,5 or more?

 

[Breezy]

I wouldn't advise asking people to pick what they want in your story. Part because A) it's your story and B) people voting don't know what your strengths and weaknesses are. What you're asking for may be simple, but some things, like how many people are going to travel, is something that really depends on the author. Some writers can't juggle more than three characters around; others may like to focus on one, and some are really good at handling up to five main characters with a whole bunch of supporting characters.

So you need to think about yourself as a writer first. Like I said about twenty times already, it's your story.

 

[JX Valentine]

And if you do create a poll, don't make it multiple choice because you'll likely have jerks like me coming around. :V

Seriously, to add to what Breezy said, lemme shine a bit of light on each subject to get you thinking about what you want.

Travelling through Kanto getting gym badges?

I'm assuming this is a yes or no question. At that point, it depends on who you want your protagonist to be. There's a wide variety of different ways a character can interact with a Pokémon, and as a result, there's widely different types of journeys one can undergo. For example, Ash's journey as a trainer (its beginning anyway) was far different from Dawn's journey as a coordinator because while Ash focused a lot on the strategy of a battle as if it's a fight, Dawn had to nurture her creativity and closeness to her Pokémon because to a coordinator, battling is also partly a work of art (a la painting or other visual aid). Then, you have people like Tracey, whose goal isn't to go around and collect badges at all, yet he's still on a level a trainer because he catches and trains Pokémon -- just for a different purpose than Ash or Dawn. What you want your character to do will help you figure out whether to go with a standard badge quest or to do something else. You just have to figure out where your character's interests lie.

Be warned, however. Badge quests aren't easy to pull off because a lot of people have already done that kind of thing. While it has a built-in audience (because there are people who adore badge quest fics and will read one just because it has that journey part of it), if you want to be remembered, you'll need to bring something new and different to the table. That means you'll either have to be an amazing writer, or you'll need to read a lot of badge quest fics to figure out what's already been done to death and then proceed to avoid repeating those same tropes. In other words, going for a badge quest might make your fic seem stale unless you really step up your game while doing it.

This isn't to say that you can't pull it off, however. As Breezy said, it's your fic, and we don't know you well enough to judge. If you feel comfortable going for a badge quest and think you can pull it off, by all means. If not, toss around some other occupations and see what you come up with.


6 pokemon or more caught?

There is only one thing you need to know about writing Pokémon: every single one of them is their own character. Think about it. Even with Ash's team, we get a glimpse of characterization for each member. None of Ash's team members are just cardboard cut-outs, puppets, plot devices, or objects from which magic happens. Pikachu has his own personality. Oshawott has his own personality. And so on and so forth.

With that in mind, there's only one thing you need to know about a big cast: the more characters you have, the harder it is to create developed, likable, or otherwise believable characters. That is to say, if you have a cast of only three characters, you can focus on each one individually, so the end result is the reader can look at them and notice their personalities, their fears, their habits, pretty much everything. If you have a huge cast, your attention will be split, and you won't be able to focus on each character equally.

For example, the anime has hundreds of characters of the day. Very few of them are memorable to us because the writers can't focus on each one for more than an episode. As a result, a lot of them just don't stand out to us. Same thing happens in a fic. The bigger your cast, the patchier your characterization. The patchier your characterization, the less we'll feel as if the characters stand out.

Where this limit is varies by author. I've seen some writers (especially published ones) handle massive casts without too much problem. I've also seen writers who fail to handle three characters at once. It's something you'll need to explore and figure out for yourself, really.

Now, the relevancy here is that if your character catches more than six Pokémon, first off, they most likely won't be training all of them at once unless you're willing to include an explanation as to why the storage system doesn't work the way it does in canon. However, more than that, that would mean your attention will be split roughly seven different ways for that character. (There's the trainer and each of the individual Pokémon.) That's a lot of characters to give developed personalities to. And yes, Pokémon still need some because they're characters too, and frankly, your readers probably don't want to trudge through a fic in which the battles basically involve lifeless robots who barely feel any emotional or physical impact from the entire event. Forgetting to develop Pokémon even slightly makes it difficult for us to connect with what's going on because, really, we're not cringing right along with the Pokémon at each swing, if that makes sense.

Anyway, so, it'll be difficult just to focus on six Pokémon and one trainer, right? But then take into consideration that your protagonist won't be the only one in that traveling group if you decide to give him/her companions. That means you're not only focusing on those seven characters, but you're also focusing on another set of roughly seven characters if you include one traveling companion, another set if you include two, and don't forget the antagonists as well!

In other words, budget your Pokémon in ways that wouldn't drive you insane because you're going to have to develop each Pokémon on some level.


Pokemon fully evolved or none evolved or just specific one's

This depends completely on the plot. An evolution tends to be a serious event because the opportunity to have it happen just doesn't come up whenever it's convenient. (As in, in the games, you need to put in some effort to get a Pokémon to evolve, and in various manga/the anime, it's usually treated as a plot point.) Think about what you want to have happen in this fic. Will there be any major battles? Any moments in which the protagonist would have to buckle down and level grind/train like crazy? Any event that would trigger an evolution? Tie those moments with your protagonist's team and figure out which Pokémon (s)he would be using at that time and why. (Example: You'd probably have the character use a Water-type in an ocean-based battle, but you'd probably have them use their starter against their rival. Maybe.) That's how you figure out who's evolving and who isn't.

Also? Another element that goes into these kinds of decisions is figuring out what Pokémon you want to give the trainer in the first place. Do you happen to like a certain Pokémon? Can you explain how that trainer got a hold of its pre-evolution in a way that makes sense within the story? Congratulations! You now have a potential evolution! (That is to say, if you happen to like a Pokémon's evolution and can show us that character capturing the Pokémon in the first place, it's completely okay to have that particular one evolve later on.)


People on journey = 1,2,3,4,5 or more?

See earlier note concerning Pokémon and characterization. Same principle here. The more people traveling with your trainer, the harder it is to create a team of characters who stand out. However, because these are your main humans and because of what I said about badge quests not too long ago, this is something you'll really want to think about because if you can't create a cast of characters who seem interesting and well-developed, chances are your fic won't stand out from an ordinary journey fic.


Starters

Now, to answer that poll properly, this also depends on who your character is. Actually, I answered that question more thoroughly on a different thread, so lemme just serve up the link right here and summarize it briefly by saying in order to figure out what to give your character, you first need to know who that character is, where they came from, and where they're going. In other words, develop the character first and then ask (yourself) that question.

Hope that helps a little.

 

[Boredstick]

Well, I´ll see what I can contribute to help a fellow writer ^^

Your question are direct, so it shouldn´t be a problem giving my view on it:


Travelling through Kanto getting gym badges?:


Well, you have to consider foremost that not all trainers decide that they want to join the league and thus battle for gym badges, even just a normal journey with an occacional battle can be satisfying for some trainers.

Ofcourse, 99% of the readers likely want awesome battles, so instead of Gym badges, you can have trainers just battling for the sake of battling. Having a goal is important, but doesnt always have to be the usual ´´ get all badges so I can join the league ´´.

While I yet do not know your story or characters, I´d say give some thought if gym battles and leagues really fit the characters you had in mind, since as I mentioned, not every character needs it and with different goals, it makes characters much more interesting.


6 pokemon or more caught?:


It´s pretty standard I think that most trainers end up perhaps not immediatly reaching up to 6 Pokemon caught, and if they do catch more, then comes the dilemma of giving all Pokemon fair time in the spotlight, unless ofcourse you plan to focus just on the 6.

Could ofcourse do like Ash did in Frontier, after he returned from Hoenn he left some Pokemon behind while keeping others, and also returning old ones like Charizard. So having more than 6 gives you the possibility to vary Pokemon battles alot more.

But then comes a problem, that if some Pokemon are really uninteresting, it´ll lower the interest of readers, and definetly slows down pace and development, not only in the Pokemon but also trainers, since maybe you have to spend many chapters to make them interesting.


Pokemon fully evolved or none evolved or just specific one's :


Ah, this is always a no brainer. Decide based on the Pokemon itself, its personality, the story and ofcourse the trainer´s need. By default, any trainer wants their Pokemon to fully evolve, but as always, they are exceptions which in time turned out to work well.

I for once can´t imagine ( okay maybe alittle, but not much ) Ash´s Bulbasaur as a Venusaur, Pikachu as Raichu, and so on, because all three are already so interesting, that while evolution would be interesting, in their case maybe it isn´t necessary at all.

But ofcourse, it doesnt able to all Pokemon, so while it work´s for Ash´s Pikachu, maybe another trainers Pikachu would benefit from an evoltion. Also, evolution makes things very interesting since the Pokemon team dramatically changes in terms of new changes.

For instance, a trainer commanding a swarm of Beedrill ? Sounds pretty interesting ^^! A trainer commanding a group of Caterpie ? Hmm perhaps not as much... also, personal preference on your end plays a big part in what Pokemon you want the trainers to have.


People on journey = 1,2,3,4,5 or more?:


Hehe, if I´d be a trainer, I´d have the whole town joining me and rooting and cheering and, okay Im not Gary XD. But in all seriousness, don´t see it as how many trainers, but what trainers to have on the journey. Does your protagonist really need two redhead girls ?

Add them ^^! If in need of an other kind of teammate, focus on that then. The protagonist can define the team, just as much as the team can reflect the protagonist.

Sadly in Ash´s case, that ofcourse wasn´t too much evolved into, so in your story,if characters fit, make sure it is not only storywise but also personality and maybe goals.

As reference, in my current fanfiction project ( Pokemon Fusion ), Ash adds Misty to return to his brand new team not only because she was become MUCH stronger, thus able to help him train his Pokemon and such, but also because they get an emotional connection.

Ash also adds Gary, because they have been rivals for so long that Ash never saw him as a ´´friend´´. But in time that changed, and with Gary alone and free, Ash gives him the offer to join the team and for them to start being more friends than rivals all the time.

Last, Ash adds Tracey, not only since he ofcourse has a good bond with Misty after she stayed behind, but because Ash felt bad for leaving him behind, and having had so much fun in the Orange Islands before, Ash takes the chance to get Tracey back on the road.

As you see, I don´t add characters just to add, I could have added Brock, May , Ritchie or a zillion other possible characters, but instead I decided to start off with what works first for the protagonist. Even too many friends can end up being abit overwhelming XD.

Then ofcourse, as the journey progresses, friends come and go, be it permanent or temporarily, its all based on what fits the situation. For instance, Misty will during a short period of time sometimes travel around with May to improve May´s water skills.

While Ash ofcourse will miss her like hell, he gets Brock in exchange, and takes the oppertunity to help Ash polish his rock tactics or maybe Pokemon diet and such.

So short answer, as many as needed to make it interesting but as low as possible so give characters time in the spotlight or end up being just there as a drag.

Hope I have helped out abit with my views

 

[Andrew1239]

I want to thank you for your points and I have taken them onboard and have hopefully remembered them

I of course have recognized your opinions and have adjusted my story to satisfy the reader's needs.

I will be hopefully posting my 1st ever chapter of Pokemon Fanfic during the weekend if I finsh it over the weekend and tonight.

Just a bit of information, I have based it on is Lance's brother (yes, my made up character).

 

[Lulu_used_SunnyDay]

DRATINI!!! Dratini would be an awesome starter being already 2 metres long!

 

[JX Valentine]

DRATINI!!! Dratini would be an awesome starter being already 2 metres long!

I'd like to point out that size doesn't always matter. (That's what he said?)

In fact, Dratini would probably be a bad idea for a starter because it's so limited. First off, it's a pain in the tail to evolve, unlike traditional starters that evolve within the first twenty levels. As a Dratini, its power levels are actually pretty crappy.

Then, there's the fact that its level up movepool actually sort of sucks. As in, unless you want a godmode Dratini that already knows every TM, HM, breeding, whatever move in its arsenal, guess what your first moves are probably going to be.

Wrap. Leer. Thunder Wave. Dratini doesn't even really get awesome level-up moves besides Outrage, Aqua Tail, and Hyper Beam; the other moves it gets are either weak, support, or have an accuracy of 75%.

After that, you have to consider the fact that that kind of thing just isn't that great to travel around with. I mean, as you've said, Dratini are pretty big (assuming you're not going with the anime's idea of its size -- as in, in the anime, it's about half the size the game 'dex offers), which means it's probably not going to be a great walking Pokémon due to how inconspicuous it'd be. I mean, Dratini are pretty rare, so having your character walk around with a five-foot Dratini behind it will just attract attention from all the wrong crowds. Then, there's the fact that you'd have to figure out how it gets around (because something that big slithering around might get in the way if it does so in a busy street -- think five feet of snake trailing behind you while you're walking through a city).

Point is, that's another thing I forgot to mention. So many people give their characters starters without really thinking through their choice fully. Give your character a starter that makes sense. Not only do you want one that would make sense for the character's personality/social status/function in the story/whatever, think hard about whether or not it'd simply be practical. Huge, bright blue, super-rare Pokémon with a movepool that isn't that great and a first evolution that probably shouldn't come until a good way into the fic? Probably not the best idea for just any character.

For a relative of Lance, though? You might be able to get away with it, but you'd have to do it for reasons other than "OMG THIS LOOKS COOL" and/or "IT'S THIS LONG, GUYS!"

 

[Ash_Junior]

okay, so you asked the question.

1 person, 2 Pokemon, 3 Pokemon max.....no companions. go have fun!



No rares or shinies or Eevees.....use Under Used Pokemon.

It'll make it interesting.

how's that for a challenge for you?

 

[Andrew1239]

I've nearly finshed the 1st chapter but no starter pokemon has been choosen yet but focuses on lance in this chapter so it is all good.

Just wanted to update to all of you wonderful people! :O

 

[JX Valentine]

Just wanted to update to all of you wonderful people! :O

Darling, you don't have to update us. Just post it.

I say this because given the fact that update posts don't usually contain any amount of story (and frequently barely any amount of information that you haven't already given us), it's usually something that we're not particularly interested in reading, to put it extremely bluntly. Think of it like this. Imagine watching TV and seeing commercial after commercial. After some time, you just get bored and want the show to start already. Same kind of thing. The more you tell us the show will start shortly, the less interested we'll be in actually catching the first act.

 

[spareux]

The number of characters is nothing compared to the depth of characters. Deciding on 5 main characters because it's a nice, clean-cut number or 3 because it's the most common option won't matter at all if the characters are crap. Having three main characters with well thought out histories, quirks, baggage and hopes will always be better than seven blundering fools who always get on and can't wait to get out there and explore the world.

So don't worry too much about the number of characters unless it's becoming extremely inflated. One of the problems I often consider is the fact that for every new character you need a couple of Pokemon, which can make things crowded in any work, let alone a journey fic where (presumably) each cast member will be collecting on the journey. So it's a bit of a balancing act I suppose: you want characters with depth, but we don't need to hear about how the Nurse Joy who makes an appearance for 5 lines has a tragic past riddled with drugs.

 

[Andrew1239]

1st Chapter is UP!!!!

feedback appreciated

 

[High Priest Reuniclus]

If you ask me, use anything BUT those pokemon - those choices will be way too obvious

 

[hawkmbl]

I think using all 3 starters is a good start.