So what makes a journey fic good, anyway?

[DGE]

Blah, I can hear it already. "NOTHING!"

Seriously, though, if I was to churn out fanfic on my Ruby PC's adventures to the Hoenn League, what would make you want to read it? Everyone hates journey fics for their stereotypes, but what could make one enjoyable?

Apologies if this has already been asked. Hasn't everything been asked once, though?

 

[A Concerned Solomon]

Okay...

Every genre has stereotypes. Let's get this out right now. Certain ones strike a nerve on some people. With me, it's the Brock romances in which he turns into some shy, introverted thing...or has been gay/had the hots for (insert other main character here - I've seen Brock/Pikachu a couple times...) and tricking us all along. Like I'll buy that. The LAST character who could be believed to have a secret love for anyone is, naturally, El Brocko.

Getting back on-topic. I don't know what to say, really. Try this little pointer: every OT fic is ultimately up against the anime for comparisons. Don't try too copy its good parts all that much, but do look to patch up some holes. I think the actual Pokemon should have had more to say, so I'd have a trainer go it alone.

That aside, I dunno.

 

[Barb]

SPP is chockablock with OT and NT fics. Most of them are badly written.

I don't think novelizing the games is that bad of an idea, but you have to be creative in how you do it. Every single chapter cannot contain a Gym battle; this gets repetitive and boring.

The purpose of the game is to finish: to win all the badges in every Gym and defeat the Elite Four and your rival. To do this with words, you have to create believable characters. The readers have to want to root for the main character to win the badges. Explain how the rivalry between the two characters started in the first place.

Teams Aqua and Magma might be good villains, but I doubt it. They're overused in most fics anyway. One villain that always stood out in my mind was the wicked stepmother in 'Cinderella.' She was devious and cunning and wildly jealous of her stepdaughter. People with severe personality flaws or traits often make the best villains; these are your psychopaths, renegades, robbers, and killers. She didn't have magical powers or anything--she was scary because she was human and she was realistic.

If the plot of the story is to win all the badges and become a Pokémon Master, then have some subplots handy as well. Maybe a new friendship is made. A romance starts (or ends). A rivalry is met. The main character faces down his/her personal demons along the way.

Just my two cents.

 

[Timarelay]

Any story that has charming characters will keep me reading, at least for a little while, no matter how predictable the plot is. This is personal though. There are some that don't care how good the characters are so long as the story is fascinating, and really, you can pull that off even with people that are character driven. The problem is that with a journey fic, it's kinda hard, in my opinion, to create a plot that has enough twists and turns to make up for semi-bland characters.

Like Barb said, subplots are key. Romances are always good, especially ones that aren't perfect. Rivalries, while done by nearly everyone, can be done in a way that's fresh and exciting. Angst is nice. I like the angst.

One thing I've never liked is pokemon not having personalities and/or names. I never understood the not naming of pokemon. Giving the pokemon their own names and unique characters adds another level of depth to journey fics.

Journey fics really are hard though, but they're a challenge worth at least trying, because if you can write a good journey fic you've got at least some talent.

 

[Clare]

I would have to suggest one that doesn't start in the following ways:

John entered the laboratory and walked over to Professor Larch. "Hello, John," said the Professor. "I hear you're starting your Pokemon journey. What would you like for a starter?"

John thought long and hard. "I'll take a Cubone," he said at last.

OR

Paul ran to the laboratory as fast as he could, cursing himself for sleeping late. When he arrived, he found Professor Bush looking at him sternly. "You're late Paul," the Professor said.

"Sorry," Paul replied. "Can I still have my Pokemon?"

"I'm afraid most of the Pokemon are already taken, but I do have one left. It's a Roselia."

"Roselia?! Yuck! That's a girl's Pokemon!"

"Well, you should have gotten here earlier," Bush reminded Paul. "Then you could have had your pick of Pokemon."

OR

"Congratulations," said Professor Willow as he handed Robert a Poke Ball. "You are now a Legendary trainer."

"But what's in the Poke Ball?" asked Robert.

"Why don't you open it and find out?"

So Robert did so and, in a blaze of light . . . a Suicune appeared in the laboratory.

The first one is just plain . . . ordinary - go to lab, speak to professor, get Pokemon. The second is more-or-less a carbon copy of what happens in the tv series, although having a boy landed with a "feminine" Pokemon might mean he has to fight extra hard to prove he isn't "girly" so that could form part of the conflict. And, as for letting a new trainer loose with a Legendary, to start with, there would be the "small matter" of capturing that Legendary first . . .