The Official Writers' Workshop Newsletter!

[lisianthus]

Welcome, Trainers and writers alike!

This is a dedicated thread for hosting all editions of our (bi)weekly community newsletter focusing on the Writers' Workshop! You'll find things like event announcements, fic and chapter announcements and updates, review requests, and RP signup announcements -- all contained in this thread! We've had prior iterations of our newsletter in the past featuring on community updates, but in short, we're hoping to have more variety than before and make our newsletter a great resource for readers, reviewers, and lurkers alike.

Stay tuned for all we have in store, please! We'll be posting these on the official Bulbagarden Tumblr as well, so feel free to follow us there to keep updated!

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Newsletter Schedule & Directory

Our current posting schedule is still to be determined, but look out for new editions of the newsletter to be posted either weekly or biweekly on Sunday nights!

Issue 1: April 28, 2024
Issue 2: May 12, 2024
Issue 3: June 2, 2024
Issue 4: June 16, 2024
Issue 5: July 7, 2024 [Guest Edition with @Beth Pavell]
Issue 6: July 21, 2024
Issue 7: August 4, 2024
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Credits

Newsletter Writer: @lisianthus
Word of the Week Columnist: @Beth Pavell
Moral Support: @Blanc
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[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 1: April 28, 2024​

Welcome to the first edition of our Writers' Workshop newsletter! We're delighted you stopped by to read

The Writers' Workshop newsletter is intended to be a (bi)weekly roundup on all the activity Bulbagarden's official writing area has received! We showcase new works, fic updates, announce events, and even offer writing tips! Be on the lookout for more newsletters once every few weeks, or stay up to date by following Bulbagarden's official Tumblr page!

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General Announcements

Our Spring One-Shot fic contest held with our friends over at Shippers' Paradise is almost over! If you're writing for it, please note that our posting deadline is May 5th, at 23:59 GMT! Remember that we ask you to start posting only 48 hours before the deadline. If you're looking to read, be rest assured -- we hit a record number of participants this time around, so you'll be pleased to see fics written for a variety of categories by a variety of writers! You'll also be able to vote on your favorite work as well. More information here!

Our Review League now offers prizes! By reviewing your fellow users' works, you can in turn get points to redeem for prizes ranging from fic reviews to free social media advertising of your works! Please consider checking out our Review League here -- we'd really appreciate it! Two reviews of other users' works can net you one free review, so let's try to support each other!

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Recent New Works
This is a listing of new works that have been published within the past month! Normally we summarize the past one/two weeks' entries, but in the interest of giving more of our authors' hard work a greater chance in the spotlight, we're going from about a month back to now.

Spoiler: Recent New Works

A Contemplation, by @Audrelite. A Contemplation is an Everyone-rated short story focusing on Lucas from the DPPt games, reminiscing on his new appointment to a prestigious position at a job helping to survey the stars above. Recommended if vivid descriptions and introspective prose appeal to you.

A Beautiful, Brilliant Panoply, by @Audrelite. A Beautiful, Brilliant Panoply is a Teen-rated romance-oriented work focusing on two Elite Four members -- Lucian of the Sinnoh League, and Shauntal of the Unova League. Similar to the above, this work is recommended if you enjoy very descriptive prose. Please note that this story contains mild suggestive themes.

To Sacred Profundities — Olympia-centric Vignettes, by @Audrelite. True to the name, To Sacred Profundities is an Everyone-rated collection of ten short stories (or 'viginettes') all centering around Gym Leader Olympia, from the Kalos games. As with the above, this work features steady prose that should leave readers with a feeling that they're reading a seasoned author's work.

All Together Now, by @Blackjack Gabbiani. [Spoilers for the SV main story ahead!] All Together Now is an Everyone-rated story focusing on Arven reuniting with the AI copy of Professor Turo, alongside the friends he's made in Paldea. If you prefer a more dialogue-heavy story, or would like to read about events likely still fresh in the mind of many Pokemon fans, please enjoy! It's reccomended to read this author's previous story, Safe Passage, for more clarity on their AU.

Something About the Night Sky, by @Audrelite. Something About the Night Sky is another romance-oriented work featuring Lucian and Shauntal, only this time it is Everyone-rated. As I'm sure you have been able to catch on with this author, this work is full of rich, introspective writing.

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Recent New Chapters
With that, we turn to our new chapters for our ongoing works! This time, we're going to be only going over our past two weeks of activity, as we have quite a few multi-chapter works being still updated here.

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Part 5 ('The Encounter') of Village Pokemon, by @Spiteful Murkrow. Blurb: Somewhere, far beyond shifting forests and meadows of long-blooming flowers, there is a village of Pokémon that hides away from strange creatures called 'humans'. A local Espurr and her friends go out to gather needed supplies from the world outside, and in the process, set events into motion which forever change their haven. Everyone-rated.

Episode 87 ('The Costumes for a Spooky Tale') of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz. Blurb: In addition to the plays that the gang performs as part of the main theatrical fantasy (a rebooted collection itself), this collection will explore what goes on offstage, on the group's days off, what goes on in rehearsals, and even full plays--including some not seen in the main theatrical fantasy. Everyone-rated.

new drabble! from @Teebs96's personal drabble thread. Whitney x Bugsy romance fluff, very cute as it should be! Everyone-rated.

Chapter II.XVI - Understanding of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Guardians of Balance, by @StolenMadWolf. Blurb: As a new wave of natural disasters begin to spread around the world, a human wakes up to find himself transformed into a Pokemon. Thrown into an increasingly fractured and endangered world, the human known as Sam will find himself thrust into an adventure unlike anything he could ever imagine. An adventure where there is far more than meets the eye... Mature-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Episode 9: The Colorful Stage of Crystal of Pokemon: Diamonds of the Colorful Skies, by @LightningTopaz. A theatrical story told with many of the characters from the Pokemon anime. Everyone-rated.

Chapter 176 - The Value of Regret of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip. Blurb: Don't you hate it when your life is a lie? It started with getting stabbed. Later, mugged. Then, he forgets them both. Owen had lived a simple life with simple dreams, but an ancient conflict catches up with him, as does a forgotten past. With answers easily slipping away and chaos rising the more he fights to find them, there was no telling what hides in his forgotten core, and what he will become once unleashed. Fighting your fate is one thing. But what about fighting your design? Teen-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Interlude: The Glory of the Sea (part 1) of Pokemon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz. A reimagining of the original Kanto anime saga. Everyone-rated.

Chapter 10: Vindictive Challenge of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Blurb: A beloved nature show host perishes in a freak accident during an underwater filming expedition, shocking the world. Knowing the public will call for the tragic culprit's blood against the host's wishes, his producer appeals to the Officials to have Pokemon Rehabilitator Nori Carino train and 'cure' her in attempt to save her life. With a new assignment cast upon him weeks after his first and word quickly spreading, Nori finds his friends splintering, and his foes using the moment to come after him. But those problems pale in comparison to his crippling fear of water and her not being used to being out of it. What does it take to care for a Pokemon? Mature-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Episode 23: A Tale in the Gardens of Pokemon: The Stage of Crystal, by @LightningTopaz. Blurb: After a successful tour across Waku, the Niji Troupe became household names in the Tawame scene there--and the budding Tawame scene in Europa took notice. After receiving an invitation to come to the world famous Naranja Academy, Ash and the others took the chance to perform as a chance to introduce the wild and spirited Tawame world to the Paldean stage--with potential to tour other Europan regions too. But little did the gang know that their two honorary members would end up joining the troupe for good! Everyone-rated.

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Recent Non-Pokemon Works
Though we mostly have Pokemon-related works here, we do accept mostly any kind of fiction! Feel free to read through our listings for the past month! (Hint: there is only one work.)

Spoiler: Recent Non-Pokemon Works

A Rainy Day in Chun-Nan, by @Catz. A Sonic fanfiction. Everyone-rated.

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Word of the Week

(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Several years ago now, I started a weekly column showcasing words, almost any words, words that seemed interesting, or appropriate, or weird. Time makes fools of us all, and so does full-time work, and so over time the column petered out. But for its not-so-grand reboot we come back to the obvious starting point:

logophile (n.): a lover of words [Oxford English Dictionary]

The etymology of logophile couldn’t be simpler: from the Greek logos (λόγος), ‘word’, and phílos (ϕίλος) ‘loving, dear’. The Greek construction doesn’t make for an everyday word. Some might accuse it of being something of a ten-dollar word – be a wordie if you really must – but I rather think a two-syllable noun with a very straightforward meaning is good enough for anyone’s conversation.

It’s a glib point, but often forgotten, that as writers our tools are words. Everything we do, we do with words, and our art is in choosing. Why this word, and not any other? Each word is a well of meanings, connotations, ideas, and usages, many of which we won’t care about in the moment. Some of these usages will be hopelessly obsolete and irrelevant. Using unusual words in fiction is sometimes looked upon with suspicion, which I think is a shame. But I think they can be loved nonetheless – and you never know, one day they might just come in useful. Such is the reward for joyfully, freely, unashamedly, mining the world for all the vocabulary it has to offer.

Thanks again for providing your thoughts here, Beth -- interestingly enough, one of our spotlighted works in @Audrelite's Something About the Night Sky uses this word! Try to spot it, eagle-eyed readers!

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Afterword & Credits

I hope you enjoyed our inagural edition of our Writers' Workshop newsletter! Here's hoping it'll be of use to many of you. Please feel free to drop me (@lisianthus) a message about anything you'd like to see changed or otherwise be included to our newsletter, and I'll try to hear you out! o7

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 2: May 12, 2024​

Welcome to the second edition of our Writers' Workshop Newsletter! Here's hoping I'll be able to get this out at a reasonable hour here

The Writers' Workshop newsletter is intended to be a (bi)weekly roundup on all the activity Bulbagarden's official writing area has received! We showcase new works, fic updates, announce events, and even offer writing tips! Be on the lookout for more newsletters once every few weeks, or stay up to date by following Bulbagarden's official Tumblr page!

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General Announcements

Community voting is now live for our Spring One-Shot fic contest held with Shippers' Paradise! Our deadline for community public voting is May 27th, that's in two weeks! Try to read all the fics and get your vote for our Readers' Choice Award in time, you have lots of time to do so! Feel free to give reviews to every entry, too

Our Review League now offers prizes! By reviewing your fellow users' works, you can in turn get points to redeem for prizes ranging from fic reviews to free social media advertising of your works! Please consider checking out our Review League here -- we'd really appreciate it! Two reviews of other users' works can net you one free review, so let's try to support each other!

Be on the lookout for some exciting changes coming to the Workshop in the near future!

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Recent New Contest Works
This is a listing of new works that have been published within the past two weeks! We have lots of contest entries this time around, so please enjoy their hard work if you have the time -- I promise it'll be worth your time, seriously. No blurbs in the spoilers this time, you'll just have to click on them to know what they're about! You'll enjoy them more that way o/

Spoiler: Recent New Works (Contest)

• What Can Be In Area 3?, by @Teebs96
• Graceful Serenity, by @Herbizarre
• Dream, by @Audrelite
• Bloom, by @mastermind lissi
• Blossoming, by @sleepwick
• Paldean Kids, Galarian Adven-tour!, by @DragonRoar87
• A Betting Takeoff, by @Railgun
• Decision Beneath Moonlight, by @Daren
• An Azure Sky Above Menhir Trail, by @CyanLaser
• There was a union/Of heart and mind/The likes of which are rare/And, oh, so hard to find, by @Welkamo
• Birdcage Effect, by @Blanc
• Farewell Letter, by @airmail
• Two, by @dcdcdc26
• If I Could Become a Comet, by @Okido

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Recent New Works
This is a listing of our non-contest works published in the past two weeks! ...Because of the large amount of entries we've received for our one-shot contest, we actually only have one. Blurbs will be provided in the spoiler tag as always!

Spoiler: Recent New Works (non-Contest)

Washed Away, by @Cavespider_17. Washed Away is an Everyone-rated multi-chapter short story focusing on Markus Du Bere, a rich boy with very strong opinions on everyone and everything not rich. He even goes as far to buy powerful Pokemon for battles... but will Markus have a change of heart while on his Gym Challenge, thanks to a certain Pokemon he didn't want?! You'll need to read more to find out!

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Recent New Chapters
With that, here's the recent new chapters for our ongoing works posted in the past two weeks! ...Again, owing to our one-shot contest, there is also only one blog that's updated (twice). Enjoy in any case, but please take a look at the hard work present in our contest entries!!

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Entry 8 and Entry 9 of Lissi likes to write!, @mastermind lissi's drabble thread. The eighth entry is a short Taylor Swift songfic, and the ninth focuses on Ethan and Silver of Johto fame.

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Word of the Week

(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

thesaurus (n.): 1. A treasury, as of a temple, etc.
2: a ‘treasury’, or ‘storehouse’ of knowledge, as of a dictionary, encyclopedia, or the like. [Oxford English Dictionary]
3: an erudite or loquacious dinosaur of the therapod suborder.

Today, a thesaurus is most commonly a text that lists words with their synonyms – it tells you “what’s another word for this?” Roget’s Thesaurus (1852) popularised this current meaning – the full title of the first edition read: “Thesaurus of English Words and Phrases Classified and Arranged so as to the Facilitate the Expression of Ideas and Assist in Literary Composition”. You’ve got to appreciate the thoroughness of that description. But what about sense 1: a treasury? Well, the Greek thesaurōs (θησαυρός) rather pleasingly means just that, a storehouse, or treasury. A thesaurus is thus a treasury of words, like piles of ingots waiting for an author to plunder.

And if that evokes images of dragons and lonely mountains, it should. As a matter of, as far as I can tell, complete coincidence, Old English gives us word-hoard, which is exactly what it sounds like (Perhaps it would be translated in modern English as vocabulary). The word appears in Beowulf:

“Him se yldesta ondswarode
werodes wisa, wordhord onleac”

(The most senior answered him, the leader of the band, unlocked his word-hoard)

Who knows whether word-hoard was ever in common use – it apparently only turns up seven times, but we also have hardly any surviving Old English texts to study. Perhaps it was an Old English cliché; perhaps not.

I really like the thought of a thesaurus as a treasury of words! Writing can be like a grand adventure to portray equally grand stories -- remember to gather stray words you find in your word-hoard!! They'll be very useful down the road.

Thanks as always for your thoughts, Beth~

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Afterword & Credits

Hopefully you enjoyed our second edition of the Writers' Workshop newsletter! Most of its contents were taken up by our contest fics -- contests don't roll around every day, so please take a few moments to participate by reading and voting! Hopefully you enjoyed, anyways -- feel free to drop me (@lisianthus) a message about anything you'd like to see changed or otherwise be included to our newsletter, and I'll try to hear you out! o7

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 3: June 2, 2024
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I know, this is a week later than our usual schedule, but there's a good reason for that!! We just finished up our Spring One-Shot contest last week, so I was wanting to spread out the spotlight a little more -- so this'll serve as a reminder to those who weren't aware or forgot about the contest, that our results are posted. More on those in a bit.

But, welcome! The Writers' Workshop newsletter is intended to be a (bi)weekly roundup on all the activity Bulbagarden's official writing area has received! We showcase new works, fic updates, announce events, and even offer writing tips! Be on the lookout for more newsletters once every few weeks, or stay up to date by following Bulbagarden's official Tumblr page!

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General Announcements

Bulbagarden's annual volunteer staff drive is here yet again! We're accepting applicants for our Forums (including the Writers' Workshop if you'd like!), our news team (BulbaNews), our public Discord server, and Bulbapedia, so please feel free to apply if you're interested, even if you're new here!

Our Review League now offers prizes! By reviewing your fellow users' works, you can in turn get points to redeem for prizes ranging from fic reviews to free social media advertising of your works! Please consider checking out our Review League here -- we'd really appreciate it! Two reviews of other users' works can net you one free review, so let's try to support each other! Whenever you review a fic from our latest contest, you'll get double the amount of points you'd normally get for reviewing, so try and take advantage of that offer!

Be on the lookout for some exciting changes coming to the Workshop in the near future!

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Contest Winners

This is a list of our winners for our 2024 Spring One-Shot fanfiction contest! You can see all of our entrants in our last edition, but this time, we'll be commemorating our hard-working winners only! Everyone did great, so I really do urge you check out the winners' works at the very least, if not all of our entrants' contest works. I'll be properly giving small summarizations of these works in a future issue, but for now, please enjoy!

Spoiler: 2024 Spring One-Shot Contest Winners

Best Overall
Birdcage Effect, by @Blanc
Runner-up: If I Could Be a Comet, by @Okido

Best Romance
Dream, by @Audrelite
Runner-up: Farewell Letter, by @airmail

Best Usage of Theme
Blossoming, by @sleepwick and Farewell Letter, by @airmail
Runner-up: A Betting Takeoff, by @Railgun

Best LGBTQ+ Romance
There was a union/Of heart and mind/The likes of which are rare/And, oh, so hard to find, by @Welkamo
Runner-up: If I Could Be a Comet, by @Okido
Honorable Mention, Best Polyamorous Fic
There was a union/Of heart and mind/The likes of which are rare/And, oh, so hard to find, by @Welkamo

Community Vote (Best Overall)
Birdcage Effect, by @Blanc, and If I Could Be a Comet, by @Okido
Runners-up: There was a union/Of heart and mind/The likes of which are rare/And, oh, so hard to find, by @Welkamo and Blossoming, by @sleepwick

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Recent New Works
Here's a listing of our recently published new works from the past three weeks! As things have calmed down from our contest, we've been lucky to recieve some new works, so feel free to check them out!

Spoiler: Recent New Works

Dark Dreams, by @Cavespider_17. The girl writing this newsletter is regrettably unable to give a proper summary of this work because she is sensitive to violent content, but -- Dark Dreams is a Mature-rated one-shot focusing on a Gym Battle gone wrong, rather, a Gym Battle fought to the bitter end. Content warnings for explicit violence, blood, and death, so if you are sensitive to those topics, please think about clicking before you do!

osu!, by @DragonRoar87. osu! is an Everyone-rated drabble measuring 99 words (by my count), and features a pretty humorous double-meaning involving both Dendra's signature catchphrase and a certain infamous rhythm game that has inflicted wrist injuries on many. Check it out if you're in the mood for a bite-sized, humorous story!

In All The Right Places, by @Audrelite. In All The Right Places is an Everyone-rated triple drabble (meaning exactly 300 words!) shipfic featuring Lucas from the Sinnoh games, and Leaf from the Kanto games. Look out for the subtly romantic and overtly sweet undertones in Leaf's observation of her beloved's fashion sense as they ready themselves for a 'glamorous celebration'.

Engineer Buddy: Fixing Burnt-Out Wires, by @System Error. Author-provided blurb: As an adult trainer plans the Pokemon journey he never had when he was young, he recounts the incident that motivated it. He was once an electrician who worked at the Sunyshore Gym. But one little indiscretion and a conflict with the Gym Leader and his pupil, a certain Pokemon Rehabilitator, changed his life forever. Everyone-rated.

Battle From the Heart (Season 1: The Sinnoh Saga), by @CynthiaLover. Battle From the Heart is a Teen-rated journeyfic series that seems to be loosely based on the Pokemon anime in some ways, set in the Sinnoh region. Find out how the main character Geo and his Ralts, Lora, navigate their journeys together!

Coltar: Dear Log, by @Cavespider_17. Author-provided blurb: The year is 1563. Alexis Xanthe, a young man in his twenties is aboard a cargo ship ship until it was overturned by a giant pokémon in the sea. He grabbed what supplies he could before pulling himself aboard a piece of wood from the ship's hull. It dawns on him that he is the sole survivor from the shipwreck, as he clung desperately onto the raft. His raft eventually arrived on the shores of an unknown island (later named Coltar,) inhabited by pokémon. Alexis keeps a journal, of his survival, hoping to be saved. Everyone-rated.

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Recent New Chapters
Here's a listing of our new chapters for our long-running fics posted in the past three weeks. Our new chapter amount is a bit higher than usual, so my apologies if I've missed anything!

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Chapter 5: Fast & FuTurious of Timeslip (SV AU), by @Nekodatta. Blurb: To put it simply, [Timeslip is] a slow burn AU romance about Professor Sada and Turo from the Pokémon Scarlet and Violet games, that changes a singular but drastic thing about them and is now having fun exploring all the possible ramifications of it. And feels. Lots of feels. And time travel shenanigans... Teen-rated, warnings for light swearing and violence.

Katy mentioned!! (You're so sweet.), from @Teebs96's personal drabble thread. A cute Bugsy x Whitney romance fluff piece, in which Katy attempts to help Bugsy learn how to make macarons! Everyone-rated.

Special Episode 13 of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip. Blurb: My body’s age is the world’s age. My life is tied to the world’s life. Through me, all spirits are granted the privilege of the living world. And to me, all spirits are meant to pass through on their departure. The fabric of reality is dictated in my being, and should it ever need to be modified, those with divine power may change it… carefully. Teen-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Sailing for Tomorrow's Dreams of Pokemon Crossing: Fly Me to the Moon, by @Cherry_BombBees. Blurb: “What kinds of trainers do you see yourselves becoming with these starters by your side? Where do you see yourself in the future? What new horizons do you see yourselves reaching?” Teen-rated for mild language and violence.
Interlude: The Angel in Green of Pokemon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz. A reimagining of the original Kanto anime saga. Everyone-rated.

Chapter 12: Perfect Backup and Chapter 13: What Are the Odds? of Penny Saves Paldea, an S/V fic where glitches are canon, by @KatrinaSForest. Blurb: Scarlet & Violet's glitches are all canon. The "anomalies" affect some people more than others, but no one's sure why. Our main quartet, along with the Team Star bosses, is off to discover what's wrong with their home. Well, when they aren't butting heads or bickering with each other, that is. Sometimes you don't want the answers even when you find them.

Episode 11: Meeting Dad on the Route of Magic of Pokemon: Diamonds of the Colorful Skies, by @LightningTopaz. A theatrical story told with many of the characters from the Pokemon anime. Everyone-rated.

Episode 24: The Pecha Boy in Paldea of Pokemon: The Stage of Crystal, by @LightningTopaz. Blurb: After a successful tour across Waku, the Niji Troupe became household names in the Tawame scene there--and the budding Tawame scene in Europa took notice. After receiving an invitation to come to the world famous Naranja Academy, Ash and the others took the chance to perform as a chance to introduce the wild and spirited Tawame world to the Paldean stage--with potential to tour other Europan regions too. But little did the gang know that their two honorary members would end up joining the troupe for good! Everyone-rated.

Chapter II.XVII - Laying Plans of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Guardians of Balance, by @StolenMadWolf. Blurb: As a new wave of natural disasters begin to spread around the world, a human wakes up to find himself transformed into a Pokemon. Thrown into an increasingly fractured and endangered world, the human known as Sam will find himself thrust into an adventure unlike anything he could ever imagine. An adventure where there is far more than meets the eye... Mature-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Chapter 24 - Recurrence of Once a Thief, by @Spiteful Murkrow. Blurb: Two years ago, Lyle left Outlaw life for what he hoped was forever. But when wartime hardship pulls him into one last job, a stroke of fate brings Lyle and his fellows across an Axew thief after a legendary treasure, along with the army nipping at her heels. ... But why would the army send troops after a treasure during a war? And will things really be as simple as snagging it first? Teen-rated.

Chapter 2 (Crouching Croagunk, Hidden Purugly) and Chapter 3 (Turtwigs and Stones May Break My Bones) of Battle From the Heart, by @CynthiaLover.

Chapter 7: To Virto, Chapter 8: Celebrations, and Chapter 9: The Differences Between of Coltar: Escaping His Shadows, by @Cavespider_17. Blurb: Aaron Piscar, youngest son of Ellio Piscar, ruler of Elktan, is desperate to celebrate the End of Cycle. However, his father isn't so keen. In fact, his father has effectively forbidden him from leaving the citadel as he is worried his son will be attacked. Aaron and Ellio get into a very one-sided battle, which is considered treason, and Aaron ends up running away from home with his best friends, Mylious and Clarence, with his older brother, Erik, close behind. They run away to Colran, where things seem much different, and Aaron has to confront how he feels about his father and how he rules Elktan with an iron fist. Teen-rated for mature themes and abuse.

Chapter 2 of Wallace en Paldea, by @Welkamo. Blurb: Wallace's world opens up on an exchange trip to Paldea. Chapter is Teen-rated and has content warnings for: internalized ableism, anxiety/impostor syndrome, mentions of xenophobia, and mild paranoia.

Chapter 11: Kricketot of 108 Reunions (a shiny-based writing challenge), by @KatrinaSForest -- a fic series based on IRL gameplay shinies! Blurb: Spiritomb is meant to be 108 spirits justly bound and punished. But this time 107 of those spirits are innocent. When tracker-turned-medium Indigo accidentally binds himself to the Odd Keystone, he sets off to connect each ghost with the descendent of their beloved Pokémon. How will he recognize these Pokémon? Well, they might have a certain...sparkle. Teen-rated for dark themes.

Log #2 ~ #13of Coltar: Dear Log, by @Cavespider_17. Everyone-rated.

Entry 10 and 11 of Lissi likes to write!, @mastermind lissi's drabble thread. The tenth entry is Gloria-centric, and the eleventh is about a very tired player-character. Everyone-rated.

Chapter 12: Stringent Expectation and Chapter 13: Deep Anguish of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Blurb: A beloved nature show host perishes in a freak accident during an underwater filming expedition, shocking the world. Knowing the public will call for the tragic culprit's blood against the host's wishes, his producer appeals to the Officials to have Pokemon Rehabilitator Nori Carino train and 'cure' her in attempt to save her life. With a new assignment cast upon him weeks after his first and word quickly spreading, Nori finds his friends splintering, and his foes using the moment to come after him. But those problems pale in comparison to his crippling fear of water and her not being used to being out of it. What does it take to care for a Pokemon? Mature-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Chapter 18: Truths and Secrets and Chapter 19: If Only, If Only You Didn't Come Out Today of Coltar: The Prophecy, by @Cavespider_17. Blurb: When a peace summit in the neutral town of Marsten is interrupted by a trainer and a rogue charizard, war between the two Coltese regions: Colran and Elktan erupts. James, a fourteen-year-old Colran boy finds himself in occupied Fehahra. With his bloodline mercilessly being hunted by Elktan, James must find a way to live in the new upside-down world. Meanwhile, an ancient prophecy has failed once more, and has decided to reroll its candidates.

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Recent Non-Pokemon Works
We accept any kind of fiction here, although we mainly have Pokemon-related works! Feel free to read through our listings if you'd like.

Spoiler: Recent Non-Pokemon Works

Chapter 12 (No Stopping the Leaf Gale Girl) of Shooting Star Rider (Season 1: Cosmic Forces), by @CynthiaLover. Teen-rated, warnings for mild language.

Pitch Meeting, by @Welkamo. A Rhythm Heaven fanfic. Everyone-rated.

Berceuse, by @Welkamo. Another Rhythm Heaven fanfic. Everyone-rated.

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Word of the Week
(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Hola weġ - the sunken lane. The holloway is half a tunnel, made chthonic and fey when trees on either side lock their branches together, and the way becomes a tunnel half-earth and half-tree. You see daylight at the further end, an oval of sky framed with laced branches, the world outside too bright to see.

holloway (n.): a way, road, or path, through a defile or cutting. [Oxford English Dictionary]

The Oxford English Dictionary removes all the mystery from them, Wikipedia dully redefines them. Holloways seem to manifest in softer rock, the sandstones and chalks of the country. Some are sunk deep enough that their walls look like cliffs, hidden by brambles and almost forgotten. Around Shropshire and Staffordshire you can find holloways with paved roads running along them, not quite forgotten so much as hiding in plain sight. It is the nature writer Robert Macfarlane who captures them best in his book Holloway – part poetic exploration of the hollow way, part melancholic tribute to the late Roger Deakin.

Holloways seem quite quaint to me, I think... makes lots of sense a nature writer would be the one to profile them, then. @Beth Pavell, the writer of this column, actually has a work where she makes use of this word! Please take a look at the prologue of her Teen-rated work, The Long Walk, if you'd like to see it used 'in action'. Thanks for your thoughts as always, Beth!

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Afterword & Credits
This one admittedly took quite a lot out of me to type up in one go (at least three hours if not more), but I'm glad it did, because that means the Workshop is really active, right? Thank you all very much for contributing to that activity, everyone! Hoping you found this newsletter of use to you as always, and please let me know if you have any suggestions by messaging me on the forums (@lisianthus)!

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 4: June 16, 2024​

Back on schedule now, hello again! The Writers' Workshop newsletter is intended to be a (bi)weekly roundup on all the activity Bulbagarden's official writing area has received! We showcase new works, fic updates, announce events, and even offer writing tips! Be on the lookout for more newsletters once every few weeks, or stay up to date by following Bulbagarden's official Tumblr page! (I'm actually going to start publishing these on our Tumblr starting from this week's entry. )

General Announcements

Last call for applying to our volunteer Staff Drive! Feel free to check it out and consider applying to be Workshop staff, or to help out anywhere else here.

Our Review League now offers prizes! By reviewing your fellow users' works, you can in turn get points to redeem for prizes ranging from fic reviews to free social media advertising of your works! Please consider checking out our Review League here -- we'd really appreciate it! Two reviews of other users' works can net you one free review, so let's try to support each other! Whenever you review a fic from our latest contest, you'll get double the amount of points you'd normally get for reviewing, so try and take advantage of that offer!

Be on the lookout for some exciting changes coming to the Workshop in the near future!

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Recent New Works
This is a listing of all the new works that have been published to our Workshop in the past two weeks! For some reason, we have a lot of works here set in or otherwise connected to the Johto region, so enjoy!!

Spoiler: Recent New Works

Tempered Skies, by @Railgun. Tempered Skies is a Teen-rated romance chapter fic set during the events of the HeartGold and SoulSilver games, between Jasmine and Lance. This work is recommended if you enjoy slowburn romances and learning more about the culture of different regions of the Pokemon world!

Coltar: Before Dawn, by @Cavespider_17. Coltar: Before Dawn is a Teen-rated one-shot set in the author's signature Pokemon AU, but you don't need to be familiar with it to enjoy! As it is rated Teen, there are some violent and potentially uncomfortable topics present, but if you enjoy tense plots told within a smaller wordcount, this work is for you!

Trials of Tampinell ~Ryu’s Retribution~, by @JollyVG. Trials of Tampinell is a Teen-rated chapter fic following Ryu, a former ninja from the Johto region who decides to pursue the path of a Pokemon Trainer through challenging the new League in the region of Tampinell. Interestingly enough, the story and characters taken from a Pokemon tabletop RPG the author participated in, which could make for interesting plot points!

that's a real lasting legacy, by @mastermind lissi. that's a real lasting legacy is an Everyone-rated chapter fic about Ethan from the Johto games. We'll know more as the fic itself is updated more, but it's been started off with Ethan battling a certain Trainer who calls himself 'Maroon'. Some may recognize Maroon's real identity, but regardless of the mystery there, this should prove to be a fun battle-centric story.

ressentiment, by @KOT0NE. ressentiment is a Teen-rated one-shot focusing on Paulo from Pokemon Masters: EX. Be warned that there are spoilers for the main story of the game within this work, but it is a very neat character study regardless! Even if you're not familliar with PMEX, this work is easy to follow and is reccomended if you enjoy more introspective pieces! Please look at the content warning at the start of the fic for important information about it!

blue about food, by @Tyropop. blue about food is a small Everyone-rated one-shot focusing on a dinner date between Liko and Dot from the new Pokemon anime series, Pokemon Horizons. Be warned that there are references to food and eating disorders present in this work, so if you are sensitive to those themes, please read with caution.

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Recent New Chapters
Here's a listing of our new chapters for our long-running fics posted in the past two weeks. As always, there are quite a few, so apologies if any have been missed!

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Episode 91: The Dancing Tailow on Steam and Episode 92: Reading Through Fact and Fantasy of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz. Blurb: In addition to the plays that the gang performs as part of the main theatrical fantasy (a rebooted collection itself), this collection will explore what goes on offstage, on the group's days off, what goes on in rehearsals, and even full plays--including some not seen in the main theatrical fantasy. Everyone-rated.

Chapter II.VI - Getting the Bearings of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Mercenaries of Dawn, by @StolenMadWolf. Blurb: Nearly a decade before the events of the Meteor, and twenty-five years prior to the arrival of a new human to the Pokemon World, there are no Rescue or Explorer teams. Instead, there are only mercenaries.On the Air Continent, a young Combusken mercenary takes up what seems to be an unusual, but otherwise regular job. However, the events of that night will send him on a grand adventure across the continent. It is the tale of a fierce rivalry, the support of friends, one desperate plan... and a tale that will shape the future.

Chapter 10: Glimpse into Reality of Coltar: Escaping His Shadows, by @Cavespider_17. Chapter blurb: Aaron Piscar and his friends are about to get one of the worst reality checks of their young lives. Elite Lord De Jou, ruler of Colran, has dragged him and Clarence into a festival battle to show them what a real battle could be like. Even with the festival's limiters in action, Lord De Jou, his Lord Interrogator and one of his fellow Lords will not hold back. Not even for the 14 year olds caught up in their fun. Teen-rated for mature themes and abuse.

~Chapter XI: Ascension~ and Chapter XII: Progressionof Insurgency, by @Jewel the Quaxly. Blurb: Pikachu's life turns upside down after meeting a peculiar boy with the ability to speak to pokemon. Only he didn't fall apart. He was put back together. Funny, since he didn't even realize there was anything to be put together in the first place...but the world has a funny way of working out sometimes. Teen-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Chapter 19: If Only, If Only You Didn't Come Out Today, Chapter 20: All That Turns to Dust, and Chapter 21: Interrogation of Coltar: The Prophecy, by @Cavespider_17. Blurb: When a peace summit in the neutral town of Marsten is interrupted by a trainer and a rogue charizard, war between the two Coltese regions: Colran and Elktan erupts. James, a fourteen-year-old Colran boy finds himself in occupied Fehahra. With his bloodline mercilessly being hunted by Elktan, James must find a way to live in the new upside-down world. Meanwhile, an ancient prophecy has failed once more, and has decided to reroll its candidates. Teen-rated, content warnings avaliable at fic introduction.

Chapter 29: Dissonance of Another Way, by @redspah. Blurb: Sue, a lowly comp-sci student with no knowledge of Pokémon, must persevere within their world after waking up as a Gardevoir. With the locals and their language completely alien to her, even the refuge she receives feels uncertain. Local deities invading her dreams and using her as a pawn don't help, either. As Sue uncovers this world's scarred history, her god-mending task becomes increasingly clear, as does its difficulty. Despite that, and her limited grasp of her own powers, she keeps trying, for her goal remains the same. To survive and make it home, no matter what. Teen-rated for moderate suggestive themes, strong language, and moderate violence.

Chapter 14: Mixed Bonds of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Blurb: A beloved nature show host perishes in a freak accident during an underwater filming expedition, shocking the world. Knowing the public will call for the tragic culprit's blood against the host's wishes, his producer appeals to the Officials to have Pokemon Rehabilitator Nori Carino train and 'cure' her in attempt to save her life. With a new assignment cast upon him weeks after his first and word quickly spreading, Nori finds his friends splintering, and his foes using the moment to come after him. But those problems pale in comparison to his crippling fear of water and her not being used to being out of it. What does it take to care for a Pokemon? Mature-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Chapter 2 - Off to Tampinell of Trials of Tampinell ~Ryu’s Retribution~, by @JollyVG.

Chapter 4 (Team Galactic's Cosmic Clash) and Chapter 5 (Shooting Staravia) of Battle from the Heart, by @CynthiaLover. A journeyfic set in the Sinnoh region, focusing on a young man and his Ralts companion. Teen-rated, content warnings avaliable for each chapter.

Chapter 6: Let Me Be Your Rival! of An Account of Rayquaza's Chosen or Mare Birch's Terrible, Horrible, Very Bad, No Good Quest to Save Humanity, by @BackSet. Blurb: Mare Birch is not happy. Her mom finally kicked her asshole dad to the curb, which is good, but now she's getting remarried and they're moving to Littleroot Town in the Hoenn region, which is bad. To make matters worse, she keeps having horrible nightmares of two titanic Legendary Pokemon engaged in a monumental clash. Thankfully, she has an out. Her Uncle is going to send her on a Pokemon Journey! That should help clear her head and make things better, right? Teen-rated, content warnings available at fic introduction.

Interlude: A Stage at Sea of Pokemon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz. A reimagining of the original Kanto anime saga. Everyone-rated.

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No new non-Pokemon works this week as far as I'm aware! There are quite a few new fics to go on your backlog, though, so hopefully you'll still enjoy!

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Word of the Week
(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Withersoever

For no other reason than euphony.

withersoever (adv.): 1. To (or in) any place to which; wherever.
2. Whether to one place or another; no matter what place; wherever.

Why wherever, when withersoever can be? The Old English gem wither (‘where’) is at the heart of this one, compounded wonderfully together to form a word that wends and weaves on the tongue. Withersoever shall we wander, we wordsmiths of the web? Middle English had a rich array of compounds like these, including anywither and wheresoever, both of which deserve wider use in modern English.

And yet citations in the Oxford English Dictionary span a surprising length of time. “Thei shull be so lyȝht and swyft, That whidur-sever they thenk they may be lyft.” (The Castle of Love, 1320), to “With Victor Hugo inspiration is..to be followed blindly whithersoever it may lead.” (The Spectator, 30 May 1885). From Middle English to Modern, albeit probably not in common use. The OED records a steep drop off in usage between the middle of the 19th century and the 1950s – 100 years for a word to go from being relatively normal to obscure.

This Word of the Week was a bit of a tongue twister, wasn't it? It's very interesting to see how the English language has evolved over time, so I appreciated the small excerpts featuring our chosen word very much! Your observation about the word not being utilized too much in Modern English rings true for our Workshop as well, as no fics feature it as of the writing and publishing of this newsletter. If you'd like, you could change this, readers... (lol).

Thanks as always for your thoughts, Beth, this column is something I look forwards to being able to include every entry!

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Afterword & Credits
Thankfully this entry was easier to write up! I'm getting better at doing these quickly, I think... I'm always quite surprised with the amount of chapter fics we see updated around here, which is a good thing! I hope our authors will continue to feel welcome to participate here for a long while coming -- we have a fic that's been continuously updated for over six years now, which I personally think is quite neat.

As always, please let me know if you have any suggestions, questions, or comments by messaging me on the forums! (@lisianthus) o//

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support

 

[Beth Pavell]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 5: 7th July, 2024

​

You'd all forgotten about when I used to post these, hadn't you? lisianthus is taking few days unplugged, so you all have to put up with me again. Let's see what's been going on this time:

General Announcements

@Cavespider_17 and @Audrelite become the latest in the lineage of Writers' Workshop mods, which does make me feel a little old, but check out their sterling work organising the HUGE fora that are the Workshop archives!

And of course, to that end you'll have noticed that after many years, more than I can remember, The Writers' Workshop is now its own section. The RP section has had a sorely-needed revamp, the archives given a shake up, and generally a lot of spring cleaning. Work is still ongoing, but it's continuing apace, so it won't be long before the section is finished and possibly sparkly.

Recent New Works

Spoiler: Recent New Works

A Subarctic Daughter of Sinnoh, by @Audrelite - A Gloria one-shot, posted and finished in one fell swoop.

A Force in Time, by @VeniaSilente - in the author's own words, a small, silly story

Nemophilia, by @Railgun - Another one-shot, this time a shipping story (Lance x Jasmine)

Tears of Olivine, by @Teebs96. Happy Yuri Day indeed

Recent New Chapters

I'd forgotten just how many updates everyone can post in the space of two weeks.

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Three new entries in Coltar: Dear Log, by @Cavespider_17

Four new chapters of Trials of Tampinell - Ryu's Retribution, by @JollyVG. Blurb for Chapter 4: Safe for the time being, Ryu seeks to sign up for the Tampinell League-- though he finds himself stuck with the trainers from before.

Chapter 5 - Juncture of Once a Thief, by @Spiteful Murkrow

Chapter 16: Stuck Drifting of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error

Chapter 2: Muddy Impressions of Tempered Skies, by @Railgun

Chapter 14: Team Star's Code of Penny Saves Paldea, by @KatrinaSForest

Two new drabbles from @Catz

Chapter 177 - Negative Empathy of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip

Chapter Forty Five - Monnana Knows He is Steel of The Long Walk, by, well, me

Chapter 31: Descent of Another Way, by @redspah

Episode 25: A Tale of Two Worlds (part1) of Pokémon: The Stage of Crystal, by @LightningTopaz

Chapter 10: The End of Dr Namba, concluding Team Rocket's Revenge, by @Jared DiCarlo

Another drabble froom @Welkamo's [REALLY COOL FIC TITLE]: A Drabble Collection

Interlude: A Relaxing Night At Sea from Pokémon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz

Epsiode 94: Dragon and Raikou Showcase the Theater of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz

Chapter 3: Oran Berry Pie of Coltar: The Garden, by @Cavespider_17

Word of the Week

OK

ok (adj.): 1. All correct, all right; satisfactory, good; well, in good health or order.

2. Fashionable, modish; prestigious, high-class.
3. Of a person: decent, trustworthy; congenial.
4. Appropriate, suitable; permissible, allowed.
5. Of a person: comfortable, at ease, content, satisfied: reasonable, understanding.

And that’s just used as an adjective! The Oxford English Dictionary cites another three senses used as an interjection, one as a noun, and another as an adverb. If you want a case study on the flexibility, the mutability, the utility and the mystery of English words, ok would be a good place to start. ‘That’s all ok.’ ‘Are you ok with that?’ ‘He’s ok.’ ‘Ok, let’s get started!’ - I’d be willing to bet you knew the all those uses and had no trouble understanding what was meant by them. They all lend the general meaning of ‘good enough’ or ‘satisfactory’, though you may have noticed sense 2 – meaning something more like ‘hip’, ‘chic’, or ‘trendy’.

So where does ok even come from? Aside from somewhere in the U.S. no-one really knows. It is apparently some sort of abbreviation, lending some authority to the idea that it ought to be spelt O.K. (In which case we ought to treat laser in the same way). It could be an abbreviation for ‘all correct’, though the OED also cites the Choctaw okeh (‘it is’), the French au quai, and the Scottish och aye as competing theories. We don’t even have a consistent spelling. OK, O.K., ok, okay, and okeh have all appeared since its first documented usage in 1839, and so far as I can tell, all at more or less the same time.

It would seem then, that sometimes words just turn up, and once they’ve appeared, stick around to keep making themselves useful.

I had to restrain myself with this one - the column could easily have been twice as long, because there are more senses to pick apart that every English speaker will instinctively know.

Afterword
No doubt lisianthus will be back before too long - unplugging once in a while is always a smart idea. I'll be back in a couple of weeks with a new Word of the Week at the very least.

See you, folks!

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 6: July 21, 2024

...I know this isn't a Pokemon GIF, but if you'd let me have this, I'd appreciate it LOL! The anime is Cardcaptor Sakura.

​

Anyways -- back to business once more, as I'm at the helm for this edition of our newsletter here at the Workshop! A big 'thank you' to @Beth Pavell for filling in for me in short notice; she was the head of the Workshop before I was and still lends a hand here and there, which I appreciate! I'm back from my small break (well, I was two weeks ago anyways ahaha), so I'm finally able to write our next issue! Who knows, you may rarely see her filling in for me again on special occasions around the Workshop~.

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General Announcements

As was said in last issue, we have two new staff members who'll be helping out -- I hope you've noticed Audrelite and Cavespider_17 around here lately! Alongside those two, we're currently in the extensive process of organizing our extremely large Archives. It's hard work, but we hope that it'll make a difference in your reading enjoyment -- please don't feel shy to read or even review some of our older works!

Those 'exciting changes' I've been alluding to the past few editions were, in fact, our fancy revamp for the Workshop and Art Gallery, which are now both their own categories! We hope it'll be worthwhile to all of our creative-minded users, and have been quite pleased with our results so far. We'll be tweaking some things around the Workshop here and there in the future, but be sure to check out our new RP Zone if you have an interest in roleplaying!

Look out for some more activities and events coming to the Workshop in the near future -- for now, consider joining the Review League, where you can earn rewards for reviewing other works around Bulbagarden!

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Recent New Works
Let's take a look at the new works published in the past two weeks!

Spoiler: Recent New Works

Cultivate The Vine, by @Blackjack Gabbiani -- an Everyone-rated one-shot focusing on the AI Professor Turo meeting with Professor Clavell. Expect Scarlet and Violet spoilers.

Strung Along, by @Jewel the Quaxly -- a Teen-rated ongoing series focusing on Krazyshipping (PokeAni Pikachu x Meowth), with a planned seven chapters in total. Content warnings for language, alcohol, abusive + toxic relationships, and violence typical of the canon series.

The Torkoal & the Scorbunny (Remake), by @Greninjaman -- an Everyone-rated remake of a work from years ago; a take on the classic 'Tortoise and the Hare' fable.

Lumiose Nights: Shorts About Emma/Essentia, by @Yung Dramps -- a Teen-rated ongoing story featuring Emma from the XY postgame story; the author mentions that there will be an F/F part to the story, so if that interests you, check it out! Warnings for language, gambling, and drug references.

The Limits of an Assistant, by @Catz -- an Everyone-rated fluffy one-shot featuring Rose of Sword and Shield fame attempting to get Oleana to take a break from her work.

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Recent New Chapters
For the time being, I may not include blurbs in this section unless a short enough one is expressly included in the work itself, as I've found doing so to be quite taxing. Hope you'll understand, if a work seems particularly interesting, take a look at it by all means!

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Chapter 7: Fossil Fued of Battle From the Heart (Season 1: The Sinnoh Saga), by @CynthiaLover. Teen-rated, journeyfic, CWs by chapter.

Interlude: A Warning In My Dreams of Pokemon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz. Everyone-rated, a remix of the original anime series.

Chapter 178 – World’s History of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip. Teen-rated, PMD fic, CWs in introduction post.

Episode 95: The Priestess, the Mightyena, and the Dragon and Episode 96: The Raikou's Song Goes Viral of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz. Everyone-rated, side-story collection, light stage violence present.

Chapter 32: Purgation of Another Way, by @redspah. Teen-rated, xenofiction, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 4: What Lurks Beneath of Coltar: The Garden, by @Cavespider_17. Everyone-rated, short story series, CWs in introduction post.

Log 30 of Coltar: Dear Log, by @Cavespider_17. Everyone-rated, drabble series, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 17: Waning Conditions of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Mature-rated, fic from a metaseries, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 25: Reroll Your Odds and Chapter 26: Memories of Coltar: The Prophecy, by @Cavespider_17. Mature-rated, first work in a larger series, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 8.5 - Interlude of Trials of Tampinell - Ryu's Retribution, by @JollyVG. Teen-rated, journeyfic, CWs in introduction post.

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Recent Non-Pokemon Works
We now have a dedicated section for posting non-Pokemon works in our BulbaLibrary: Non-Pokémon Section subforum! This time, we just have only one work.

Spoiler: Recent Non-Pokemon Works

Prologue Arc (0.0 to 0.3) of Even In EDEN, Here We Are - A Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth AU, by @Voidwalker. Teen-rated, Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth AU.

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Word of the Week
(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Gobbledegook

‘Darling, make a note of the word ‘gobbledegook’; I like it, and I want to use it more often in conversation.’

gobbledegook (n.): language or jargon, especially in bureaucratic or official contexts, which is pretentious, long-winded, or specialised to the point of being unintelligible to the general public; nonsense, gibberish. [Oxford English Dictionary]

In the second episode of the classic historical British sitcom, Blackadder Goes Forth, the eponymous hero (Well, protagonist, anyway) makes an attempt to get out of participating in an attack across the mud-and-blood soaked battlefield of the Somme by pretending the phone line is faulty. His orders, so Blackadder claims, were so much gobbledegook about Captain Darling having a lion up his bottom.

Blackadder gleefully played around with deliberate anachronism as much as it made historical jokes, and in this case, it’s hard to tell whether this is deliberate or not. Blackadder Goes Forth is set in 1917, but the first recorded usage of gobbledeygook (Alternate spelling) is from US Representative Maury Maverick in March 1944. Gobbledegook is one of those great U.S. coinages that seem to happen between 1850 and 1950, and as usual no-one really knows where it comes from - probably a reference to a turkey’s gobble, although I have never heard of a turkey able to use much in the way of technical language. In any case, the word has become more generalised into a synonym for nonsense, gibberish, and general blatherskite.

Luckily, this entry was straightforward enough to parse that it was not gobbledegook to me -- if you're interested in this topic more, feel free to take a look at this article from the Merriam Webster Dictionary about similar compound words from 19th cenutry America; my favorite is slantindicular, meaning 'oblique'. Thank you for the entry as always, Beth!

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Afterword and Credits
Glad to be back writing these! If you have any suggestions for this newsletter, please let me know by sending me a Forums PM, @lisianthus. Thanks~.

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support♡

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 7: August 4, 2024

I can't believe it's been two weeks since our last entry, wow! Time flies, I suppose, doesn't it...?

​

General Announcements
We have a new activity for our Workshop -- a Book Club we're quite excited to get started! Our Bulba Book Club is a way to help our fellow community members out with constructive criticism, as well as offer avenues for participants to receive reviews on their works! Every few weeks, our Workshop staff team chooses a 'book' (AKA, written work that has been nominated by a member of the Book Club and published to our Workshop) for the whole group to read, focus on, and review -- one chapter or one-shot at a time.

If it sounds confusing, that's fine -- just think of it as an opportunity to support your fellow writers and get more exposure to your works, or non-personal works that you really love (with permission from the author). More information is in this thread. Our current test round ends on the 5th, so get your review entries in quickly if this interests you! Also worth noting that we have plans for prize opportunities as well, so I'd suggest you get involved early on if possible!

If you'd like to earn an equippable badge just for reviewing works around here, please check our Review League thread for more information!

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Recent New Works
Let's take a look at the works that've been posted to our Library in the past two weeks! We have an ebb and flow in our amount of posts that's characteristic of a hard-working creative community, so at times (like this week), we only have a few works to showcase! But in those situations especially, I'd like to ask our readers to check out the ones they're even remotely interested in!

Spoiler: Recent New Works

About Love, by @Audrelite -- an Everyone-rated romance triple drabble (at 299 words) focusing on a rarepair in Colress and Rosa, both from the Unova classics in Black 2 and White 2. Expect flowery and sweet prose from this author, originally written for an AO3 drabble exchange.

Lunar Magic, by @redspah -- a Teen-rated ongoing xenofic focusing on a Gardevoir protagonist who is curious to learn about humans and the world in which they live in, despite her knowledge of the supposed dangers surrounding befriending any humans. Content warnings for moderate realistic violence.

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Recent New Chapters
...There's a lot of new chapters, which I guess makes up for the relative dearth of new published works, then! Yay~.

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Interlude: The Dragon and Raikou on Calm Seas of Pokemon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz. Everyone-rated, a remix of the original anime series.

Episode 26: A Tale for Two Worlds (part 2) of Pokemon: The Stage of Crystal, by @LightningTopaz. Everyone-rated, a series featuring Ash and his companions as a travelling theater troupe.

Chapter 8: Rocking Rampardos of Battle From the Heart (Season 1: The Sinnoh Saga), by @CynthiaLover. Teen-rated, journeyfic, CWs by chapter.

Chapter 27: Spark of Trouble of Coltar: The Prophecy, by @Cavespider_17. Mature-rated, first work in a larger series, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 179 – Last Tasks of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip. Teen-rated, PMD fic, CWs in introduction post.

Episode 97: The Phoenix Shrouds His Face of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz. Everyone-rated, side-story collection, light stage violence present.

Chapter 12: Luxio of 108 Reunions, by @KatrinaSForest. Teen-rated, fic series based on author's shiny hunting challenge, audiobook versions avaliable in fic links. CWs for dark themes.

Chapter 15: The Trio Has a (Glitchy) Picnic and Chapter 16: Long Time No Meet of Penny Saves Paldea, by @KatrinaSForest. Teen-rated, fic series set in Paldea where glitches are canon, audiobook versions avaliable in fic links. CWs for creepy images.

SURPRISE, from @Teebs96's personal drabble thread. Plainhiveshipping (Whitney x Bugsy) drabble.

Chapter 4 - Our Fate of Phantoms - A Pokémon Violet Fic, by @Voidwalker. Teen-rated, journeyfic, CWs in introduction post, with chapter warning for implied child death.

Chapter 27: Quenching the Fire of The Journey to Mend Broken Things, by @Poke Dragon. Teen-rated, journeyfic, CWs in introduction post.

Log #31 of Coltar: Dear Log, by @Cavespider_17. Everyone-rated, drabble series, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 33: Ghosts of Another Way, by @redspah. Teen-rated, xenofiction, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 18 (Untitled) and Chapter 19: Irate Demon of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Mature-rated, fic from a metaseries, CWs in introduction post.

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Recent Non-Pokemon Works
Only one update, but it's two chapters, at least!

Spoiler: Recent Non-Pokemon Works

Brave and Become of Berceuse, by @Welkamo, a Rhythm Heaven fanfic. Teen-rated, CWs in introduction post.

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Word of the Week
(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Astrobleme
Often, at least in the language, science manages to take romance out of the natural world. The demands of clarity and precision of meaning have a lot to answer for, for good reason, which nevertheless cannot quite excuse alphabet soup acronyms in place of a proper coinage. And yet, just sometimes ...

astrobleme (n.): an eroded remnant of a large crater made by the impact of a meteorite or comet [Oxford English Dictionary]

Why would you want to use a term like “impact structure”, when you can use astrobleme? Literally meaning “star wound”, from the Greek ástron (star, celestial body), and blêma (wound from a missile), this is also quite a recent coinage, dating from the 1960s, which just goes to show you really don’t have to use an acronym for everything

What a wonderful coinage it is – precise, evocative, lyrical.

That meaning of 'star wound' sounds quite pretty to me, and also quite fitting for the definition anyways. I wouldn't have guessed it to be a recent coinage due to its Greek roots, but I think it's really delightful that scientists are willing to play around with words from time to time!! I've thought about having a small drabble series that coincides with new Word of the Week editions, so you may see it soon enough -- but for now, please take a look at Chapter 33 of our very own @Beth Pavell's esteemed work The Long Walk, which features this very word! Aside from Beth, of course, if any of you readers use words from this column in your works in the future, please let me know, and I'll give you a shout-out in this newsletter. Think of it as giving back as thanks for Beth's hard work here?

I'm curious to hear about more modern coinages that sound to be a bit older than one would think -- perhaps I'll put a request in for a future Word of the Week to focus on another one? At any rate, thank you for the varied catalogue of words you're willing to enlighten us on, Beth, it's a pleasure as always.

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Afterword & Credits
Still unable to hit my goal of posting before midnight hits, but 12:21 AM at the time of writing this isn't too bad! Thank you all for your participation around the Workshop, I'm glad to see so many authors sharing their worlds, characters, and stories with our community! If you'd like to engage with said community more, I'd say the Review League and Bulba Book Club are great places to start -- hope to see you there! ...I actually need to post my review for the Book Club tomorrow, LOL! Better late than never, right?

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support♡

 

[Beth Pavell]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter: Issue 8, 4th September 2024

It's been a while hasn't it? Let's see what's been going on for these past few weeks ...

General Announcements
So, the Book Club is still going, and I hear it's gathered a lot of interest, which is great to hear. I might just have to see if I can participate myself ...

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Recent New Works
Feats of Legend, by @TheVocalsmith

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Recent New Chapters

Spoiler

Chapter 21: The Auspicious Chat, of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error
Chapter 34: Charity, of Another Way, by @redspah
Apocrypha: Late Night Snack, from Lumiose Nights, by @yurituroid
Another drabble from Teebs Drabble Thread, by @Teebs96
Interlude: A Battle in My Dreams, from Pokémon Lightning Yellow, by @LightningTopaz
Episode 99: Taki in the Practice Room, of The Shimmering Companion, by @LightningTopaz
Chapter 181: Wishes, Fate, and Choice, of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip

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Non-Pokémon

Chapter 5: A Hike Down to the Demon Realm, of The Vocalsmith, by @TheVocalsmith

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Word of the Week

Numinous
Picture the scene. It is a bright, sunny evening in late May. The sun is setting behind you, throwing out a long shadow-self across the rough grass in front of you. A sea breeze comes rippling in from the North Sea, making a mockery of any attempt at a neat hairstyle, audibly snapping in your ears, ruffling at your jacket. To your left the sea sparkles, slate-grey and silver. To your right, the square shoulders of Bamburgh Castle rise misty and blue from the mainland. The eider ducks – Cuddy ducks, as the locals call them – are bobbing on the water as if they, like you, have nothing better to do. As you watch, a dark, round shape rises from the water. A seal, watching you as you watch it.

This is Lindisfarne, and you are looking North-West out to sea. Behind you are the ruins of the Priory, sacked by the Vikings in 793. There are about five churches on the island, of all denominations, a museum, and a war memorial. At low tide it’s all of fifteen minutes’ drive from the mainland. Walking across, even taking the longer route, is a matter of an hour across the North Sea mud. The North road will take you across the Scottish border towards Edinburgh; the South road is for York. There’s a certain feeling, an atmosphere that would be difficult to describe if we did not have:

numinous (n./adj.): 1. Of or relating to a numen; revealing or indicating the presence of a divinity; divine, spiritual.
2. In extended use: giving rise to a sense of the spiritually transcendent; evoking a heightened sense of the mystical or sublime; awe-inspiring. [Oxford English Dictionary]

To really get to grips with the idea of the numinous, we need to dig into the etymology of the word. Numinous is a borrowing from the Latin numen – literally ‘that which is produced by nodding’, but in the context of Roman religion something more like the Japanese kami. Numen is the divine, if you believe that gods and spirits are more or less everywhere.

Which brings us back to numinous. You could simply use it as a synonym for ‘divine’, or ‘holy’. But I think the modern sense – the one expressed in the OED’s definition – has more to do with a feeling that something is somehow special, spiritually important in a way that is otherwise difficult to articulate. This is the feeling that you’ll find on Lindisfarne, whether or not you’re a Christian pilgrim or a secular birdwatcher. Whether the island always was numinous, or whether it was made so by generations of people of faith, I will leave for you to decide.

I would have sworn blind I actually hadn't used this one, but no, apparently I did in Chapter Twenty Three of the usual offender. It's not the best use, in hindsight, perhaps being a bit too simple a usage as a synonym for 'solemn'.

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Afterword and Credits
And that's a wrap! Summer's over, Autumn approaches, so watch this space for the next round of Workshop events!

Credits
@lisianthus, escaped Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, tolerated columnist
@Blanc, as always, Moral Support

 

[lisianthus]

Writers' Workshop Newsletter, Issue 9: September 15, 2024

I'm back again, hiya hiya! You'll see myself do the majority of these newsletters, with Beth filling in for me when I'm not feeling well / busy, and that's because...

General Announcements
@Beth Pavell is back as a Workshop staff member, after about a yearlong absence! She originally retired due to IRL busyness, but kept on advising us whenever she could, and it's been very appreciated -- now that she's a bit less busy, she'll be able to assist myself and our Workshop team in a more formal position! Welcome back, Beth, I'm happy to welcome you back on! I'm sure our regulars are happy to see you formally around again, too~.

Also quite important to note is our annual Fall One-Shot Contest -- sign-ups close on September 23 (about a week from now), so please do so sooner rather than later! Even if you're unsure about being able to complete a work in time, signing up is still recommended just in case! Our theme of Fall is very open-ended, and we're excited to see what our talented authors will be able to do with it -- I'm hoping to unveil a wholly new prize to our winners, so please stay tuned for more announcements there!

Obligatory mention of our Book Club, because it's a very fun activity here and we'd really really love to see it grow, alongside reviewing as a whole!

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Recent New Works
Let's take a look at our new works posted between our last few entries and now!

Spoiler: Recent New Works

My Antithesis, My Love, by @Audrelite -- a very short yet sweet Everyone-rated drabble by one of our more poetical authors in Audrelite, focusing on Darkrai and Cresselia! Originally written for r/fanfiction Discord's Drabble Night.

Charmed!, or, Times Square, November 1999 (thanks, Rachael), by @Nikita Dracovish -- a touching Everyone-rated tribute to the late Rachael Lillis, the former voice actor of Jessie and Misty, who sadly passed away very recently. Planning on reading this in full once I'm done with this newsletter tonight.

Shattered Violet Nuzlocke Fanfic, by @ShatteredVioletNuzlocke -- a Teen-rated Nuzlocke fic from, in an interesting twist, a Pokemon's POV! CWs chapter-by-chapter.

Grounded, by @Spiteful Murkrow -- a slight retelling of an RP from years long ago, featuring a Salamence navigating the heavy pain of losing her pride -- her wings, to be exact. Adapted from the same author's drabble from Thousand Roads' Spring 2024 drabble event.

Bend Your Chest Open, by @WriterofWorlds -- due to the content warnings the writer of this newsletter is unable to brave herself to read, so our explanation will be a bit limited, but she has been told Bend Your Chest Open is a Mature-rated work focusing on Rei from PLA battling Arceus. Apologies!

Time All At Once, by @Blackjack Gabbiani -- focusing on none other than this writer's as-of-late trademark Paldean crew, this Everyone-rated chapterfic features Penny (and her friends) navigating some bad memories brought up by very tricky Hoopa on Pasio.

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Recent New Chapters
Here are our recent new chapters, posted between last month and now!

Spoiler: Recent New Chapters

Chapter II.XVIII - Journey to the Arcanum of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Guardians of Balance, by @StolenMadWolf. Mature-rated, PMD fic, CWs in introduction post.

Misty Air and Gateway Grayof Capture a Moment, by @Welkamo. Drabbles set in this author's AU, focusing on Wallace, Steven, and Winona, and their respective lives and families. No content warnings apply to these two. I personally thought Misty Air was quite cute!!

The Bug Stops Here of Battle From the Heart, by @CynthiaLover. Teen-rated, journeyfic, content warnings avaliable for each chapter.

Chapter 182 – Burn The Sky of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Hands of Creation, by @namohysip. Teen-rated, PMD fic, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 22: Adrift Team of Nori Carino: Abyssal Despair, by @System Error. Mature-rated, fic in a metaseries, CWs in introduction post.

Chapter 26 - Reality of Once a Thief, by @Spiteful Murkrow. Teen-rated, PMD fic, CWs by chapter, if neccesary. (I hope.)

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Recent Non-Pokemon Works
We have two works, both by different writers and for different franchises!

Spoiler: Recent Non-Pokemon Works

to be human [undertale oneshot] by @KOT0NE, an Undertale oneshot. Blurb: An Undertale one-shot about Chara and coming to terms with one's own humanity. Mature-rated, CWs in introduction post.

genre by @Welkamo, a Rhythm Heaven oneshot. An exploration of gender identity from the lens of a half-Earthling, half-Martian, stuck in a very confusingly binaried Earth. Everyone-rated, CWs in introduction post.

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Word of the Week
(Columnist: @Beth Pavell)

Callipygian

You all knew I’d have to do this one eventually. I may be accused of scraping the bottom of the barrel by going all things rear this week, but fundamentally Word of the Week is all about searching language for the hidden booty, even if, on occasion, things get a little cheeky.

callipygian (adj): designating a person who has well-shaped or finely developed buttocks; of or relating to such a person. Also: of or relating to the buttocks [Oxford English Dictionary].

You might assume that this was another Victorian coinage cobbled together from bits of Greek, but callipygian in the general sense of ‘nice arse’ has a somewhat uncertain origin. The word itself is formed from the Greek kallos (κάλλος), ‘beauty’, and puge (πυγή), ‘buttocks’, and was an epithet given to Aphrodite for fairly obvious reasons. In a roundabout fashion callipygian also links to the Roman marble statue known as the Venus Callipyge, or Aphrodite Kallipygos, in the National Archaeological Museum of Naples. The marble might also be called a callipyge – a noun referenced in the Oxford English Dictionary but resistant to a formal definition.

Somehow I'm not surprised this word was formed from Greek originally, LOL... well, there's that ahaha. (Can you tell I didn't expect an entry about this word...?)

As I'm sure you may assume by now, our own @Beth Pavell's The Long Walk features this word in its Into the Wildchapter! Leave it to her to work in all sorts of atypical words into her writing, LOL! Thanks as always for the addition, Beth. o7

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Afterword & Credits
I hope to get back into my regular posting schedule with these! It's been a very rough and busy past month, so thank you for bearing with me, everyone! I'm sure the previous entry won't be the last you'll see of Beth, though, LOL. Trying our bestest!! o7

Credits:
@lisianthus, Newsletter Writer
@Beth Pavell, Word of the Week Columnist
@Blanc, Moral Support♡