POPULAR: Simple Questions, Simple Answers

[Persephone]

@canisaries

Figure out what the costs are where you're at. Maybe think a little bit about how your country's politics and economy (and food ethics/diet) differ from your fictional ones', if at all. If you want to use Yen, Pounds, Euros, some fictional equivalent: whatever. But if you want to know what those translate to in dollars, just type in "yen conversion dollar" or whatever you want into Google and a calculator will come up.

If you want to be less fancy, Canadian, Australian, U.S. dollars and Euros are all roughly the same-ish, give or take 20-30%. Close enough that your audiences' emergence won't be broken and you can handwave the price difference as being about the economy or inflation or whatever. For Yen, just treat one yen as equal to one U.S. cent.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

I'm scripting a video about my problems with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, and I want to make a point that the protagonist fail as both blank slates AND standalone characters. Does this make sense?

In video games, you can get away with storytelling devices that would be considered bad writing in any other medium. A common example of this, at least among the kind of games that I play, is the blank slate protagonist. Personally, I don’t like blank slate protagonists, but I can understand the appeal. These characters lack personality because the player is supposed to project their personality onto them, and give them agency.

The problem with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon protagonists is that they’re too developed to be blank slates, but not developed enough to stand as independent characters. They have no canon name, gender, or species, but they also frequently internally monologue, occasionally talk out loud, and the Explorers protagonist has a defined backstory.

The problem with games in general having blank slate protagonists is that when they have in-depth stories, the protagonist feels superfluous. They just stand there and stare while their sidekick gets all the development.

We don’t play video games to be ourselves. We play video games to be someone else.

 

[Gengarzilla]

Frankly, I don't mind a black slate protagonist if it's pulled off well enough for the player to truly feel immersed within the game's world. This is one thing I really enjoy about the mainstream Pokémon series, its protagonists make me feel just that way with their limited backstories (and my ability to totally tune out whatever canon names GF eventually gives them, like Red). Personally. I would rather be taken into these games than watch everything from behind a screen.

I do understand why the next gamer wouldn't be so interested in the concept however, so to each his own, I guess.

I'm scripting a video about my problems with Pokémon Mystery Dungeon, and I want to make a point that the protagonist fail as both blank slates AND standalone characters. Does this make sense?

You've definitely hit it on the head with the Explorers protag. As much as I love those three games, I couldn't feel the same immersion I got with the Rescuers protag, since Gardevoir spoke of how they claimed to not be brave which I can relate to. It also doesn't help things when the Explorers partner more or less steals the thunder once their Relic Fragment's purpose is revealed, at which point most of the protagonist's mysteries are already wrapped up.

Going specifically into the "sidekick gets more development" bit, I could also bring up the Super protag, whose past is practically explained and glossed over in one infodump cutscene while their sidekick's own past is coming to light.

I've never played Gates or seen any of its cutscenes so I can't speak in depth about their pair.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

In Gates, the partner's importance is more than Rescue Team and less than Explorers.

I can understand the immersion thing. The point of Pokémon is that anyone can be a trainer, for example. However, PMD's problem is that the protagonist always has to be a newbie who disappears at the end, but don't worry, they get better, meaning that what can be done with the stories is limited.

It's not just PMD that has the "more interesting sidekick" problem. I sometimes wonder why Super Paper Mario had to be a Mario game.

 

[Nitro Indigo]

Sorry for double-post, but I've been thinking that this part of my script, where I talk about every PMD game having poor pacing an a passive protagonist, is thread-bare.

Every game begins the same way: the protagonist wakes up, realises they’re a Pokémon, befriends the first Pokémon they meet, then they faff around for a bit until one day, bad things suddenly happen!

The protagonists all lack agency. They don’t go looking for the answers to their questions; they wait for the answers to come to them. I find every Pokémon Mystery Dungeon game a chore to replay because of how slow their beginnings are, and each game feels slower than the last.

I get it. They want to establish the ordinary before the extraordinary happens, so that the audience will understand what’s at stake. However...

...Followed by two meatier paragraphs about Klonoa 2: Luantea's Veil.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I am currently writing one of the interludes for Eight Easy Steps. Usually with these I like to have balance with the perspectives, such as having two scenes from a villainous perspective or two from the perspective of the good guys, or splitting either option up by putting a good/bad perspective in the middle. In the one I am currently writing, I have ideas for two good and one villainous, but the villainous one has the biggest cliffhanger/teaser. Would it be weird to go good-good-bad in the order of the perspectives, or would it be weirder to put the cliffhanger in the middle of the chapter?

(Apologies if this is confusing to read. It was confusing to write if that's any comfort)

 

[canisaries]

well i haven't read any more than one chapter, but i don't see why not go good-good-bad. in fact, without context, good-bad-good actually doesn't seem very dynamic, as good tends to be more normative and more at the risk of getting boring than bad, so good at the end would dull out the interesting elements of bad.

i guess in the end it depends a lot on if the focus is on the narrator or the events, but right now from both perspectives good-good-bad sounds better. rules were meant to be broken anyway.

 

[BackSet]

Hey guys! I've come across a problem. I was brainstorming ideas for a fanfic (I should really write them down sometimes) and I came up with a character concept that I think would be cool. The problem: the character wants to be a lawyer but I have no idea how a Pokemon legal system might work. I'm going with a Leguae government just to save time but that still doesn't help me. Would people in the Pokemon legal system have the same right to an attorney we in America do? What happens if a person uses his Pokemon to kill someone? Does Pokemon even have a legal system? (That last one is easy actually: doesn't matter. I need it for the fanfic so it will be there) I don't know. I mean, I do have a few ideas myself but none of them would equal a full legal system. Also: should I make a seperate thread to ask about this?

 

[Beth Pavell]

It's a big question. The reason why stuff like this tends to work best when taking its cue from real-world systems is that law is so damn complicated. The history of law, where laws come from, why, and how they're enforced is a massive subject in itself.

I think you'd probably find it easier to ask some fundamental questions to see if any aspects of, say, Common Law wouldn't make sense in the context of pokémon. I think the first is to determine to what extent pokémon in your story are capable of making their own decisions. Then you can decide whether the people you're writing about would consider them legally responsible for their actions.

It doesn't have to be completely cut and dry. Almost no-one would consider a killer dog to be a murderer, but that doesn't mean it can't be put down. In medieval France killer animals could actually be put on trial, though I'm pretty sure that was really a matter of deciding whether they should be put down (Bearing in mind of course that to most people then animals weren't pets but valuable property). That example illustrates what I think ought to be at the core of the worldbuilding - working from the characters up, not from the author down.

Law is partly shaped by how it is enforced, don't forget. In societies where crime detection is difficult and long-distance communications slow, public shaming and systems of compensation have to do the bulk of the work. To a greater extent you're constrained by the canon in this respect. It won't make a lot of sense to build a society with good enough trade and communications to make all the conveniences of modern life available (Not to mention things like Poké Balls and Potions) and still claim that a professional judiciary is impossible, for example.

In any case, I'd strongly recommend doing some background reading. I might well look at non-Common Law jurisdiction (I think that's the correct term), trial systems that don't follow the familiar adversarial system, some history, etc

 

[AceTrainer14]

@ArtemisOfTheMoonTribe I think it would be good to research a few legal systems around the world to see what sort of systems they use and if any of them would be appropriate for the type of story you are thinking of. Overall, I think there should be some degree of a legal system, and it doesn't need to be too complicated if you focus on the parts that are relevant for your story. Most lawyers do specialise in specific types of law, so focus on Pokemon or human law and go from there.

 

[BackSet]

Honestly, I'm debating taking the ace attorney route and butchering legal systems.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Beth Pavell has explained to me many times that you don't have to get everything correct as long as the system maintains the illusion that it works reasonably well. I'm pretty sure my depictions of police protocol back in Storm Island were wildly inaccurate and were mostly inspire by cop dramas and forensics shows, but I apparently did a good enough job to at least make it believably functional.

Something to keep in mind. As long as the system works within the story's world, while still making vague sense in our world, the details can be fuzzy.

 

[lucarioknight56]

I've been wanting to have a prequel story for my main one right now, Unequivocant, and I recently had a fantastic idea: why not rewrite my first one, PMD: Legends Unraveled? There are certain choices when it came to worldbuilding and character development that I could have done so much better, and now I think I can resolve all the main issues that the original had! It could be a perfect set-up for PMDUE, so that people can get a full picture for what happened, but they don't have to read my previous, generally worse-off work. Would working on these two stories simultaneously be a good idea, or should it be saved for later?

 

[diamondpearl876]

I've been wanting to have a prequel story for my main one right now, Unequivocant, and I recently had a fantastic idea: why not rewrite my first one, PMD: Legends Unraveled? There are certain choices when it came to worldbuilding and character development that I could have done so much better, and now I think I can resolve all the main issues that the original had! It could be a perfect set-up for PMDUE, so that people can get a full picture for what happened, but they don't have to read my previous, generally worse-off work. Would working on these two stories simultaneously be a good idea, or should it be saved for later?

Rewrites are a good idea in general, but it depends how you go about it. I'd actually say wait until the trilogy is 100% done to go into rewrites, or pause work on Unequivocant to do so. I've seen over the years that rewrites either tend to kill the interest in the story overall if the author's too ambitious, or they start to feel trapped in an endless loop of rewrites because, well, they can always improve no matter how much experience they have. Then you run the risk of never finishing the series 100% ever. Basically, I wouldn't overwork yourself or really dive into rewrites until you're able to put the series on the backburner for a while and come back to it with a completely fresh set of eyes.

 

[lucarioknight56]

Well...I agree with your points, but there are simply some aspects from PMDLU that are finally coming back to haunt me, such as the Mystery Dungeons, the way I formatted the Guilds, and Theus' personality. That, combined with other side events and character portrayals, really made PMDLU worse than it could have been.

Plus, once I'm out of this busy period of mine, I'm going to have a relatively un-busy week after initial chapter composition, which I devote to editing and reviewing...which leaves me wanting to write more.

I guess I could finish PMDUE faster in that time, but with my rather rigid posting schedule, it wouldn't be done until next year. My hiatus will begin around that time, and I won't be doing any work on this story or Unequivocant. Any work I might do would be devoted to an original series, if anything.

Tackling two stories at once would be a challenge, but after reading this book about character arcs, I finally know how to fix all of PMDLU's weak points! I don't have to make it terribly long; even fifteen 6000 word chapters would probably do the trick. It can become a side project for when I'm not writing Unequivocant, so that I don't have to fully devote myself to two writing projects. I...just want to make sure I leave the greatest work possible before I have my two-year leave. I know you'd probably say 'devote it to what you're currently working on,' but I don't want to leave this rewrite clunking in my head while I work on everything else.

 

[diamondpearl876]

Well...I agree with your points, but there are simply some aspects from PMDLU that are finally coming back to haunt me, such as the Mystery Dungeons, the way I formatted the Guilds, and Theus' personality. That, combined with other side events and character portrayals, really made PMDLU worse than it could have been.

Plus, once I'm out of this busy period of mine, I'm going to have a relatively un-busy week after initial chapter composition, which I devote to editing and reviewing...which leaves me wanting to write more.

I guess I could finish PMDUE faster in that time, but with my rather rigid posting schedule, it wouldn't be done until next year. My hiatus will begin around that time, and I won't be doing any work on this story or Unequivocant. Any work I might do would be devoted to an original series, if anything.

Tackling two stories at once would be a challenge, but after reading this book about character arcs, I finally know how to fix all of PMDLU's weak points! I don't have to make it terribly long; even fifteen 6000 word chapters would probably do the trick. It can become a side project for when I'm not writing Unequivocant, so that I don't have to fully devote myself to two writing projects. I...just want to make sure I leave the greatest work possible before I have my two-year leave. I know you'd probably say 'devote it to what you're currently working on,' but I don't want to leave this rewrite clunking in my head while I work on everything else.

Well, it's up to you in the end, of course! No one here is ever obligated to do what people advise them to. We just ask reviews and comments be considered since we all take the time to be part of the community consistently and put in the effort to help.

Anyway, I think yours is a unique situation because of this hiatus I keep hearing about. I've never heard of a writer planning a hiatus, to be quite honest. Usually, a hiatus is brought on by massive writer's block or whatever. Even writers who just get busy with life generally don't plan to stop writing for a solid two years. I don't know the specifics of your hiatus (I don't remember you mentioning anything specific about it), but I do know the feeling of wanting to get things done as quickly as possible and feeling like you're running out of time on something. I wish you luck on whatever you decide to try to do.

 

[lucarioknight56]

@diamondpearl876

Thanks for understanding. This hiatus is more like a two-year long trip, and I won't be allowed to be part of the online world while I'm off on that. I haven't completed the application, but I intend to take care of this trip around fall next year, that way I can move on with regular life as soon as possible with that not hanging over my head.

 

[AceTrainer14]

How much is too much exposition for a first chapter of a story? The main character heads to a prominent building in the town very early on in the story and I have to describe it, but I tend to over describe buildings a bit and I am worried I may be doing that here. Is it fine to drop a bit of information early in a story, or should things be kept a bit snappier to draw people in?

 

[canisaries]

How much is too much exposition for a first chapter of a story? The main character heads to a prominent building in the town very early on in the story and I have to describe it, but I tend to over describe buildings a bit and I am worried I may be doing that here. Is it fine to drop a bit of information early in a story, or should things be kept a bit snappier to draw people in?

well, you can try to weave in the exposition with something else like establishing tone or characterization by having the narrator react to the information somehow. it can also come bit by bit as other actions happen in the story.

that said, i think first-timer readers can be a bit forgiving if it's clear enough that the rest of the story won't be just as exposition heavy.

 

[diamondpearl876]

How much is too much exposition for a first chapter of a story? The main character heads to a prominent building in the town very early on in the story and I have to describe it, but I tend to over describe buildings a bit and I am worried I may be doing that here. Is it fine to drop a bit of information early in a story, or should things be kept a bit snappier to draw people in?

I mean, if you blow it up, then there's no building to describe, just rubble...

But for real, having delved into your recent writing for the first time, I can see that you have trouble putting in only the details that are important. The goal for most writers, if not all, is to have your readers engaged and focused on your work when reading. When the brain's engaged and focused, it filters out unimportant information... but when there's too much unimportant information all over the place, your readers will stop being engaged and lose focus. Not to mention they'll have trouble remembering the important details you do want to have stick with them. ^^; This may or may not attest to how long your work is, to be honest. Too much detail adds up pretty damn quick.

I'm not sure what your current process is, but I'd stop and ask yourself at every detail: "Is this important? Why is it important? Can this detail be left out in this particular scene and be told later?"

For example, if the building is 30 stories tall, so what? That paints a better image in our minds, but... still, so what? Does this mean your character's going to spend a while in this chapter finding whatever they want to find in that building? Does this stress how big the company who owns it is and that your character might be in for more than they bargained for if they're looking to make a deal with them? Or does it only paint a better image in our minds and you can put in other details instead that simultaneously mean something to what's happening/going to happen?

I'm gonna self-advertise WITH SHAME and remind you that Love and Other Nightmares's prologue is an example of too much exposition, AKA what not to do.