• A new LGBTQ+ forum is now being trialed and there have been changes made to the Support and Advice forum. To read more about these updates, click here.
  • Hey Trainers! Be sure to check out Corsola Beach, our newest section on the forums, in partnership with our friends at Corsola Cove! At the Beach, you can discuss the competitive side of the games, post your favorite Pokemon memes, and connect with other Pokemon creators!
  • Due to the recent changes with Twitter's API, it is no longer possible for Bulbagarden forum users to login via their Twitter account. If you signed up to Bulbagarden via Twitter and do not have another way to login, please contact us here with your Twitter username so that we can get you sorted.

DISCUSSION: Spin-offs in Fanfiction

canisaries

still occasionally here
Joined
Aug 18, 2016
Messages
1,613
Reaction score
1,520
Pronouns
  1. She/Her
I recently restarted my copy of Pokémon Ranger after not playing it since it originally came out. I've found its unique gameplay as fun and rewarding as I did all those years ago, but will admit the in-universe explanation for what's happening feels very contrived. I won't blame them for it, as it's pretty hard to think of a natural way to tie drawing loops on a screen in with the real world, but it got me wondering how a fic about the series would handle the Styler aspect. There must be different interpretations with different levels of creative freedom across all Ranger fics, just like there's much variation in interpretations of the core games' mechanics.

Either way, I figured this could be an interesting topic to make a thread about - not just how the mechanics of spin-offs are handled, but what kind of opportunities and challenges their universes can offer in general. I think it's fair to say that of all spin-off series, PMD is overwhelmingly the most popular in fanfic, but I'd like for us to give the others some fair thought as well. The reason behind this thread was to give the less popular games some spotlight, after all. However, if you have some thoughts on the games that aren't core titles but aren't total spin-offs either (such as Stadium or Colosseum), feel free to share those as well.

To refresh your memories, here's the list of Pokémon spin-off titles from our very own Bulbapedia.
 
I've played a few spinoffs! The original Ranger, the first two generations of Mystery Dungeon, Pokémon GO, and I guess Pinball RS. Also Battle Revolution, not that it's really a spinoff, Art Academy which barely counts imo, and Smash Bros. titles, which also don't really count but which are great fun to play as pokémon characters.

After looking through that list, I realise there are a ton of pokémon games I've never played and would probably enjoy. Don't really have the time, though. Hell, I still haven't played through any Gen V and Gen VII main series game.

Anyway, spinoffs! Let's not kid ourselves, PMD is popular for good reason. You get to play as a pokémon, there's a charming but occasionally dark setting focusing on sapient pokémon, and although the plotting and dialogue isn't particularly sophisticated, it's emotionally investing. I can't say I think much of the gameplay, although it has a certain appeal I suppose. I would also attribute some of the series' success to its wonderful musical score, which is packed full of earworms and beautiful tracks. I don't believe I've watched the anime episodes and I haven't played the last several generations of PMD games, but I still consider myself a fan of PMD in its own right. Here's hoping for future PMD media that does the right things and develops past the problems of previous games. PMD still gives me a vaguely wistful feeling, like so many people have latched onto it as a setting and franchise with potential, but it seems to have been sadly undersupported and left behind at this point.

Ranger was pretty fun, I suppose. I can't say most of it was all that memorable to me, however! I'm pretty sure I found the core mechanic somewhat fun, but just as often it was a frustration. One of my few real memories of the game was how much of a pain in the ass it was to lasso that entei. I don't think the core mechanic has legs, but the concept of wandering around, calling on local pokémon for aid, helping people and pokémon without much attention to battles, that's lovely. I'm all about that.

I am desperate to play Colosseum one day. I even bought a copy only to realise I needed a compatible memory card on my Wii. I never ended up sorting that out — I really should find a way to play it some day. I'm sure I'd love it. I got very excited at the time about playing a 3D console pokémon game with a dark tone and a cool protagonist and so on. I loved that you started the game with an espeon and umbreon at a decent level. I'm pretty sure they even start the game with some exp, to add to the feeling of coming in at the exciting part of the story, as a character with a history. It looked badass.

I have to recommend Battle Revolution! It's still a very visually pleasing game, with soulful animations. Yeah, I'm not pleased about how SwSh is recycling dull 3DS animations. BR knew what was up. I should play that again.

I've probably played as lucario more than any other fighter in Smash. And I'm... pretty good. Makes me want to have more games where you actually fight as a pokémon. Shame I don't have much chance of playing Pokken any time soon.

I was going to say I want to see more spinoffs where one plays either as a pokémon or as a human on a journey that emphasises travel and interaction over battles, but actually I don't want thhose games to be spinoffs. The main series games are pretty stagnant, and I want to see love and care (and budget) lavished on something different. I don't like the odds on that, but here's hoping.
 
I'm currently writing a fanfic where one of the main characters is Crawford's Budew (from Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia), but I'm not planning on delving into the ranger-ness too much because it's not important to the plot. They're mainly there because I wanted minor, canon Pokémon characters in it, and to remind people that it loosely follows game canon, and also because Roserade is one of my favourite Pokémon. This fanfic was inspired by another fanfic 'verse where rangers are prominent characters, and while I don't like everything about how they're portrayed, I like how they depict rangers as getting involved with darker stuff than what's allowed in a children's game. It's also something you don't see very often. (The fanfic 'verse is a mish-mash of game and anime canon.)

@canisaries What do you think of the anime's explanation of how the capture styler works?
 
@canisaries What do you think of the anime's explanation of how the capture styler works?

I watched some Guardian Signs special I found on Youtube to see what you meant and... well, it looks about as silly as I expected. Ranger ejects Styler Disc (which I never realized was that small, though it makes more sense to be that size than the clunky thing I had an image of) and does some random swishes with the controller to make it go in loops that eventually take effect on the Pokémon and "communicates feelings of friendship" to it, which is probably just a cover phrase for mind control given how instantly and flawlessly it works. Either way, it's good enough for a quick feature and faithful enough to the game.

For a longer story, though, this could be fine-tuned a little to help the suspension of disbelief. The capture aspect could be more fleshed out by giving the loops a more general pacifying effect. The circular motion could distract a rampaging mon, drawing its attention away from whatever's in danger and also getting it to stay in place for better monitoring and handling. Perhaps the Disc emits some kind of substance or energy during this, slowly affecting the mon while its confusion at and chase of the Disc and line tires it out. Then, as the mon has been secured and/or made readier to listen, the Ranger can come in and calm the creature down with body language and speech. After that, they can negotiate with the mon to ask for help in clearing obstacles or getting around. To add realism and conflict, the mon does not always agree, and the Ranger is obligated to let them go free.

This interpretation also puts much more weight on the Ranger's skills of communicating with and handling Pokémon rather than expertise in a loop-drawing minigame or remote... waving... around... thing. It also shows how different the criminals are in how they only rely on the tech to gain control without thinking about the wellbeing of the mon.

Circling an object isn't terribly hard a task to teach AI, so there's probably no real reason to have the control be manual when it would be much easier and surer to do with automation. However, there could be manual commands the Ranger could give, such as evasive maneuvers in case of attack, or a switch in target. The Disc's shape probably isn't optimal for its purpose, either, since it really only looks that way to emulate the tip of a stylus drawing a line. In the anime, it doesn't even stay bound to the ground - nor should it, as that would make the capture of flying or levitating mon pretty much impossible.
 
Pokémon Ranger repeats that bothersome environmentalist cliché the anime likes to come up with every now and again, where what counts as "good" usage of pokémon is rather arbitrary. That, and from what I recall of Guardian Signs the natural world tends to be put on a pedestal.

But the idea does have some potential, often ignored by fanon. The idea of an organisation that can respond to the threats pokémon could pose is a perfectly good one. The Ranger Union I've come up with in The Long 'Verse takes heavy inspiration from that, overlapping with the idea that they also act as law enforcement combating poaching, illegal land usage, etc (Because illegal logging is going to be a more immediately serious problem if dispossessed pokémon start heading down to the city)
 
"communicates feelings of friendship" to it, which is probably just a cover phrase for mind control given how instantly and flawlessly it works.
This sounds like something out of a parody animation. I would watch it.

I think another thing that makes Ranger special is that we don't get worldbuilding spinoffs any more, with Detective Pikachu being the exception to every trend Pokémon has had this decade. Speaking of which, were there any fanfics about it before the movie came out?

EDIT: What about Pokken?
 
Last edited:
Please note: The thread is from 5 years ago.
Please take the age of this thread into consideration in writing your reply. Depending on what exactly you wanted to say, you may want to consider if it would be better to post a new thread instead.
Back
Top Bottom