POPULAR: Plot Bunny Zoo

[0bs1d1an_kn1ght]

Amnesia in fiction is often depicted as a complete retrograde amnesia for events that have taken place before a certain point of time, maybe including its own identity, typically with the person/pokémon waking up from unconsciousness without remembering anything about the past, yet with no problems of forming new memories or recalling things that take place after they wake up. Typically, the episodic memory is gone, while the semantic (i.e., memory of facts) and procedural (i.e., memory of procedures, such as how to cook, how to use a phone etc) memory may be relatively intact. In reality, I would suspect some sort of dissociative amnesia in that case, that is, an amnesia without an identifiable underlying organic cause but rather a psychiatric condition. That is in humans of course. Maybe pokémon are different? Essentially, this is where your fantasy comes in. My rule of thumb is that it can happen if you can make it believable. As Beth pavell points out, disorders of memory can also occur after a brain damage, for example. Severe amnesia after a brain damage is often associated with other symptoms.
Having said that, let's leave the medical stuff and focus on amnesia as a plot device. You may use it to make the readers curious, to make them keep reading to understand what happened. In that case, I think that making the amnesia temporary and having the pokémon suddenly remembering everything will be a disappointment to the readers. Rather, let it gradually find out more and more about its past and how it ended up where it is. If you want the amnesia to end suddenly for some reason, I think you should reconsider using another plot device to get what you want.

Actually I think I've given up on the whole amnesia thing, and will just have it be a nasty bump on his head.

 

[Misfit Angel]

Since it's been awhile since I've even considered working on it, I'll release the notes (and a rewritten chapter) I drafted up for my old Legend of Zelda story, Twin Kingdoms. There's a lot of holes in there and such, especially towards the end, but maybe it might interest someone.

 

[0bs1d1an_kn1ght]

Okay, guys, hear me out on this: a Jojo's Bizarre Adventure fanfic. About Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard escaping from Folsom Prison.

 

[AceTrainer14]

So I've got a plot for one of my stories that involves the main characters being split up against their will. I don't want to go into specifics and spoil it since it would be a big part of an upcoming chapter, but it will involve several characters being put together in new combinations and kept apart for several chapters. This part is set, but I was wondering about the possibilities of having some of the Pokemon getting mixed up, so that people end up with Pokemon that aren't theirs/cannot be returned to their PokeBalls. I was just wondering what people think of this: is it cliche/over done?

 

[chaos_Leader]

So I've got a plot for one of my stories that involves the main characters being split up against their will. I don't want to go into specifics and spoil it since it would be a big part of an upcoming chapter, but it will involve several characters being put together in new combinations and kept apart for several chapters. This part is set, but I was wondering about the possibilities of having some of the Pokemon getting mixed up, so that people end up with Pokemon that aren't theirs/cannot be returned to their PokeBalls. I was just wondering what people think of this: is it cliche/over done?

Oddly enough, I don't think that's too cliche of an idea at all. I've seen something like that done exactly once on these forums: in AetherX's Unpredictable I believe it was. I remember that instance being pretty interesting to read, seeing the characters have to handle a situation with unfamiliar partners, as opposed to the ones they've been traveling with and we've seen them use time and time again. I think it's a fairly handy characterization and development device, and fairly straightforward to conceptualize and implement. The only real trick or potential pitfall I can really see as a threat is in the framing of the situation.

What I mean is: making the situation that separated the two characters make sense, make the reason their mons swapped make sense, and with enough sense of urgency to really drive the characters to figure to how to work with the others' mons without a real usual comfortable time to get to know each other.

I can't think of any Pokemon Plot bunnies I could share without spoilers, but I did have some ideas for other fandoms:

The Elder Scrolls Series. If you are not familiar with the Elder Scrolls games, especially Morrowind, Skyrim and to a lesser extent Oblivion, then you will be probably be lost, or at the least spoilered on the games' plot elements. so , spoilers.

Spoiler

My basic premise would begin a short time after the events of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and I would run the events of the game (the player in Skyrim has a lot of potential sway in how the local politics end up) in such a way that what I believe is the most politically unstable scenario came to pass

Many events/quests can be done by the player character. Most of the sidequest plots will have reached their conclusion one way or another. For the purposes of this premise, I will identify if the player character Dragonborn was responsible, or someone else.

The previous game's events Specifically:

1. Stormcloak Victory. Skyrim is now independent of the Tamrielic Empire under the rule of High King Ulfric Stormcloak. The player character Dragonborn spearheaded the campaign, and is largely responsible for this outcome.

2. The Emperor is dead. Emperor Titus Meade II is slain at the hands of a newly revitalized Dark Brotherhood, the result of an extensive plot by Amaund Motierre. Completed Dark Brotherhood questline. The player character was not involved.

3. In the wake of the war, the Thieves' Guild is resurgent and spreading its influence beyond, Completed Thieves Guild questline. The player character was not involved.

4. The College of Winterhold is still reeling from the incident with the Eye of Magnus, but recovering under new management: Archmage Tolftir (he seems far more qualified and suited to the a position of arcmage than any pc would be). Completed College of Winterhold questline. The player character was not involved.

5. Alduin the World Eater is defeated by the player character Dragonborn and the dragons have been scattered. Most people in the setting treat it as good news and everyone can continue with their regular lives, albeit in a state of political unease. More on number 6.

6. The Blades are on the rise again, recruiting and training new members. It is more akin to a small mercenary company at the moment though. Additionally, the Blades had a falling-out with the player character Dragonborn, who refused to kill the helpful elder Dragon Paarthunax. The relationship between PC Dragonborn and Blades is tense at best. Moreover, the Blades express concern that, although the dragons are gone, most were not hunted down, killed and defeated. Instead, most of the dragons are unaccounted for and conspicuously absent.

7. The Volkihar Vampire clan is active, conducting raids across a Skyrim weakened by war. In response, the Dawnguard band of Vampire Hunters has set up shop in Fort Dawnguard. This particular threat is ongoing at the time of the premise, and presents a major concern for the newly appointed High King Ulfric Stormcloak.

8. The Forsworn threaten the Reach. King Madanach of the Forsworn/Reachmen, previously imprisoned in the city of Markarth, has escaped, reinforcing and reinvigorating the insurgency of the aggressive Reachmen, threatening both Westren Skyrim and Eastern High Rock. As a result, High King Ulfric Stormcloak has begun pressuring rulers in Eastern/Northern High Rock to join or at least support a Stormcloak Skyrim. It is also a move in an attempt to shore up a severely weakened, highly threatened, unstable government.

9. The Player Character Dragonborn is missing. After traveling to the island of Solstheim to confront Miraak and the threat he posed, (after defeating Alduin and helping drive the Empire out of Skyrim) the player character Dragonborn is neither seen nor heard from again. Ultimately, the questline for Dragonborn is completed and Miraak defeated, but the player character Dragonborn is now stuck in the same quandary as Miraak before: trapped in the plane of Oblivion known as “ Apocrypha”, at the mercy of the Daedric prince Hermaeus Mora.

Okay, that's the events of the games covered. Now I'm gonna dig waaay deep into Elder Scolls lore here, so bear with me.

The premise I've imagined would take place in High Rock, the region of Tamriel immediately west of Skyrim, and north of Hammerfell (separated by Iliac Bay and the Bjoulsae river). The political climate is extremely tense. High Rock is essentially a collection of mostly independent small kingdoms, which don't normally unify completely (but have in the past), and consider themselves only nominally part of the Tamrielic Empire: an Empire that has all but collapsed at the time of this premise. Thus the many little kingdoms of High Rock find themselves at a major crossroads under tremendous political pressure from their neighbors. I've already outlined the newly independent Stormcloak Skyrim pressuring rulers in High Rock: according to lore, large portions of northern/eastern High Rock were part of a larger Nord kingdom that included Skyrim. Hammerfell to the south is concerned, but not immediately desperate for support or action the way that Stormcloak Skyrim is, as Hammerfell is in a much more stable position. The Aldmeri Dominion and the Thalmor would have a significant presence in High Rock at the time, and their base of operations would be the Adamantine Tower (AKA Direnni Tower) on the island of Balfiera, in Iliac Bay. The Island and Tower were the seat of power for the Direnni clan, a highly influential clan of Almeri (High Elves). The tower itself has historical significance, being the oldest known structure in Tamriel (supposedly built by the in-series divine gods “Aedra”) and would naturally be a the stronghold from which the Thalmor would operate in High Rock.

Here's a real meaty plot item. For those in the know about Elder Scrolls history and backstory, it's a pretty big deal that, for most of the Tamriellic Empire's recent (relatively so anyway) history, the ruling line was the bloodline of Tiber Septim, AKA Talos, a Dragonborn himself. In the events of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the entire Septim bloodline is wiped out, including the current ruling Emperor and all of his sons, even the secret bastard son Martin Septim (who played an important role in resolving the Oblivion crisis, sacrificing his life in the process). After that, there was no Emperor, until a warlord by the name of Titus Meade I took power, and began the Meade dynasty, which was in turn cut short by the Dark Brotherhood in Skyrim if their quest is pursued.

Speaking of Dark Brotherhood: Amaund Motierre, the one who gives the contract to kill Emperor Titus Meade II, speaks at great length of how the Emperor's death will have resounding political results across the Empire and all Tamriel. After digging around in some lore, here's what I came up with. There is a ruling house in High Rock, House Lariat, that controls the small kingdom of Sornhelm in north-central High Rock. This house actually has confirmed, traceable ancestral ties to the line of Tiber Septim, albeit ties by marriage. At one point in the past, House Lariat actually made a very serious bid for the throne of the Empire, and came close to succeeding. It was only put to a stop because the two warring sides were practically at a stalemate, and house Lariat was offered the kingdom of Sornhelm in exchange for peace. After the death of the main Septim line in the events of Oblivion, and with the degrading situation under the leadership of Titus Meade II, I can only surmise that someone ambitious in or close to House Lariat with grand ideas saw this as an opportunity for House Lariat to make a play for the Imperial Throne. Thus, the main Emperor-killing questline for Skyrim's Dark Brotherhood is preparation for a major power-grab from House Lariat, to retake the Empire as “legitimate heirs to the Septim dynasty”. Naturally, this would be a big fracking deal in the setting, and would be cause for great concern, great hope, and great fear.

Overall, I'm essentially envisioning a George R. Martin “A Song of Ice and Fire” type of scenario. The situations are fairly similar, with massive political upheaval over legitimacy and ambitions for a major ruling throne, and the lengths the contenders will go in order to achieve it. Not to mention all the plotting, scheming, backstabbing craziness that comes with the situation. Also, like “A Song of Ice and Fire”, I also have a fairly significant plot nugget for a greater looming threat, like the threat of the white walkers'.

Remember those “significantly absent” dragons I mentioned before? I give you, the in-game text: “Mysterious Akavir”

Spoiler

Mysterious Akavir

Information about the continent Akavir

Akavir means "Dragon Land". Tamriel means "Dawn's Beauty." Atmora means "Elder Wood". Only the Redguards know what Yokuda ever meant.

Akavir is the kingdom of the beasts. No Men or Mer live in Akavir, though Men once did. These Men, however, were eaten long ago by the vampiric Serpent Folk of Tsaesci. Had they not been eaten, these Men would have eventually migrated to Tamriel. The Nords left Atmora for Tamriel. Before them, the Elves had abandoned Aldmeris for Tamriel. The Redguards destroyed Yokuda so they could make their journey. All Men and Mer know Tamriel is the nexus of creation, where the Last War will happen, where the Gods unmade Lorkhan and left their Adamantine Tower of secrets. Who knows what the Akaviri think of Tamriel, but ask yourself: why have they tried to invade it three times or more?

There are four major nations of Akavir: Kamal, Tsaesci, Tang Mo, and Ka Po' Tun. When they are not busy trying to invade Tamriel, they are fighting with each other.

Kamal is "Snow Hell". Demons live there, armies of them. Every summer they thaw out and invade Tang Mo, but the brave monkey-folk always drive them away. Once Ada'Soom Dir-Kamal, a king among demons, attempted to conquer Morrowind, but Almalexia and the Underking destroyed him at Red Mountain.

Tsaesci is "Snake Palace", once the strongest power in Akavir (before the Tiger-Dragon came). The serpent-folk ate all the Men of Akavir a long time ago, but still kind of look like them. They are tall, beautiful (if frightening), covered in golden scales, and immortal. They enslave the goblins of the surrounding isles, who provide labor and fresh blood. The holdings of Tsaesci are widespread. When natives of Tamriel think of the Akaviri they think of the Serpent-Folk, because one ruled the Cyrodilic Empire for four hundred years in the previous era. He was Potentate Versidue-Shaie, assassinated by the Morag Tong.

Tang Mo is the "Thousand Monkey Isles". There are many breeds of monkey-folk, and they are all kind, brave, and simple (and many are also very crazy). They can raise armies when they must, for all of the other Akaviri nations have, at one time or another, tried to enslave them. They cannot decide who they hate more, the Snakes or the Demons, but ask one, and he will probably say, "Snakes". Though once bitter enemies, the monkey-folk are now allies with the tiger-folk of Ka Po' Tun.

Ka Po' Tun is the "Tiger-Dragon's Empire". The cat-folk here are ruled by the divine Tosh Raka, the Tiger-Dragon. They are now a very great empire, stronger than Tsaesci (though not at sea). After the Serpent-Folk ate all the Men, they tried to eat all the Dragons. They managed to enslave the Red Dragons, but the black ones had fled to (then) Po Tun. A great war was raged, which left both the cats and the snakes weak, and the Dragons all dead. Since that time the cat-folk have tried to become the Dragons. Tosh Raka is the first to succeed. He is the largest Dragon in the world, orange and black, and he has very many new ideas.

"First," Tosh Raka says, "is that we kill all the vampire snakes." Then the Tiger-Dragon Emperor wants to invade Tamriel.

Take special note of the Ka Po' Tun, and their leader Tosh Raka. Also, take note of how Dragon hierarchy functions in the Elder Scrolls, especially in Skyrim where it was demonstrated firsthand. Dragons, by-and large, will set their allegiances with who they consider the most powerful Dragon; the player character Dragonborn is part of this, since the Dragons consider the Dragonborn one of them, similarly with Miraak, and the Septim line in the past. In the absence of Alduin to unify the Dragons, as well as the absence of the player character Dragonborn and Miraak, there is pretty much no one who can issue any kind of control over the Dragons... Except for Tosh Raka.

In this premise, with the sudden appearance of Dragons across Tamriel (and Nirn, I suppose) and the equally sudden loss of unified leadership, I envision Tosh Raka would be in a position to fill this power vacuum and assert himself as the commander of (or at least many of) the Dragons. In so doing, Tosh Raka would be in a position to swiftly and decisively conquer Akavir with Dragons at his command, and would be able to mobilize a real threat against Tamriel itself. This is the major overarching threat I envision.

Additionally, it is mentioned in Elder Scrolls lore that the player character of Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, the Nerevarine, may have traveled to Akavir after the events of the game. My idea is, after the Dragons arrive on Akavir and Tosh Raka's intentions of conquest are made plainly apparent, the Nerevarine would return to Tamriel to give everyone the bad news and try to prepare a resistance. Only the Nerevarine would return to a Tamriel that is essentially in utter shambles and totally unprepared to face the threat of Tosh Raka's invasion. Think about it: The Empire is not even a shadow of its former self with most of is constituent kingdoms having gone independent and attacking each other. Morrowind is blown to smithereens by a volcanic eruption and invaded by Argonians. Skyrim and Hammerfell fight back against the Aldmeri Dominion. High Rock is just being itself, pretty much. And the Aldmeri Dominion is losing steam fast with their latest string of setbacks after the Great War that fractured the Empire in the first place.

Not gonna lie, this whole kit and kabootle was originally meant to be the premise for a tabletop RPG I wanted to run, but then I started working on a ship. Tabletop RPGs don't do so well with cruise ship life.

If I ever were to develop this overall concept as a story or something, what I'd really need to do is decide where and how exactly to start such a potentially daunting project. If possible, I'd like to keep the Elder Scrolls tradition of starting off the main character imprisoned and breaking out into the world. I have a starting point lined up for that, the main character imprisoned in a secret Thalmor fort in the Wrothgarian mountains. But that was a starting point meant for a party of my players.

But anyway, that's a HUUUUGE plot bunny I've had collecting dust. I don't know if I can ever use it, but it might be cool to give it a whirl someday.

 

[0bs1d1an_kn1ght]

Since I'm stuck trying to write my final chapter of Explorers of Destruction (to the point where I probably have to just half-ass it to get through), I was thinking of just writing some one-shots for my fic.

Like for one: Loudred develops a crush on a female Cincinno visiting a guild, and decides to host a sort of open mic night event for her where he confesses his love to her through poetry before she left. She sent him a letter, rejecting him and his poetry, and trust me, she did not hold back. This threw him in a severe depressive slump for a while, so much so, that he refuses to work.

That's as far as I got with it, and I want there to be a moral to it, but I can't think of one.

 

[AetherX]

That's as far as I got with it, and I want there to be a moral to it, but I can't think of one.

"Women. Can't live with 'em... They won't go out with me."

I don't know enough about your fic to give specific ideas, but you could have something happen that would remind Loudred why his job is important and why he can't just be a mopey sad-sack forever. Life goes on even when stuff happens that really sucks. Eventually you have to get over it and get back to the shit that matters. That's the moral I'd go for.

 

[0bs1d1an_kn1ght]

"Women. Can't live with 'em... They won't go out with me."

I don't know enough about your fic to give specific ideas, but you could have something happen that would remind Loudred why his job is important and why he can't just be a mopey sad-sack forever. Life goes on even when stuff happens that really sucks. Eventually you have to get over it and get back to the shit that matters. That's the moral I'd go for.

See, I thought a good moral for the story would be, "F*** what people think about your art.", but I think that comes off as too edgy.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I am contemplating introducing some elements of 'aura' into the GVerse. For the most part, these elements would remain fairly low key and appear predominantly in Galactic and my Johto series, with the possibility of tying it into 8ES, and then will be used more in my Unova series. I am viewing it as a spiritual thing present in each person and Pokemon and is responsible for what causes the bonds between them, with the potential to be unlocked further. I am just wondering what peoples thoughts are on 'aura' in general and some suggestions on how to integrate it. My main idea so far is it being particularly strong in a Togepi in my Johto series.

 

[Beth Pavell]

As far as the canon is concerned, I'm not a fan of Aura. I think the name is dumb, for a start. Besides that it smacks of psychic powers by another name, to get round the problem that Ash had already been established as non-psychic and to trowel some more koolness onto Lucario. Fanfiction-wise I don't see that there's a lot that Aura does that couldn't be folded into psychic powers.

In the context of the Galactic Verse there's a better argument for using it, since supernatural powers other than pokémon have been established. I'd strongly consider finding a way to tie it together with the rest of the supernatural landscape, to avoid the story looking like a jumbled fantasy kitchen sink

EDIT: Actually, what's most frustrating about Aura is how unique it is. The whole super secret ancient lore known only to the heroes and a small tribe wearing silly costumes thing - it doesn't make any sense. If Aura is something found in everyone, even to a very small degree, then it's going to be generally known about. Books will have been written on, scientific studies conducted. Temples and schools dedicated to mastering it would have been founded. So if there's anything I do with Aura, it's actually tie it properly into the world

 

[AceTrainer14]

In the context of the Galactic Verse there's a better argument for using it, since supernatural powers other than pokémon have been established. I'd strongly consider finding a way to tie it together with the rest of the supernatural landscape, to avoid the story looking like a jumbled fantasy kitchen sink

I agree that it is a pretty vague thing in the anime, and it would be more helpful if there was a clearer games counterpart. For the GVerse, my main idea is around Latios/Latias being the gods over that field, and both of them coming together in 8ES helps unlock it in the wider context. That's my only big idea for the nature/history of it, and it's not that great I think generally it would be a sort of spiritual, internal thing, not on the level of people being able to generate energy the way the anime does it, but more of a meditative thing that improves the link between a trainer and person. I'm also considering it being something Mew put into the base code of everyone's DNA. Idk, any other suggestions?

 

[Lugion]

I go with chi over aura. Sorta.

 

[AceTrainer14]

I go with chi over aura. Sorta.

Sadly it's not called Chi Sphere

 

[Lugion]

Sadly it's not called Chi Sphere

You mean like the kamehameha?

You could treat aura similarly to chi, though. That would satisfy Beth's point to an extent, but also be somewhat in-keeping with the anime (I think, it's been forever since I watched the Lucario movie).

 

[AceTrainer14]

You could treat aura similarly to chi, though. That would satisfy Beth's point to an extent, but also be somewhat in-keeping with the anime (I think, it's been forever since I watched the Lucario movie).

I've had a brief read over some stuff about chi *cough*wikipedia*cough* and it is generally what I'm thinking with some more logic and thought behind it I am thinking it will just be naturally strong in certain Pokemon and Lati@s have some degree of control over it.

 

[Persephone]

Oh boy aura.

I mean, it is a canon thing in Sinnoh. And I guess it makes sense as the underpinning of the fighting-type, and why they aren't just physically inclined normal-types and such. But really I don't like it much as a concept in the universe because it's a pretty big thing given no real attention... like a lot of things in Pokemon.

If you're going to use it in the context of the GVerse, it might as well just be some form of magical or divine energy. It sort of explains why half the "god" Pokemon have aura sphere and why it's so uncommon outside of that and also why it's not even a thing that's mentioned outside of Sinnoh, where the most OP legends live.

 

[The Booty Warrior]

So, years ago, I had an idea for a journey fic. It never got off the ground, 'cause I ended up working on another fic, but now I've decided to finally go for it. It's going to be fairly different from what I originally planned, though, but I think it's for the best.

So, the premise involves a former Pokemon Trainer going with a beginner on her journey through the Johto region, at least for a little while at first. He mentors her, showing her the ropes and sharing bits of his own experience from when he was a beginner.

The older ex-trainer has the ability to understand what Pokemon are saying. He can also mentally communicate with his Pokemon team. My intention is for this to be part of his past, something that will eventually be explained. I also intend for it to make things interesting during their travels, like settling issues, translating, etc. Does this seem like something I should leave out?

Parts of his past are also intended overall to be pretty significant, like how he acquired the ability to understand Pokemon, why more people don't know about it, why he quit being a Trainer, etc. Since these two are the main characters, I wanted the beginner's development to be important, but to also make sure her mentor is just as important to the story in his own way.

I was gonna have the story be set in a combination of the animeverse and the gameverse. So, it'd have some anime locations here and there. That's not necessarily a bad thing, right?

Regarding the plot, quite a bit of it will follow the storyline of G/S/C/HG/SS, but with my own twists thrown in. So there'll be detours, visits to entirely made-up locations with made-up organizations, etc. Would that be enough to make it seem different enough from the standard journey fic?

There were other things I think I was gonna bring up, but that's about it for now. So, any advice?

 

[Beth Pavell]

I daresay this will get moved into the Plot Bunnies thread before long, but in the meantime. One of my big pet peeves is the "talking to pokémon" thing, mostly because it's nearly always presented as some kind of vaguely magical superpower. So first thing I'd say is that if you're going to go down that road, really consider making it less than unique. Writing something like that as a rarity solves an awful lot of problems that a unique ability conjures up. I'd get rid of the telepathy, though. If this character already talks to pokémon, telepathy will probably just complicate the issue without really adding all that much. It has the potential to make things a bit too easy, I feel. Instead of a prospective trainer having to learn their pokémon's mood through putting the work in learning their body language and vocalisations, it's just handed to them with the convenient ability.

In terms of the plot, again, I'm not a huge fan of the retelling of a game plot. The big problem it immediately creates is that it creates expectations of the plot as it almost inevitably passes by the stations of the canon (Oh, it's Azalea Town, wait till Slowpoke Well shows up). You also have the problem of having to solve the sillier bits of the game plot, particularly when Team Rocket gets involved. By the sounds of it this is looking like a character-driven story, really. It's a more difficult road to take, but you might want to consider not having an overarching epic plot at all.

And for the setting, I say mix, invent and elaborate. The more the better, almost. Some real thought and texture going into the setting - especially the more familiar canon settings - can really make up for a wobbly plot moment and keep the flow going during the apparently dull-but-necessary parts

 

[The Booty Warrior]

Oh, damn, I didn't realize there was a thread where we had to put ideas like this instead of separate threads. Sorry about that. ^^;

But thank you for the advice. As far as being able to understand Pokemon, I think I'll decide which of the two to drop. I think I'll work on tweaking it to make it less special. Or maybe get rid of it altogether and go with your suggestion of "reading body language and vocalizations".

As far as the plot goes, the more I've thought about it, the more I've started to think it's not really going to be much of a retelling of the game's story if I take into consideration the things I want to put in.

Thanks again for the help. I appreciate the detailed advice. ^^

 

[Beth Pavell]

I suppose the point is that the talking-to-pokémon concept has been done time and again - well, half-done. At its worst, it's a tacked-on trait to try and make the journeyfic protagonist interesting and empathetic and nice to pokémon etc etc ... and it just feels like cheating. I'll admit, I use a form of it in my story, as something most trainers develop with their own pokémon. The idea I'm aiming for is that it's something that's only gained through being attentive to the pokémon, so with any luck has some of the better bits from both ways of doing it.

In any case, there's a lot of mileage you can get out of pokémon communication. If you don't want to make all pokémon basically act like dogs - and heaven knows I wouldn't - it's easy enough to find out some basic communications real animals use, and take that as a starting point for the fiction