Weekly Fic Rec!
Pitch Meeting: Pokemon Mystery Dungeon - by The Walrein
Hey fellow kids, ever have that struggle where you really want your fanfic to be intricately woven and full of FACTS an LOGIC, but you also enjoy laughing and having fun? This is a story formatted after Screen Rant's "Pitch Meeting" series, so it's a little tongue-in-cheek about questioning the general plot holes of the franchise we know and love, while still explaining why we know and love it. I think it straddles the line of parody really well, in the sense that it both creates something new and reminds us why the original thing is valuable, even while it's still poking gentle fun at the original. Read if you like laughing, PMD, interesting script fics, the apocalyptic threat of meteors, or worldbuilding questions.
---
look I really like oneshots okay. these are sorted roughly in order of most cheerful to least cheerful, depending on your mood.
Delivery Deferred - by unrepentant Author
Back in the dark days, before modern memory, before Amazon Prime ... there was Gil. A golett who's a hundred years late in delivering a package meets up with a spiky loner. This is a really cute story that's mostly couched in two people walking back and forth, but it's chock-full of good character moments and environmental descriptions, and the resolution will probably make you feel very warm inside. Read if you enjoy unique takes on PMD environments, character interactions, non-standard species protagonists (golett!! in this economy!!), and the inexplicable joy of watching an incredibly earnest individual try to convince other people that the world is still beautiful.
Restarting - by Ambyssin
Gladion's got a lot of issues, but this one's focused on his teammates--when he left Aether labs, Lusamine and his past weren't the only things he left behind. Everyone knows about Gladion and his famed beast-killer Silvally (who is of course the best boy), but you might notice that when you fight him later he actually has other pokemon. This is a heartwarming story about learning from your mistakes and earning forgiveness. And also helping your childhood dog become friends with a seven-foot fish-tailed chimera.
The Last Con - by Pen
Pen writes PMD and it's really good, y'all. Pen actually writes a lot of oneshots but I'm not bold enough to put all of them in this post. Midnight Silk, notable con artist, dies. Rather than accept this, she tries to cheat death himself.
This is a heartwarming story about death, life, forgiveness, and acceptance. I understand that "heartwarming" doesn't really match those words on paper but I stand by this description; it reminds me that fables and things shaped like children's stories often still contain incredibly valuable lessons for adults. It has some really good takes on Yveltal-as-a-death god in a sympathetic way, some beautiful prose, and a lot of funny jokes. Read if you want PMD, cats, cats with scarves, scarves, and "death being a simp" [phrasing credit to canis]. Fun fact, Midnight Silk was also in Blacklight!
Stronger - by Phoenixsong
Mewtwo is angwwy and wants you to know. Can't say much else without spoiling (this one's short and
sweet it's good but I can't really call it sweet by any definition; mewtwo is vewwy angwwy), but this is a really strong character study with some lovely metaphors and language. In particular I liked how this focuses on a very young-feeling Mewtwo; we aren't quite to the point of making speeches that'll one day get quoted in presidential campaigns or anything, but we're a lot closer to exploring the world through a newborn's eyes. In particular I thought the language here was very powerful and you can definitely learn some tricks about how to make natural phenomena appear big, wondrous, and imposing. Read if you like Mewtwo, character-focused shorts, descriptive language, and cats seeking friends.
Decoherence - by Negrek
"kint but actually it'd be horrifying if N ended the world that has pokemon and humans living together" it totally would, and here's a great look at why.
Ballast - by WildBoots
A fic I liked so much I've apparently never reviewed it, which if you think about is actually a sign of high praise. Also, it won third in the oneshot competition, so stay tuned if you want to think about friends and partners.
When Jenna's childhood best friend dies, she finds herself on a journey to Lake Valor. And like any good young adult in Sinnoh on a journey, she goes straight there with no interruptions of coming-of-age moments--haha jk. This is a story about grief, specifically in the ways that those ugly and foreign bits can leave and return to us. There's a ton of beautiful descriptions of forests and landscapes, as well as art. Read if you want LGBT content, unique takes on pokemon religion, unique takes on your very best friend a squishy balloon, and advice for charcoal drawings.
Wandersword - by kyeugh
i'm kidding this isn't a oneshot GUD FIC PLEASE UPDATE
