Oct Day 4: Trick!
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
October Day 4: Trick! Share a fic about someone in disguise.
Last edited:
The 7 Day Fic Challenge!
October Day 4: Trick! Share a fic about someone in disguise.
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
Day 4: Share a fic about someone in disguise.
Doing my own prompts out of order.
Fic: In Ghostly Fashion by @Negrek
Summary: The last thing Rin needs while preparing for a long trip is trouble from an anxious mimikyu.
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 3k (one-shot)
Salvage gets talked about a fair amount on Discord and in the forums--and for good reason!--but it does have some barriers to entry: it's got blood and guts, it's long, and (IMHO) all the best parts are so far only on FFN! But, believe it or not, Grek has also written a fluffy little one-shot about a ghost and its human who's just trying to deal.
I normally gravitate towards stories that celebrate the destructive potential of pokemon, but this tale of small-scale, domestic stress was such a charming surprise. The pokemon in this fic behave more or less like pets or wacky roommates, and I imagine that anyone who's lived with either will be able to relate to this story. Rin clearly loves her pokemon. She's also clearly exasperated. This is a story about characters struggling to understand each other, failing, and finding ways to do right by each other anyway.
Negrek consistently does a few things very well, and it's no different with In Ghostly Fashion: the verbs are dynamic and evocative, the interactions so perfectly capture that knife edge between loving someone and wanting to throttle them, and the elemental abilities are a smooth blend of cosmic horror and delightful WTF. You'll like this if you like cute ghosts, arts and crafts, and change is hard.
Doing my own prompts out of order.
Fic: In Ghostly Fashion by @Negrek
Summary: The last thing Rin needs while preparing for a long trip is trouble from an anxious mimikyu.
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 3k (one-shot)
Salvage gets talked about a fair amount on Discord and in the forums--and for good reason!--but it does have some barriers to entry: it's got blood and guts, it's long, and (IMHO) all the best parts are so far only on FFN! But, believe it or not, Grek has also written a fluffy little one-shot about a ghost and its human who's just trying to deal.
I normally gravitate towards stories that celebrate the destructive potential of pokemon, but this tale of small-scale, domestic stress was such a charming surprise. The pokemon in this fic behave more or less like pets or wacky roommates, and I imagine that anyone who's lived with either will be able to relate to this story. Rin clearly loves her pokemon. She's also clearly exasperated. This is a story about characters struggling to understand each other, failing, and finding ways to do right by each other anyway.
Negrek consistently does a few things very well, and it's no different with In Ghostly Fashion: the verbs are dynamic and evocative, the interactions so perfectly capture that knife edge between loving someone and wanting to throttle them, and the elemental abilities are a smooth blend of cosmic horror and delightful WTF. You'll like this if you like cute ghosts, arts and crafts, and change is hard.
Oct Day 5: Treat!
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
Day 5: Treat! Share a fic that made you laugh out loud.
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
Day 5: Share a fic that made you laugh out loud.
I still have to go back for day three, oops.
Fic: pcb0000 by @Bluwiikoon
Status: complete!
I can't remember whether I actually laughed out loud or not, but the main character of this story is charming and funny, and the story itself is certainly a treat.
When I was in high school, I loved this book called, simply enough, Cathy's Book, which featured phone numbers you could call (and voicemails you could hack), clues and evidence, and tons of illustrations ostensibly done by the protagonist. Bluwi's unusually formatted fic scratches some of that same itch in fic form. It's been lovingly illustrated in a way that will especially appeal to PMD fans, though it's not a PMD setting. And before you get to the story, you have to solve a small riddle.
The story itself is interesting! It's a bit of a mystery and hinges on what is possibly the least-explored area of canon: the PC storage system. But the main character is really what drives the story forward, a sweet little bean if ever there was one. They need your help! You have to read it!!
This one will especially appeal to folks who like underrepresented, inorganic pokemon. 👀
I still have to go back for day three, oops.
Fic: pcb0000 by @Bluwiikoon
Status: complete!
I can't remember whether I actually laughed out loud or not, but the main character of this story is charming and funny, and the story itself is certainly a treat.
When I was in high school, I loved this book called, simply enough, Cathy's Book, which featured phone numbers you could call (and voicemails you could hack), clues and evidence, and tons of illustrations ostensibly done by the protagonist. Bluwi's unusually formatted fic scratches some of that same itch in fic form. It's been lovingly illustrated in a way that will especially appeal to PMD fans, though it's not a PMD setting. And before you get to the story, you have to solve a small riddle.
The story itself is interesting! It's a bit of a mystery and hinges on what is possibly the least-explored area of canon: the PC storage system. But the main character is really what drives the story forward, a sweet little bean if ever there was one. They need your help! You have to read it!!
This one will especially appeal to folks who like underrepresented, inorganic pokemon. 👀
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Oct Day 6: So sweet it hurts!
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
October Day 6: So sweet it hurts! Share your favorite fluff fic or a fic that made you feel some feels.
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
Day 6: Share your favorite fluff fic or a fic that made you feel some feels.
Fic: Solidarity by Skylark
Summary: Every Pokémon plays a different role in Green's life. (A collection of shorts focusing on Green hanging out with his Pokémon.)
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1.6k (Complete)
This is another fic that's easy to finish in one sitting. It's fluff in the sense that it's lighthearted and doesn't really have a plot, but it's non-shipping trainer fic. Each vignette offers a moment of Green/Blue bonding with his pokemon. I actually don't have a ton to say about it except that I thought it would be a useful resource for anyone who's trying to flesh out relationships between their human and pokemon characters or maybe even between two pokemon characters.
Fic: Solidarity by Skylark
Summary: Every Pokémon plays a different role in Green's life. (A collection of shorts focusing on Green hanging out with his Pokémon.)
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1.6k (Complete)
This is another fic that's easy to finish in one sitting. It's fluff in the sense that it's lighthearted and doesn't really have a plot, but it's non-shipping trainer fic. Each vignette offers a moment of Green/Blue bonding with his pokemon. I actually don't have a ton to say about it except that I thought it would be a useful resource for anyone who's trying to flesh out relationships between their human and pokemon characters or maybe even between two pokemon characters.
Oct Day 7: “Wow, I love that costume!”
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
October Day 7: “Wow, I love that costume!” Share a fic that made you like a pokemon you hadn’t previously.
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
October Day 7: Share a fic that made you like a pokemon you hadn’t previously.
Fic: Parliament of Steel by girl-like-substance
AO3 | FFN
Summary: The Indigo League have a difficult job on hand: rehabilitating a near-dead pokémon that's been languishing in their containment facility far longer than anticipated. They're going to need an expert – and more than that, someone who can deal with this particular pokémon's fifty-four bloated egos ...
Rating: T
Wordcount: 12k (Complete)
uA has already talked up this fic, but I'm gonna do it too. (Reminder: you're allowed to rec a fic someone else has written a rec for! your take will be different. You can also make an art or write something inspired by the fic you choose instead!)
At the beginning of 2020, I was pretty staunchly against "weird blobby pokemon." GLS made me reconsider, and now I've given up: blobs are bae. Gateway drug to blob love.
What I like about this fic is that it takes very seriously a conceit that the games never seem to: magneton is made up of several individual magnemites. Not content to leave it there, GLSdoubles down triples down on the concept and serves up a magneton made of mover than fifty magnemites for maximum weird. Each of them has its own personality, preferences, and experiences from its magnemite life that it brings to the parliament (the magneton's word for itself), which means the protagonist has, uh ... a lot going on. We get to know a few of those voices well throughout the story, usually to hilarious effect. At times, they push and pull the protagonist in several directions at once ... and the parliament will have some tough choices to make!
This fic is also a big ol' you thought to people who insist they don't like 1st person POV. It's a big part of the charm here and very effective way to show how the protagonist sees the world: I said this, but I said that, and then I disagreed. What a life. We also get some very cool magneton lore and religion mixed in.
Overall, this is a magical ride with masterful character work and some really, really lovely prose. And, as always, GLS edits xyr prose so, so cleanly. If you only read one more fic in 2020, it should be this one.
Fic: Parliament of Steel by girl-like-substance
AO3 | FFN
Summary: The Indigo League have a difficult job on hand: rehabilitating a near-dead pokémon that's been languishing in their containment facility far longer than anticipated. They're going to need an expert – and more than that, someone who can deal with this particular pokémon's fifty-four bloated egos ...
Rating: T
Wordcount: 12k (Complete)
uA has already talked up this fic, but I'm gonna do it too. (Reminder: you're allowed to rec a fic someone else has written a rec for! your take will be different. You can also make an art or write something inspired by the fic you choose instead!)
At the beginning of 2020, I was pretty staunchly against "weird blobby pokemon." GLS made me reconsider, and now I've given up: blobs are bae. Gateway drug to blob love.
What I like about this fic is that it takes very seriously a conceit that the games never seem to: magneton is made up of several individual magnemites. Not content to leave it there, GLS
This fic is also a big ol' you thought to people who insist they don't like 1st person POV. It's a big part of the charm here and very effective way to show how the protagonist sees the world: I said this, but I said that, and then I disagreed. What a life. We also get some very cool magneton lore and religion mixed in.
Overall, this is a magical ride with masterful character work and some really, really lovely prose. And, as always, GLS edits xyr prose so, so cleanly. If you only read one more fic in 2020, it should be this one.
- Partners
-
Oh hey I actually have a few for this one. More coming later.
October Day 2: Booooooo! Share a fic that features a ghost-pokemon.
so consider this your redemption arc by somehowcoffee
Rating: T
Wordcount: 2255, complete
I originally read this fic with a group of PMD writers about a year ago, and it’s definitely one of my favorite pmd short stories. What really drew me to it is that it reads like a character study of sorts for Gengar from the Rescue Team games. Not only does it go into how the author imagines his thought-process to be, it also expands on the interactions that Gengar has with the player character throughout the story. Most importantly, though, it gives Gengar more depth and expands on what could have — and perhaps should have — happened with Gengar after the events of the game. After you finish his arc in the main game, you never really see Gengar again, which is disappointing after how much of a role he had in the main story.
I would like to quickly note that there are some stylistic choices in this fic that I think could have been better. For the most part, it reads like a stream of consciousness, but there are spots here and there where the ordering of thoughts feel off. But in general, I think the writing style contributes to the type of story somehowcoffee was trying to write.
so consider this your redemption arc is a fairly short read; the whole thing can be read in only ten minutes or so. And with that in mind, I highly recommend it to anyone who has a bit of time to spare and who wished that more had been done with the character within the canon games.
October Day 2: Booooooo! Share a fic that features a ghost-pokemon.
so consider this your redemption arc by somehowcoffee
Rating: T
Wordcount: 2255, complete
I originally read this fic with a group of PMD writers about a year ago, and it’s definitely one of my favorite pmd short stories. What really drew me to it is that it reads like a character study of sorts for Gengar from the Rescue Team games. Not only does it go into how the author imagines his thought-process to be, it also expands on the interactions that Gengar has with the player character throughout the story. Most importantly, though, it gives Gengar more depth and expands on what could have — and perhaps should have — happened with Gengar after the events of the game. After you finish his arc in the main game, you never really see Gengar again, which is disappointing after how much of a role he had in the main story.
I would like to quickly note that there are some stylistic choices in this fic that I think could have been better. For the most part, it reads like a stream of consciousness, but there are spots here and there where the ordering of thoughts feel off. But in general, I think the writing style contributes to the type of story somehowcoffee was trying to write.
so consider this your redemption arc is a fairly short read; the whole thing can be read in only ten minutes or so. And with that in mind, I highly recommend it to anyone who has a bit of time to spare and who wished that more had been done with the character within the canon games.
Starlight Aurate
Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
- Location
- Route 123
- Partners
-
October Day 2: Booooooo! Share a fic that features a ghost-pokemon.
Fic: The End: Rekindled by DeliriousAbsol
Summary:
In a world ruled by a wicked hydreigon, the pokemon have been split into groups: Outcasts, Heretics and Darkness. Two Outcasts - a meowstic called Cleo and her small dedenne companion Spark - stumble upon an odd discovery. Something that gives the Outcasts a little hope. Hope that the Darkness will one day be defeated, and pokemon can live in peace once more. But this discovery comes at a cost. It sends two of Hydreigon's best assassins after them. What unfolds next is a roller-coaster of events that throw our heroes right into the epic battle between good and evil.
Oh gosh do I adore this fic. It's like the Redwall books turned Pokemon! DeliriousAbsol's prose is very good with describing all sorts of things--descriptions of breakfast make my stomach rumble! The landscapes she creates are beautiful--and, at times, nasty. Throughout every chapter, this story is full of pretty imagery.
The characters are also a strong selling point for this fic, in my opinion. The sister-like dynamic between the protagonist and her friend, Cleo and Spark, are adorable and charming. They occasionally bicker but you can tell they're strong friends who will stick with each other through thick and thin. They're members of the Guild headed by a Riolu named Tinker, who has the Outcast's best interests at heart but comes across too strongly to others at times. The villains are no slouch, either--one of the most well-known assassins of Hydreigon's realm is a Banette named Enigma. He's only been around for the latest few chapters posted and Del definitely knows how to turn him from charming and facetious one moment to legitimately spooky and creepy the next. I've always thought Banette was a neat Pokemon, and Del's depiction of Enigma definitely befits his spooky typing.
The story deals with themes of moral ambiguity without being too heavy-handed on them and they come across tastefully in ways that really make one think. Are the utilitarian motives of one side any better or worse than those of the other? What make Pokemon decide which side to choose--in a world where the evil overlord seems to look purely at typing? Can some of the aforementioned "evil" types be raised to become good?
This story still has quite a ways to go on this forum, but gosh am I looking forward to what's to come! The snippets of backstory that are hinted at and alluded to in the character dialogue have really hooked me in. Overall, this is a solid work that I strongly recommend to anyone who likes Pokemon fics with Redwall flavor.
Fic: The End: Rekindled by DeliriousAbsol
Summary:
In a world ruled by a wicked hydreigon, the pokemon have been split into groups: Outcasts, Heretics and Darkness. Two Outcasts - a meowstic called Cleo and her small dedenne companion Spark - stumble upon an odd discovery. Something that gives the Outcasts a little hope. Hope that the Darkness will one day be defeated, and pokemon can live in peace once more. But this discovery comes at a cost. It sends two of Hydreigon's best assassins after them. What unfolds next is a roller-coaster of events that throw our heroes right into the epic battle between good and evil.
Oh gosh do I adore this fic. It's like the Redwall books turned Pokemon! DeliriousAbsol's prose is very good with describing all sorts of things--descriptions of breakfast make my stomach rumble! The landscapes she creates are beautiful--and, at times, nasty. Throughout every chapter, this story is full of pretty imagery.
The characters are also a strong selling point for this fic, in my opinion. The sister-like dynamic between the protagonist and her friend, Cleo and Spark, are adorable and charming. They occasionally bicker but you can tell they're strong friends who will stick with each other through thick and thin. They're members of the Guild headed by a Riolu named Tinker, who has the Outcast's best interests at heart but comes across too strongly to others at times. The villains are no slouch, either--one of the most well-known assassins of Hydreigon's realm is a Banette named Enigma. He's only been around for the latest few chapters posted and Del definitely knows how to turn him from charming and facetious one moment to legitimately spooky and creepy the next. I've always thought Banette was a neat Pokemon, and Del's depiction of Enigma definitely befits his spooky typing.
The story deals with themes of moral ambiguity without being too heavy-handed on them and they come across tastefully in ways that really make one think. Are the utilitarian motives of one side any better or worse than those of the other? What make Pokemon decide which side to choose--in a world where the evil overlord seems to look purely at typing? Can some of the aforementioned "evil" types be raised to become good?
This story still has quite a ways to go on this forum, but gosh am I looking forward to what's to come! The snippets of backstory that are hinted at and alluded to in the character dialogue have really hooked me in. Overall, this is a solid work that I strongly recommend to anyone who likes Pokemon fics with Redwall flavor.
- Partners
-
Day 3: Let’s see who’s under that mask! Share a fic about a mystery or a secret.
Warped Skies by Team Ion
Rating: Teen
Wordcount: 630k (incomplete)
I initially debated whether or not to put Warped Skies under this category. It’s not a mystery fic. But the central questions raised in the story, particularly after the first major twist, give me reason enough to select it. A quick note that since I first read it, the author has massively overhauled the first 10 or so chapters, so some notes about the plot will be a bit off.
If you didn’t catch it from the name, Warped Skies is a retelling of Explorers of Sky… with the caveat that the hero, a Meowth going by the name of Sean, is a human-turned pokemon that can remember the events of the game. He expects things to follow the game he knows and loves… Except they don’t.
It starts to go downhill when they fail to take down Team Skull and lose the relic fragment. Then they have to track down a flirtatious litleo. Then Grovyle joins them on the expedition to fogbound lake. And after that? Well, I’ll leave it to you to read and find out. Saying much more would spoil the mystery-raising twists.
Warped Skies is a long read. The three-arc story is estimated to reach near one million words. But if you want a fresh take on the Explorers story that eventually branches out into an original story, then I can’t recommend it enough. Don’t let the self-insert tag on the fic dissuade you, this is definitely one of the most fun pmd fics I’ve ever read.
Warped Skies by Team Ion
Rating: Teen
Wordcount: 630k (incomplete)
I initially debated whether or not to put Warped Skies under this category. It’s not a mystery fic. But the central questions raised in the story, particularly after the first major twist, give me reason enough to select it. A quick note that since I first read it, the author has massively overhauled the first 10 or so chapters, so some notes about the plot will be a bit off.
If you didn’t catch it from the name, Warped Skies is a retelling of Explorers of Sky… with the caveat that the hero, a Meowth going by the name of Sean, is a human-turned pokemon that can remember the events of the game. He expects things to follow the game he knows and loves… Except they don’t.
It starts to go downhill when they fail to take down Team Skull and lose the relic fragment. Then they have to track down a flirtatious litleo. Then Grovyle joins them on the expedition to fogbound lake. And after that? Well, I’ll leave it to you to read and find out. Saying much more would spoil the mystery-raising twists.
Warped Skies is a long read. The three-arc story is estimated to reach near one million words. But if you want a fresh take on the Explorers story that eventually branches out into an original story, then I can’t recommend it enough. Don’t let the self-insert tag on the fic dissuade you, this is definitely one of the most fun pmd fics I’ve ever read.
WildBoots
Don’t underestimate seeds.
October Day 3: Share a fic about a mystery or a secret
Fic: Clipping by Act
Summary: There have been murders in the Ruins of Alph. What do you believe?
Rating: T
Wordcount: 6k (Ongoing; on mega hiatus)
What could be more mysterious than the unown? They raise questions such as if this is basically Kansai, why are the "first writings" in Romanized letters??? The Ruins of the Alph aren't explored as much as they deserve, in my humble opinion, and Clipping casts them in a grim new light.
This story opens with news reports about three murders, and then, in reverse chronological order, we watch them unfold. Or parts of them. This story isn't complete yet (though the author has confirmed it's not dead), so a lot of mysteries remain unsolved. They're tantalizing, though, and still very much worth taking a look at.
My favorite thing about this story is that the characters feel very real. Each of them is very ordinary, but there's still enough to make me care about what happens to them. Of, we already know how things will end for them. We know each of them will end up dead, and yet we can't look away.
Fic: Clipping by Act
Summary: There have been murders in the Ruins of Alph. What do you believe?
Rating: T
Wordcount: 6k (Ongoing; on mega hiatus)
This story opens with news reports about three murders, and then, in reverse chronological order, we watch them unfold. Or parts of them. This story isn't complete yet (though the author has confirmed it's not dead), so a lot of mysteries remain unsolved. They're tantalizing, though, and still very much worth taking a look at.
My favorite thing about this story is that the characters feel very real. Each of them is very ordinary, but there's still enough to make me care about what happens to them. Of, we already know how things will end for them. We know each of them will end up dead, and yet we can't look away.
Starlight Aurate
Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
- Location
- Route 123
- Partners
-
October Day 7: Share a fic that made you like a pokemon you hadn’t previously.
The Inalienable Dreamless by NebulaDreams
Word count: 11,000
Status: Complete
Summary: A confused Banette wakes up in a fiery room with no escape, seeing visions of a girl with black hair, an enigmatic Hypno, and piles of burned toys. It's a hopeless situation with no way out for her... but she has to try.
This is a short and sweet one-shot that hooked me off the bat and I quickly fell in love with it. The fic starts out with several different scenes and seemingly different characters in disorient and confusion. As the confusion clears up, our heroine meets a Hypno who has been trying to help her though the problems she's half-aware of by examining her dreams.
This one-shot could have been the fic for multiple prompts this month, but I chose Day 7 because it made me look at Hypno in a new light. For a Pokemon that's known for being creepy all the way back to Generation I, NebulaDreams shows a Hypno named Jung who is kind and empathetic. He refrains from eating the protagonist's dreams because he believes she deserves to have nice memories and he mentions the discrimination that Hypno and Ghost-type Pokemon tend to face. Even at the end of this short story, he goes the extra mile to help the protagonist out and does things simply out of kindness and helpfulness. Jung is a very wholesome character and NebulaDreams did an excellent job of shedding the creepy stigma normally associated with Hypnos by cleverly crafting this gem.
The Inalienable Dreamless by NebulaDreams
Word count: 11,000
Status: Complete
Summary: A confused Banette wakes up in a fiery room with no escape, seeing visions of a girl with black hair, an enigmatic Hypno, and piles of burned toys. It's a hopeless situation with no way out for her... but she has to try.
This is a short and sweet one-shot that hooked me off the bat and I quickly fell in love with it. The fic starts out with several different scenes and seemingly different characters in disorient and confusion. As the confusion clears up, our heroine meets a Hypno who has been trying to help her though the problems she's half-aware of by examining her dreams.
This one-shot could have been the fic for multiple prompts this month, but I chose Day 7 because it made me look at Hypno in a new light. For a Pokemon that's known for being creepy all the way back to Generation I, NebulaDreams shows a Hypno named Jung who is kind and empathetic. He refrains from eating the protagonist's dreams because he believes she deserves to have nice memories and he mentions the discrimination that Hypno and Ghost-type Pokemon tend to face. Even at the end of this short story, he goes the extra mile to help the protagonist out and does things simply out of kindness and helpfulness. Jung is a very wholesome character and NebulaDreams did an excellent job of shedding the creepy stigma normally associated with Hypnos by cleverly crafting this gem.
- Partners
-
Day 6: So sweet it hurts! Share your favorite fluff fic or a fic that made you feel some feels.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Dreamstone by Slink34884
Rating: T
Wordcount: 220k+ (ongoing)
Summary: A Fennekin's family is killed, leaving him as the only survivor. The last thing his father said to him, "find the Dreamstone". Now with the help of an Espeon with a troubled past and a young Vulpix, he must find the mythical artifact, dodging the Evil Team Hatred at every step. But can he afford to look when finding the stone might cost him everything?
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're looking at that summary and going "Wind, that doesn't sound like a fluff fic." And you'd be right. The Dreamstone is not something I'd consider a fluff-fic. However, the themes of romance and, more importantly, found family that run through this fic are what really make me feel like this fic deserves this slot. The main trio of this fic consists of Slink, a late-to-evolve Fennekin who recently lost his parents and sister to The Hatred, an almost cult-like group of shiny pokemon, Eve, an espeon with ties to one of the top ranking members of The Hatred (an umbreon by the name of Shane), and Vix, an orphaned Vulpix with the power to navigate mystery dungeons. Later on, their misfit family is joined by Sierra, an absol, and his daughter, Abby, a shiny absol.
Although the overarching plot involves Slink's search for the Dreamstone, a mysterious artefact that he knows little about, and that is his only clue into the death of his family, there are a lot of smaller subplots that deal with the growing romantic relationship between himself and Eve, as well as the familial bonds that happen with Vix, Abby, and Sierra. And watching their family bonds grow, especially in the roughest moments, really hits me right in the feelings.
Aside from recommending this fic for those reasons, there are some other neat things about this story that caught my eye. The author does a good job of expressing animal body language, and the way they handle pokemon typings is really unique, in a way that I haven't seen in any other story.
If any of that strikes your fancy, I highly recommend at least giving the fic a look and seeing what you think.
Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: The Dreamstone by Slink34884
Rating: T
Wordcount: 220k+ (ongoing)
Summary: A Fennekin's family is killed, leaving him as the only survivor. The last thing his father said to him, "find the Dreamstone". Now with the help of an Espeon with a troubled past and a young Vulpix, he must find the mythical artifact, dodging the Evil Team Hatred at every step. But can he afford to look when finding the stone might cost him everything?
Now, I know what you're thinking. You're looking at that summary and going "Wind, that doesn't sound like a fluff fic." And you'd be right. The Dreamstone is not something I'd consider a fluff-fic. However, the themes of romance and, more importantly, found family that run through this fic are what really make me feel like this fic deserves this slot. The main trio of this fic consists of Slink, a late-to-evolve Fennekin who recently lost his parents and sister to The Hatred, an almost cult-like group of shiny pokemon, Eve, an espeon with ties to one of the top ranking members of The Hatred (an umbreon by the name of Shane), and Vix, an orphaned Vulpix with the power to navigate mystery dungeons. Later on, their misfit family is joined by Sierra, an absol, and his daughter, Abby, a shiny absol.
Although the overarching plot involves Slink's search for the Dreamstone, a mysterious artefact that he knows little about, and that is his only clue into the death of his family, there are a lot of smaller subplots that deal with the growing romantic relationship between himself and Eve, as well as the familial bonds that happen with Vix, Abby, and Sierra. And watching their family bonds grow, especially in the roughest moments, really hits me right in the feelings.
Aside from recommending this fic for those reasons, there are some other neat things about this story that caught my eye. The author does a good job of expressing animal body language, and the way they handle pokemon typings is really unique, in a way that I haven't seen in any other story.
If any of that strikes your fancy, I highly recommend at least giving the fic a look and seeing what you think.
Starlight Aurate
Ad Jesum per Mariam | pfp by kintsugi
- Location
- Route 123
- Partners
-
Day 6: So sweet it hurts! Share your favorite fluff fic or a fic that made you feel some feels.
Fic: Featuring Wally by Dramatic Melody
Summary: Hoenn reporter Russel travels to the Alolan Battle Tree to interview Hoenn native, Wally!
Status: Complete
This is a fic that is short and oh so sweet. Dramatic Melody might be my favorite fanfic author; his works are concise and many of them are largely positive and hopeful. Featuring Wally delivers on both of those aspects--the fic is the reporter meeting his home region hero and is so adorably excited about it the entire way. Even though Wally is 22 years old here, he's still adorable, too! His Gallade makes an appearance and also gets a bit of spotlight. After the interview, DM posts the actual report written by Russel about the interview with Wally and it is such a treat to read.
If you like things written interview-style, you're a Hoenn fan, or if you want to feel some happy positive feels, then Featuring Wally is definitely worth the quick read!
Fic: Featuring Wally by Dramatic Melody
Summary: Hoenn reporter Russel travels to the Alolan Battle Tree to interview Hoenn native, Wally!
Status: Complete
This is a fic that is short and oh so sweet. Dramatic Melody might be my favorite fanfic author; his works are concise and many of them are largely positive and hopeful. Featuring Wally delivers on both of those aspects--the fic is the reporter meeting his home region hero and is so adorably excited about it the entire way. Even though Wally is 22 years old here, he's still adorable, too! His Gallade makes an appearance and also gets a bit of spotlight. After the interview, DM posts the actual report written by Russel about the interview with Wally and it is such a treat to read.
If you like things written interview-style, you're a Hoenn fan, or if you want to feel some happy positive feels, then Featuring Wally is definitely worth the quick read!
kintsugi
golden scars | pfp by sun
doing some spooky-themed recs for October!
Day 4: Trick! Share a fic about someone in disguise.
Masks Within Masks, by Bardothren
Genetically engineered as part of an experiment on pokemon, Subject Seven spent her whole life inside a laboratory cell, trying in futility to escape, until a fateful day gave her a chance at her own life. Only problem is, that life is within the ranks of Team Rocket. Assuming the identity of a peon within the syndicate, she struggles to climb higher while hiding her identity.
Rating: M for blood, tons of murder, some genuinely fucked situations, and more murder
Wordcount: 147k, complete
Yes, it starts with sad pokemon being tortured in concrete prison cells as experiments. Yes, the main character's name is "Seven" and my brain is so broken from shitposting OSJ that I cannot unsee that as "Steven". Yes, it has scathingly hot takes on Plasma and N.
And? I am here for indulgent super dark interpretations of the canon, militarized E4, and Giovanni and Ghetsis being absolute bastards to one another and using an entire country as their battlefield. It is excellent shit. Have you ever wondered who would win the mortar v magmortar matchup? There is an answer here.
Shitposts aside: this is a story about Subject Seven, a laboratory zoroark who manages to escape her imprisonment only to end up working for Team Rocket instead. What follows is an increasingly more multi-sided conflict, and it quickly becomes clear that everyone, including Seven, isn't who they seem.
You will probably enjoy this if you want--pokemon with GUNS, some very solid prose, clever ideas regarding ghost types, general Ghetsis and Giovanni bastardry, excellent use of shifting POV to set up conflicts, Mewtwo single-handedly employing cartographers for a generation by virtue of wiping out entire portions of the map, some interesting takes on pokemon sentience/personhood, and in general a cast where people are assholes 90% of the time.
Day 4: Trick! Share a fic about someone in disguise.
Masks Within Masks, by Bardothren
Genetically engineered as part of an experiment on pokemon, Subject Seven spent her whole life inside a laboratory cell, trying in futility to escape, until a fateful day gave her a chance at her own life. Only problem is, that life is within the ranks of Team Rocket. Assuming the identity of a peon within the syndicate, she struggles to climb higher while hiding her identity.
Rating: M for blood, tons of murder, some genuinely fucked situations, and more murder
Wordcount: 147k, complete
Yes, it starts with sad pokemon being tortured in concrete prison cells as experiments. Yes, the main character's name is "Seven" and my brain is so broken from shitposting OSJ that I cannot unsee that as "Steven". Yes, it has scathingly hot takes on Plasma and N.
And? I am here for indulgent super dark interpretations of the canon, militarized E4, and Giovanni and Ghetsis being absolute bastards to one another and using an entire country as their battlefield. It is excellent shit. Have you ever wondered who would win the mortar v magmortar matchup? There is an answer here.
Shitposts aside: this is a story about Subject Seven, a laboratory zoroark who manages to escape her imprisonment only to end up working for Team Rocket instead. What follows is an increasingly more multi-sided conflict, and it quickly becomes clear that everyone, including Seven, isn't who they seem.
You will probably enjoy this if you want--pokemon with GUNS, some very solid prose, clever ideas regarding ghost types, general Ghetsis and Giovanni bastardry, excellent use of shifting POV to set up conflicts, Mewtwo single-handedly employing cartographers for a generation by virtue of wiping out entire portions of the map, some interesting takes on pokemon sentience/personhood, and in general a cast where people are assholes 90% of the time.
kintsugi
golden scars | pfp by sun
(doing these separate cause OSJ asked me to)
Day 3: Let’s see who’s under that mask! Share a fic about a mystery or a secret.
Town of Rippling Waves, by team effort
Undella Town in a series of events.
Rating: T for some general horror (not graphic)
Wordcount: 5.5k, complete
Apparently I went on a binge for weird, docu-style horror things set in the pokemon world. Similar vein to The Wysteria Files [rec] [link] and Clipping [rec] [link] if either of those were up your alley.
This oneshot is a lot of fun and is a fast read. You should look at it if you enjoy good creepy fic, want a story about some sort of supernatural/cult reimagining of some of Unova's creepier folklore, or are interested in non-traditional storytelling formats. Told in a mix of diary entries, newspaper excertps, snips from history textbooks, and call transcripts, this story cleverly uses a bunch of different formats in rapid succession to string together the slow but inevitable degradation of Undella into chaos.
I really liked how each section creates tension quickly--this fic is really good at using the different storytelling formats to get a lot of bang for its buck wordcount wise, and the resulting full story feels much longer/more complete than the wordcount might suggest. Plus like, cool textbook lore! There's some traditional prose scene bits in the middle that are also great at integrating the more standard horror tropes--smiling children, creepy figurines--into both the story as it stands and pokemon lore in general. Lotta fun. Bonus points for being written in 2013 and having a broadcast about the UHO (Unova Health Organization) telling people to wash their hands and wipe down any contaminated surfaces in response to a spoopy virus, haha,, sad times,,, oh no the real broadcast was the meta of the fic itself all along.
Day 3: Let’s see who’s under that mask! Share a fic about a mystery or a secret.
Town of Rippling Waves, by team effort
Undella Town in a series of events.
Rating: T for some general horror (not graphic)
Wordcount: 5.5k, complete
Apparently I went on a binge for weird, docu-style horror things set in the pokemon world. Similar vein to The Wysteria Files [rec] [link] and Clipping [rec] [link] if either of those were up your alley.
This oneshot is a lot of fun and is a fast read. You should look at it if you enjoy good creepy fic, want a story about some sort of supernatural/cult reimagining of some of Unova's creepier folklore, or are interested in non-traditional storytelling formats. Told in a mix of diary entries, newspaper excertps, snips from history textbooks, and call transcripts, this story cleverly uses a bunch of different formats in rapid succession to string together the slow but inevitable degradation of Undella into chaos.
I really liked how each section creates tension quickly--this fic is really good at using the different storytelling formats to get a lot of bang for its buck wordcount wise, and the resulting full story feels much longer/more complete than the wordcount might suggest. Plus like, cool textbook lore! There's some traditional prose scene bits in the middle that are also great at integrating the more standard horror tropes--smiling children, creepy figurines--into both the story as it stands and pokemon lore in general. Lotta fun. Bonus points for being written in 2013 and having a broadcast about the UHO (Unova Health Organization) telling people to wash their hands and wipe down any contaminated surfaces in response to a spoopy virus, haha,, sad times,,, oh no the real broadcast was the meta of the fic itself all along.
kintsugi
golden scars | pfp by sun
Day 7: “Wow, I love that costume!” Share a fic that made you like a pokemon you hadn’t previously.
moongarden, by Dr. Vamoosi
After the whole clefairy integration affair, there was so much to learn.
rating: T for horror, some gore/blood
wordcount: 3.8k, complete
I legitimately forget that the clefairy line exists sometimes except when I'm doing Pokemon Showdown lol.
Which is sad! There's a lot of cool lore around these guys that I rarely see explored in canon! Sad floating friends from the moon who generally don't like humans/socializing with outsiders in general but are totally okay committing all of the violence if you ask them to. Sure, you could go the "gengar is dead clefable" route or whatever, but fey are conniving bastards and ghosts don't have to be the only things to be afraid of in the pokemon universe, okay, I really like when fics lean into this angle. While this fic's interpretation is a bit unorthodox (clefairy are creepy cryptid aliens who have infiltrated human society by virtue of appearing harmless), I think it's an unusual and clever way to take the canon lore and turn it on its head while still mostly keeping it canon.
The prose in this one is a lot of fun too--some really unique descriptions for things, and a solid child narrator/POV (which really helps to up the suspense since the reader can usually connect the dots just a hair before the narrator can). In particular I like the clefairy's characterization, as it nails this really delicate line between randomly saying mysterious things to sound spooky/otherworldly and ... correctly asking strange questions to feel like an otherworldly being trying to make sense of human society. Not quite hardcore xenofic, but it's very clear that they're operating on that plane of intelligence that is "very intelligent but not in the way that humans think is interesting/important".
(side note--been a while and I do not think there is in-story explanation for how the clefairy infiltrated the news networksthis is absolutely a sentence i typed unironically, so if you do end up reading this (and you should if this sounds interesting to you!), it may make it beneficial to you to just take that as a given)
moongarden, by Dr. Vamoosi
After the whole clefairy integration affair, there was so much to learn.
rating: T for horror, some gore/blood
wordcount: 3.8k, complete
I legitimately forget that the clefairy line exists sometimes except when I'm doing Pokemon Showdown lol.
Which is sad! There's a lot of cool lore around these guys that I rarely see explored in canon! Sad floating friends from the moon who generally don't like humans/socializing with outsiders in general but are totally okay committing all of the violence if you ask them to. Sure, you could go the "gengar is dead clefable" route or whatever, but fey are conniving bastards and ghosts don't have to be the only things to be afraid of in the pokemon universe, okay, I really like when fics lean into this angle. While this fic's interpretation is a bit unorthodox (clefairy are creepy cryptid aliens who have infiltrated human society by virtue of appearing harmless), I think it's an unusual and clever way to take the canon lore and turn it on its head while still mostly keeping it canon.
The prose in this one is a lot of fun too--some really unique descriptions for things, and a solid child narrator/POV (which really helps to up the suspense since the reader can usually connect the dots just a hair before the narrator can). In particular I like the clefairy's characterization, as it nails this really delicate line between randomly saying mysterious things to sound spooky/otherworldly and ... correctly asking strange questions to feel like an otherworldly being trying to make sense of human society. Not quite hardcore xenofic, but it's very clear that they're operating on that plane of intelligence that is "very intelligent but not in the way that humans think is interesting/important".
(side note--been a while and I do not think there is in-story explanation for how the clefairy infiltrated the news networks
kintsugi
golden scars | pfp by sun
Day 5: Treat! Share a fic that made you laugh out loud.
PMD: Hard Mode by The Walrein
rating: T for swearing, violence, some death
wordcount: 7.1k, complete
Read this fic lmao.
If you read lots of fics that have the "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:" prefix at the beginning, you will find it entertaining. If you are typically afraid of fics that have the "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:" prefix at the beginning, you will find it entertaining. If you were looking for a fic where Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster transcends into a higher plane of existence and becomes Truck-Chan--well, no you weren't, or you have really specific tastes, but okay, you will find this fic entertaining.
I think it's really difficult to make a good comedic deconstruction--there's, like, Deadpool, SAO: Abridged, and Lego Batman, which are able to both make fun of the source material while also telling a compelling story that's still very much in the spirit of what they're making fun of; and then there's just generic bashing/most abridged or comedic works that know they're supposed to be deconstructing something but have forgotten that they should also be constructing something in the space as well. This fic falls firmly in the former camp for me, and in a really well-done way (can't spoil the ending but! again! it is a oneshot; if this rec is interesting to you, it is a short read lol).
Genuinely impressed when people manage to get humor right, especially in the Pokemon fandom where the content is already so bizarre that it's hard to find new ways to poke fun at things. Walrein has delivered in many of their other works but this one continues to raise the bar! I don't really find myself as a "reactive" reader (i.e. laughing or crying) but this fic had me grinning the whole way through.
PMD: Hard Mode by The Walrein
rating: T for swearing, violence, some death
wordcount: 7.1k, complete
Read this fic lmao.
If you read lots of fics that have the "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:" prefix at the beginning, you will find it entertaining. If you are typically afraid of fics that have the "Pokemon Mystery Dungeon:" prefix at the beginning, you will find it entertaining. If you were looking for a fic where Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster transcends into a higher plane of existence and becomes Truck-Chan--well, no you weren't, or you have really specific tastes, but okay, you will find this fic entertaining.
I think it's really difficult to make a good comedic deconstruction--there's, like, Deadpool, SAO: Abridged, and Lego Batman, which are able to both make fun of the source material while also telling a compelling story that's still very much in the spirit of what they're making fun of; and then there's just generic bashing/most abridged or comedic works that know they're supposed to be deconstructing something but have forgotten that they should also be constructing something in the space as well. This fic falls firmly in the former camp for me, and in a really well-done way (can't spoil the ending but! again! it is a oneshot; if this rec is interesting to you, it is a short read lol).
Genuinely impressed when people manage to get humor right, especially in the Pokemon fandom where the content is already so bizarre that it's hard to find new ways to poke fun at things. Walrein has delivered in many of their other works but this one continues to raise the bar! I don't really find myself as a "reactive" reader (i.e. laughing or crying) but this fic had me grinning the whole way through.