To the Readers.

[Mancetric_Trainer]

I know that readers look for originality in fictions and good descirptions, but is there certain LITTLE things you look for that other people might not?

I personally like to look how a charater develops little by little, to become a stronger person/trainer.

[Iveechan]

I like fics that focus more/entirely on the pokemon. I don't care for humans.

[The Prophet]

I like angst, sick, twisted stuff, and occaisional humor.

I also like it when the fic has very good grammar.

[Dragonfree]

I like:

Evil. Real evil. Characters that are so extremely evil I really WANT the main characters to win. My defination of a very evil character = someone who is a lot stronger than the good guys in about all ways, and has to kill some of them.

Characters I can hate. Not the same as evil, Harry Potter for example has Voldemort for an extremely evil character, but Umbridge as someone to hate.

When the pokémon have a character too, even when it's a fic about humans. And then I mean a really strong character that affects the plot of the story. Maybe even make some adjustments so the pokémon can actually communicate with their trainers (my started-as-a-trainer-fic fic happens in the future when a lot of money had been spent on researching pokémon language, and kids learn it at school before they can start pokémon training, and I know of one fic where a small device called the "Soul talker" has been made and when worn around your neck, you understand what pokémon are saying, for example). I really don't like it when pokémon are put in a fic like plush toys that just do what their trainer says and then go back to their balls. When pokémon have a bit of a character but not affecting the plot, it's fine, but I prefer when the pokémon really are a part of it.

Sub-plots. I really, REALLY like sub-plots. Just anything that happens that isn't a part of the actual storyline. Sub-plots are usually exciting and happen faster than the actual storyline, I think that's what I like so much about them.

[Drago]

Usually, I like a fic that has a vast array of locales. One where the location actually makes a difference to the story, besides being differently set out. It should make a big impact on the characters, and it should in turn, reflect the sort of chapter it's going to be.

Of course, oftentimes having quite a few characters (or a merry crew, if you will), with different goals. Sort of like they're on an adventure together, but on their own different adventures for their own different reasons.

And finally, a score to settle. An evenly-matched rivalry that culminates with a dramatic, tense, one-on-one duel. That's good as gold.

[Captain Pringle]

Originally posted by Mancetric_Trainer
I personally like to look how a charater develops little by little, to become a stronger person/trainer.

Definitely a good one. It's one I struggle with in my own writing, but I love to see it done well in other fics. And the trainer/human character doesn't have to be the only one developed... I think developing the personalities of the pokemon is at least as important (and I know a lot of other people feel the same way, because that's by far the most common criticism my fic gets). Having pokemon with interesting and different personalities keeps them from just being 'tools of battle,' and allows them to have better relationships with the trainer, which can lead to a much more realistic fic.

[PancaKe]

In fics n stuff, I look for interesting storylines, like good plots and good character development. I love characters, I mean, they have to be real for me to read the fic and actually become attatched to the fic. If a character has no personality, then I just cant read the fic and feel the same way as i do to a character who makes me become attatched.

If u know what i mean.

~Mist

[Andrew]

I leik totally agree with Tara, I want characters to be human, experience highs and lows, triumphs and losses, have faults and weaknesses and stuff :P
Cause characters with no faults or personality, really suck.

[PancaKe]

Exactly. Faults in characters, sometimes you never see them around. It didnt occour to me until i was reading Order of the Phoenix how important faults or flaws really were. I mean, like yeah. they just are lol.

~Mist

[mr_pikachu]

Realism. The characters, the setting, the events, the dialogue, the decisions, etc. Not everything can be big and grand. Things have to be real sometimes, so that the big moments seem bigger. That's how it is in real life, after all.

Humor. Even in stories like WDC (which is quickly becoming darker), Ryan can still make me laugh any time he wants to. Some of the dialgoue and events in his fic are absolutely brilliant. Also, Tara does a good job with the LVH/FM series in having some humor with the suspense. Sometimes I think she has a bit too much humor, but that's okay. They're still exceedinly enjoyable pieces of literature. EBTV has a LOT of humor; that seems to be the basis for about everything in the fic. (Are you ever gonna update again, Oz? lol!) Gavin has some humor in LtL and TCL (that was his, right?), but lately LtL's been a lot more suspenseful and frightening rather that funny. (btw, what I said to Oz goes double for you! ;)) dh13 has a different type of humor in Damon's Menace. It's not outright humor as much as sometimes humor from the situation. Sometimes it's because you've been there before, sometimes because you love how the characters have great yet totally different points of view, and sometimes because of the aspect that things always happen at the wrong time. (i.e. Scyther getting captured from his pack right when he did. Talk about bad luck!)

Persistence. I like writers who continue to update their fics, never quitting. Sure, sometimes they'll be late, even by quite a bit. It happens. But I hate it when writers start out fast and then start dwindling their pace, especially since that's usually when the fic is getting good. A good example of this is Tara and Ryan's joint fic, TFIBEFTBOU! (This Fic IS Big Enough For The Both Of Us!) An excellent fic if there ever was one. But what happened? It died out, like so many other long-forgotten fics on TPM. Bring TFIBEFTBOU back, you guys! Also, other new writers often lose faith in themselves from lack of readers, or simply lose patience in writing. I'd bet 80% of the fics on the Fanfic forum (going back to the beggining) were never finished. That's why people often tend to not read fics from new writers; because they know there's a good chance it'll never be finished. That, or it just stinks. :D

Distinguishing. This goes for both the idea and for the characters in the fic. Even if you've got the best characters ever, I'm not gonna want to read a fic that follows Ash's path from Pallet to Indigo. Have some originality. And the best plot is all for nothing if the readers can't feel for the characters in some way or another. Heck, even if they despise them all, that's better than nothing. Maybe you can make them all fall into a chasm of the earth at the end. I'm sure your readers would be pleased in that particular case. :D But really, do you want to read about characters who are all carbon copies of each other? Or about a journey you've seen a thousand times before? Think about it.


That's all I've got for now, but I'll come back later if I think of more.