We Think We Know You [Ran-Dumb Book]

💭 Another Story Idea (send help) [22 March 2018]

I'm not an author. Nowhere close to it.

I'm a writer. I write. That's merely all I do.

From what I can see, I'm not good at writing at all. I'm mediocre at best. I lack sensory details. I lack vivid language. I lack vocabulary. I lack figurative language.

But what do I have? A few ideas.

That's where it all starts.

Some people only have one or two ideas. And they're great at writing. Fantastic. Stupendous.

I'm not great at writing. Yet I have a few more than one or two ideas (those who have cover shops might know me very well 😂😂).

So here's the latest one. I've actually discussed it a bit in depth with a few fellow Wattpadians out there (namely users @glitterandasphalt, @UnisonRaider, and @Rosa950). They like the concept.

See that? The key word in that sentence is concept. I like the concept too.

But I'm not good at writing 😂 that's the issue. Including the founding of GenerationsDebut, I've got a lot of my plate.

Plus all the pending projects...from finishing and editing "The Journey of an Eon" and "Hopelessly Devoted to Misery" and "The Second Coming of the Storm" and "Signed, The Great Depression"...plus all the hidden projects (like "Chasing Shadows" and "Indigo Screams at the Skies Above" for example)...

Where will I find the time to pull it all together? I'm not sure myself. Will I even pull it all together?

I don't even know. Maybe I should find a ghost writer.

Anyway, enough of my anxiety. Time to the idea.

So this sort of takes place in a feudal period. Yknow, kings, nobles, peasants, knights, etc. in an unselected region (I'm leaning towards...Sinnoh to be honest. I just hope I don't clash with "Painted Reign" too much 😅).

The story starts with a Pokémon turned human (currently leaning towards Shaymin). They (Shaymin) were (was) considered a god by a small village on the outskirts of a larger civilized city. At that point though, someway, somehow (saying what would be spoilers 😉), they were turned human (yet surprisingly don't conveniently lose any of their memories) and they want to turn back into a Pokémon.

This Shaymin turned human (hereafter unofficially named...asdfghjkl) meets a female traveling merchant/peddler (hereafter unofficially named...Jenny (who was a Friend of Mine (that's a Killers reference btw))). In an effort to figure out how to be turned back human, the two become traveling companions to a place asdfghjkl has a strong memory of (if anyone has played Sinnoh, you can guess where it is)

(You guessed it, Flower Paradise.)

So as a traveling merchant, Jenny (not related to the officers btw) offers asdfghjkl a ride along with her across Sinnoh back to Flower Paradise.

That's the premise. But what makes it any different from the typical Adventure journey story out there?

Well Jenny is a merchant. My plan is to use the concept of economics to introduce a new twist on the world of Pokémon. Fueled by the feudal society, it provides an old tale spun a new way.

The suspense? The thrill? There's more reliance on...covert events. It's not the typical cliff-diving, gun-slinging sort of events.

More swindling. More like something a merchant would encounter. Grander schemes that happen in a corrupt world versus a vagabond approach.

Now I know that won't please everyone. I'm not completely abandoning action.

Because what was prominent in feudal society? Religion. And what happens when a small village has a god?

The church comes to..."help" them. I don't want to portray the church as "evil" or anything. But they are a monotheistic believing in Arceus as the only God and Darkrai as "the Devil" sort of. Any other way is basically a heretic.

So asdfghjkl's existence is merely an incarnate of Darkrai...in their eyes. So they're basically after asdfghjkl.

So we have economics mixed with religion. What a feudal journey, don't you think?

Wow GT, it's almost as if you have it all figured out! is what you're probably thinking.

Far from it. I've hit a few technicalities that I'm concerned with.

1.) My supporting character is strong by nature...and I need help with that

Jenny is a merchant. I've created her as a tomboyish, destroy the typical merchant of feudal times character. She has strength. She's an honest businesswoman as well as a grifter. She is balanced, yet vulnerable at times.

She's a complex character (send help).

She has this sort of habit that I'm developing. When asdfghjkl does something insensitive to her, she would reply with this in order to rectify it:

"Rule number X, never *insert what they did* to a lady."

Or something along those lines. So anyone out there have any tips on treating a lady with respect? I need a nice list for reference. Comment away, please.

It will be used as comic relief as well as teaching all the insensitive male readers out there a thing or two.

2.) Electric Pokémon

I really want to know what you have planned ImberLapis. In the feudal period, electricity wasn't invented. So....do I eliminate them? Or do I take the approach "oh yeah electricity exists" or something along those lines? I've been racking my brain and I'm not sure how this should be addressed.

3.) Economy of feudal times? You know nothing, GT

YOU'VE GOT THAT RIGHT.

To establish feudal economic actions, I have to return to the basics. Inflation, for example. Supply and demand. Embargoes. Tariffs, taxes, indulgences.

(Memories of world history, economics, etc. am I right high school students out there?)

I can't just do a bank robbery. It'd have more like trading guilds versus actual banks. Paper money is nonexistent (or is it?). It's all about coinage. Silver, gold, copper currencies. The gaps between the rich and poor.

It's such a large realm to explore. Can I even make it exciting? Can I make it interesting?

Which brings me back to my original problem:

4.) You're a mediocre author

I wish this was humorous.

But seriously. Can I pull this off? Can I outline a storyboard, establish characters and setting, drive a plot, explore the realms and themes of the time, and remain fresh?

I don't know. I really don't.

So anyone out there, I'd like your thoughts. I'd like your help. Assistance. Anything. To help pull this together and solidify it a bit more.

I'd appreciate it.

-GT