some colour no doubt

Now as good as an authors plot, characters and ideas may be, a good pokémon fic is not going to get anywhere without a good squad choice.
Many a time, authors have given new starting trainers too powerful pokémon, simply because they like that pokémon, or in some cases given starting trainers several powerful pokémon (most often, a dratini and a typical starter), simply because they want their protaganist to have a powerful dragon type without going through the bother of capturing one.
This frustrates me. In all of my fics, I try to pick a realistic squad, one which a reader could imagine themselves using. For many an hour, I have trawled through Bulbapedia pages on different pokémon, weighing up whether they would fit into my current fic and my characters progression.
Whilst in my older fics this may not be apparent, in my latest fic, Seasons (read here), i tried to pick pokémon that weren't the norm for a high level trainer to have, as my current squad at the time of this writing remains at Absol, Sandslash and Flygon, with Flygon used primarily as a transporter pokémon and little in the way of battling (sorry Flygon fans).
Inspiration can come from many a place, from the pokémon I am using on Soulsilver or Platinum, to simply seeing a pokémon in the anime and taking an instant like to it. Many a time, I have placed pokémon into a fic unexpectedly and unplanned because I gained a sudden liking for it, which, if not fully incorporated to the rest of the fic completely, can prove disastrous to the overall plot.
So, my recommendation is, plan your squads according to your character. If they are a starting trainer, think of simple pokémon, ones you would encounter on the beginning of your game, like Pidgey and Rattata, and for a high level trainer, use primarily fully evolved pokémon, but try to leave room for weakness, don't make characters/squads invincible, make them believable.


This is my first ever blog post, so whether this is what it is supposed to be, I don't know. All do know is, after a night out on the town with my Uni mates, this seemed like a good idea. Don't expect frequent updates, becuase I can't promise anything, but if another issue comes up, to do with fanfiction that bugs me, I'll be sure to writa about it. Any suggestions, just PM me them and I'll try to write about them.
Be sure to check out the fics at the workshop, most often the unviewed ones are the ones who shine the most!