Writer's Workshop General Chat Thread

[Kelleo]

Last he updated, he was fine.

That's good. Let's hope it stays that way. I didn't really know the person I just mentioned, so for all I know, his problems could've been a lot worse than Legacy's.

[unrepentantAuthor]

i just finished the epilogue for the devil's gift and posted it, so it's officially finished. i also edited the first chapter. :3

I'll have a look today if possible.

[Kelleo]

So guys, I'm wondering if anyone would be interested in reading my Cilan oneshot. Since it's about Cilan, it's a Pokemon fic, so you all should understand it.

Only one person ever commented on it and they said it was really good. No one has reviewed it at fanfiction.net yet though.

[ectoBiologist]

eh, i'm not a huge fan of the anime, nor am i a huge fan of the fifth generation pokemon games so i probably won't have a fun time reading it :P. i may, if i ever get the chance though.

[Kelleo]

That's fine. Not everyone is a fan. I personally love Cilan, so I wrote a fic about him. :P

[TheLlama]

Never liked Cilan, never liked the whole sommelier concept. I feel the it is based too much on such metaphysical concepts of compatibility and bonding. I mean, such things can be rated between two humans (or a human and a pokemon) who have been together for a long time, given extensive talks and observation, but it is at best the job of a psychologist. Having rating bonds and personal compatibility being the job of a sommelier is ridiculous, gimmicky and far-fetched. It implies that they can be rated as if they consisted of simple and comparable aesthetic qualities along the lines of wine/food compatibility, or any type of art. Might as well bring my pokemon to an astrologer.

Oh, and it's the perfect excuse to have a butler-type character >.>;

End of rant.

[Kelleo]

Never liked Cilan, never liked the whole sommelier concept. I feel the it is based too much on such metaphysical concepts of compatibility and bonding. I mean, such things can be rated between two humans (or a human and a pokemon) who have been together for a long time, given extensive talks and observation, but it is at best the job of a psychologist. Having rating bonds and personal compatibility being the job of a sommelier is ridiculous, gimmicky and far-fetched. It implies that they can be rated as if they consisted of simple and comparable aesthetic qualities along the lines of wine/food compatibility, or any type of art. Might as well bring my pokemon to an astrologer.

Oh, and it's the perfect excuse to have a butler-type character >.>;

End of rant.

"Sommelier"? What the hell is that? Cilan's a connoisseur.

And Cilan isn't a butler. He's a waiter/chef.

Doesn't ANYONE want to read My Conquest? I really put a lot of thought and effort into it. ;_;

[TheLlama]

Sommelier is the japanese name for whatever they dubbed it to. It's pretty much a synonym to connoisseur.

A butler type character is very often a waiter as well. It's the same as how maid/waitress character often are the same. It's just his character type.

I can read it tomorrow, most likely ;) (and if you worry; I'll not rant about the silliness of the sommelier concept :P)

[Kelleo]

Cilan's called a connoisseur in the English anime, so I guess that's what it was changed to. But I see now. xP

And alright. I always thought Cilan was popular anyway though. I've seen a lot of people on the site say he's awesome.

Also, I don't mind the connoisseur thing. In fact, I find it interesting. And if you want to read my fic, go ahead. I'm not trying to force anyone to. :P

[LightningTopaz]

In my understanding a sommelier is one that that helps you choose a wine, so I get why they changed it

[TheLlama]

Actually using sommelier makes more sense since it's about evaluating which wine is compatible to which food - a pokemon sommelier is evaluating which trainer is compatible to which pokemon etc.

A connoisseur is a more general term for someone who's knowledgeable about something aesthetic. A wine connoisseur is knowledgeable about wine, an arts connoisseur has extensive knowledge of paintings etc. Basically a person who has extensive insight into aesthetic taste. Thus a pokemon connoisseur to me is someone who, if anything, should judge pokemon contests due to their aesthetic approach to pokemon... he would know what defines an elegant pokemon, he would know if that particular milotic had extra brilliant scales, if that lopunny had an extravagant fur or not, how that smeargle's painting was so eloquent, and so on and so on.

I may have misspoken when I said sommelier and connoisseur were synonyms. Example: a wine connoisseur - as a person with extensive insight into wine, he would logically know which wine was most fitting to which food. But that wouldn't be his main "job" as a wine connoisseur, so his role would only partially overlap with a sommelier's role. However, just like you can be a connoisseur of pretty much anything you can evaluate (I have been called an anime connoisseur before, for instance >.>;), you can thus apply that to sommelier.

My beef with a pokemon sommelier/connoisseur in particular, though, is that evaluating compatibility between two personalities isn't like evaluating taste/aesthetic value, which is what sommeliers and connoisseurs actually do, it's more of a psychologist's role...

But heck, it's a world with magical creatures flying about. We must remember that every time one tries to drag physics or logic into a discussion about a fantasy show, God kills a catgirl.

Please think of the catgirls.

[AetherX]

Derailing the convo here, but I have a warning to all Pokemon fanfiction writers:

NEVER give a character a "familiar" Pokemon that is always out of their pokeball and following the trainer around unless that Pokemon is absolutely VITAL to the story.

Seriously, it may seem like a cool idea, but it's more trouble than it's worth. I gave a supporting character in my fic a Flareon that fits this description because it seemed like a cool addition to her storyline and an interesting plot point. I was horribly, terribly wrong. Just now was the fourth or fifth time I've had to go back and rewrite a huge portion of the story because I completely forgot that thrice-damned Flareon was supposed to be with her at all times. Were she a simple journeying trainer and/or main character it would be easy. But she's not, so it's not. She's a rogue trainer prone to doing things on her own. Having a loyal Pokemon companion always by her side doesn't fit her character at all!

Sorry for the quick rant, I just felt like venting my frustrations.

I've been awfully busy (and therefor inactive) these past couple months. I've certainly missed a lot! Hope everyone's doing well.

[unrepentantAuthor]

Yes, Llama, as you wish. *thinks of catgirls ;P*

Good to meet you, AetherX. Thanks for the warning, I shall take it as sound advice.

Who else here has had the experience of being surrounded by fools? Is there any easy way to avoid being driven mad by their ignorance, their prejudice and their illogic? After seven years, I grow very weary, with my once mountainous patience long-eroded.

[Lance]

Who else here has had the experience of being surrounded by fools? Is there any easy way to avoid being driven mad by their ignorance, their prejudice and their illogic? After seven years, I grow very weary, with my once mountainous patience long-eroded.

Yep, maybe all the time. Sometimes they drive me crazy, so what I try to do is just absorb their idiocy and be patient.

[unrepentantAuthor]

[MENTION @SaFE; Watch out for your 200th post!