Venia Silente's Nominations

Historical figures in my Pokémon story? Why not! This story does not in itself offer anything innovative that I could tell, but it does pepper everything in that filter of how the past was so cool and rad and everything was better- except not, really. Everything we see runs just as well as it does your neighbour and you, but we can see here how even famous people have to go through the same worries as everyone else, even in a Pokémon world.

A long-running series in the still not very well named field of "PMD-style Pokémon-run stories in a PMD-esque world but not PMD really", and boy does SpitefulMurkrow take good time to develop this by taking several elements from PMD - starting with the titular Mystery Dungeons- and unfolding them and creating a magical post-apocalyptic cradle world in the path of rebirth with a number of agents looking to secure power, slumbering gods, heavy nation-style political powers, a functional Navy vs Pirates conflict, a Kecleon shop economy, scientists and explorers, racial and speciesist discrimination and finally (finally!) a number of young rebels roaming the world to save us all.

Sounds familiar? Sure it does! And in this case it works pretty well, the encompassing setting serving in a well-oiled feedback loop with the relatable characters.

As per usual, the nomination site only allows to pick one story so "Fledglings" it is, but settings-wise, this nomination also serves for gaiden story "Casting Off" as well.

Pick a one-off NPC that you were spoken about but probably did not even notice you battled, and unfold and twist the world around them, *before* them. Moreover, do so in a way that the story doesn't even need to have any action, or plot, or heroes or villains - the story and the life just *are*, just as they are for any of us, all that not detracting but enhancing the reader's ability to relate to the story.

With the directions the study of the character of Vito Winstrate (you do remember him, right?) I'm not sure if you could call this a best positive characterization or a best negative characterization, but it certainly hits the strong points of what portrayal of a character as seen "in-universe" should be.

Vito himself doesn't ever do anything, all we learn is from the people close to him, from the opinions his family has of him, and from yourself the reader as the events described reflect on your own memories from when you went through the game (you did give Vito some attention, yes?). Everything in there tells you a story about the character's story and it has everything that is needed to hit close to home: dreams, aspirations, legacy, rise, fall, marketing, training, and even depression.

If you didn't feel for the character, Dramatic Melody will *make* you feel. You have been warned.

A fair warning: this is a somewhat unconventional spice of funniest. The fic even has a content warning around it - but honestly? It just makes it funnier.

This is a story without a plot, without a clear antagonist and without the usual three-act narrative development because it doesn't need them. It is, in certain ways, a character study about a Skitty who has a bit of a hiiiiiiiiigh view of themself as a Trained Pokémon, and goes on to ramble on Youtube (or Pokétube?) about how he is deserving of the best Trainer ever and not just some runt with a couple of badges and it works why? Because Skitty are cats. And because the tirade there sells very well the attitude and vision of the world the Skitty would have off-camera.

Truly, it doesn't get much better than thinly veiled combinations of self-depreciation and take thats at the *reader* like this one: "Okay, so let’s assume that with some combination of luck, persistence, and my brilliant advice, you’ve managed to find a suitable trainer."

This is a longrunner that has established itself over the years as one of the best PMD-style stories going around.

It's easy to grab a standard story and put Pokémon in it. There's even an entire genre and sub-franchise for that which is PMD. But Casting Off goes extra by setting up a Pokémon-run Navy, as we have seen as part of the Fledglingsverse setting, and sending us into the nitty gritty of how it is run from recruitment and only up and up from there: all run by Pokémon of course.

The story not only involves one of the most developed PMD-style-but-not-PMD-really settings so far, and some of the nicest characters - Fledglings readers will surely remember Captain "Nugget", Cabot is the cheeriest Cranidos you'll ever meet and Berecien is the best Ponyta period (he's also a noble but ssssssh) - but it sets everyone on the course of having to face a number of problems *as Pokémon* that you and I probably take for granted, and it makes it work. At some point the story even catches you by surprise by making you realize that a horse Pokémon can't really tie or untie a rope, let alone a knot!

When you want a story by Pokémon, for Pokémon, Casting Off seems to work well as the final welcome into this particular subgenre.

One of the lead characters in Virgil's Fledglingsverse gaiden story, we get to explore his character, his backstory and his performance as he first joined the Navy. Certainly the best Ponyta around, even if I might be biassed as the originator of the character concept I'll have to say the Fledglignsverse authors have made wonders with their envision and version of this Ponyta, and in "Casting Off" it shows.

Two elements serve to highlight this character to notorious heights. First, his chance encounter with the ever cheeriest Cabot, and how the two characters despite being so different will get to click and become adventure partners. Berecien's realism, down-to-earth attitude, forthcoming energy, focus on long term tasks, fidelity to the ideal of a Navy and personal history background pointed on a slow but sure ascension towards "recovering home" all of them contrasting and empowering via feedback with Cabot's idealism, family and team focus, exuberant take on joining the Navy and somewhat of a head-in-the-clouds overall atttude.

Second, what Virgil gets to do with the character. One would not really pin a Ponyta - a hoofed quadruped Pokémon *on fire* as the kind of Pokémon that could go into a wooden ship and be anywhere near useful there… and Virgil only stamps that perception by putting Berecien through a number of hurdles that you and I take for granted, including having to tie and untie knows. Of course, Berecien being Berecien and having Cabot for (cheery!) emotional support, shows off his credentials as a character and overcomes any and all struggles, to eventually become the character we see in "Fledglings".

Makes me so proud I wanna cry out of joy.

How many stories start with the protagonist's *ultimate* defeat? Showing them at the peak of their adventure, right into the Champion's battle chamber, just about to bring down the frenzied Legendary, or in this case right in the middle of a stadium filled with people in a Final match for a Contest conference, only to take all of this away with a single stroke?

How close to home does this hit for some of us?

"Star Performer" goes to a number of pains to show you how badly this kind of defeat can crush anyone. Carefully chosen length and timing between sentences only serves to enhance the portrayal of the lead character being just thrown off their game, their mind reeling, their body tiring and still tense but their spirit just gone elsewhere. And this last, long enough into the second episode that the story even hints at the tried and true trope of juvenile love bringing people out of their shell to tell us how much strength is needed to pull the lead out of this hole.

During "Casting Off" and beyond, Virgil's take on Berecien has been that of an awesomely collected of somewhat high-strung character that does not really go on tirades and puts up his best effort with only some minor complaints when faced with adversity, and his personality has notoriously contrasted with the more energetic, hopeful and idealistic Cabot. But here…

Someone had to strike Berecien's family nerve.

"So… I suppose that's your motivation for being here?" she [Cyanea] began. "Since the Company built a giant prison complex onto your island."

"That's right. I will never forgive those square-necks for what they did to our island after driving my family out," Berecien harrumphed. "Serving in the navy has always been a tradition in our family, but I'm hoping that by being here, someday I can get our island back from the Company."

This quote -and the conversation overall- has so much Berecien energy in it that I even had to make a meme for it. That's how impressive, enjoyable and representative it is.

It takes some dedication to go on for a story that is ~60 episodes in and is nowhere near getting finished, and getting better and better with time, setting up an immersive world with relatable characters. All nicely wrapped up in a schedule that, while not frequent, leaves us wanting for more for sensible periods of time and with an accountability for releases that matches that of well-established content distributor *agencies* like HBO, all the while adding extra featurettes every now and then, even!

You wish Cartoon Network and Netflix had the delivery style SpitefulMurkrow has.

We authors don't need to deliver every day but we do need to *work* every day where possible, and the result of the daily, weekly, monthly struggle show nicely.