>>56361450Like all things in our exaggerated modern discourse, >1420 has a point buried beneath the absolutes. It is true that when you're making a fanwork in someone else's setting, there's an etiquette involved--you're in their setting, you're playing by their rules. To use the example below, you can have Pokemon in 40k, but putting 40k in Pokemon would be so contrary to the premise of the setting that it would zero-sum out almost immediately. Pokemon is no stranger to dark themes, they've been present in every single entry and major spinoff barring I think maybe the original Pokemon Snap and Pokken. But those dark themes are always means to an end to reinforce the core philosophies of the franchise.
To that end, it's important to understand the distinction between what is good fiction, and what is good POKEMON fiction. Anna Karenina is fantastic fiction, but having Anna try to reconnect with Seryohza by giving him a Charmander would... fall a bit flat under the circumstances.
A Pokemon fanwork should foremost be made in dedication to Pokemon, with all other considerations coming afterward. Your story might move me to heartfelt tears and teach me to love again, but if Pokemon are sidelined to play second-fiddle or worse, then it is simply a bad Pokemon fic.
In my opinion, a good Pokemon fanwork should be able to succeed in at least 2 of the following:
1) Does it recreate the feelings of playing the games?
2) Does it thematically serve to reinforce the bond between people and Pokemon?
3) Does it realize the Pokemon world and its locales in ways the games, anime, and manga lack the budget or focus to? Does the work meaningfully add to the setting as a whole?
Personally, I keep Michael Caine's thoughts on working with the Muppets in mind: I am not writing a fanfic about a children's JRPG, I am going to write as if I was contracted by a major publisher. I will do my very best and I will treat the source material with sincere love, respect and professionalism.
