Thursday, January 24, 2013

Competitive Pokemon

I really got excited the other day about finding the website Pokemon Showdown. It's a virtual battle simulator where you can plug in your own Pokemon with their own held items, abilities, attacks, and natures, and even distribute appropriate IVs to create your perfect Pokemon team without having all the hassle of catching and training in the actual Pokemon games. Granted, there's no way to export the teams but it does give you an idea if your hunch for a great Pokemon bunch is right or not. Also, it allows you to instantly battle players worldwide!

I play under the alias ' Youngster Pete ' :) - but rather than build my own Pokemon dream team, my favorite function of the website is the random battles. Random battles let the computer database and matrices decide your Pokemon for you, so you have no idea as to what batch you'll be battling with each time. The opponent's Pokemon are also randomized so you don't know what you are up against. It adds a great level of strategy and difficulty to the game. You have to use the Pokemon and moves that you have in order to defeat the opponent's unknown Pokemon. This extra difficulty, and a little bit of luck, makes it all the more exciting for me, and I've come to appreciate a lot of Pokemon that I would otherwise not have battled with at all.

I don't like the OU or player chosen teams as much before the opponents there tend to stick with the same few powerful Pokemon in every team making it very hard to see whether or not your Pokemon (a NATURAL looking Pokemon team) are really efficient. I hear that there is a way to turn on the tournament rules so they cannot use all of the overpowered Pokemon on their teams, but I haven't figured out exactly how to do that.

Nevertheless, I am having a lot of fun with the website and having fun discovering the eSport of Competitive Pokemon :) - in fact, I have recorded a number of my random battles and posted them online for viewing. Most of them are about 5 minutes long each. You can find the playlist for them here ....

Swick's POKEMON SD Random Battle Playlist.

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

TERRORVISION

Oh. My. Goodness.

I rewatched the most ridiculous horror movie I have ever seen in my life and I decided that I had to share it with everybody.


TERRORVISION
(1986)

So, on a far-off planet, a mutated creature is about to be vaporized but is accidentally sent via satellite to Earth- in particular to an 80s-tastic suburban family who is just installing their brand-new satellite TV. The creature gets stuck inside their TV, and if it is left on for too long, the creature crawls out and it liquifies and eats people in their household. The alien that accidentally sent the creature begs for humanity to just leave their televisions off for the next 200 years so that the creature would fizzle into nothingness, but of course, this doesn't happen. At my house, you can hardly get the TV to turn off for two seconds!

Also, this movie is DEFINITELY not for kids (firstly, it is rated R). Did I mention that the house is filled with a 'swinging' Mom and Dad, a hair-metal obsessed Sister, a conspiracy theorist Grandpa, and a neurotic insomniac Brother? Yeah, these are some interesting characters. The scenery was dreamed up by a 12 year-old boy. There are paintings and sculptures of naked women EVERYWHERE.

I can't understand why the movie only has a 2 star rating on Netflix. Obviously most people don't appreciate Terrorvision's touch-in-cheek humor. If you've watched classics like The Giant Gila Monster or Earth VS The Spider, then this parody will appeal to you. However, if you've never watched a monster movie in your life, .... I feel so sorry for you. They are just so much fun.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

New Jobs and New Worlds

I'm moving on up in the library world! - just this past week, I was called upstairs to the administration office and was offered a place at the youth desk as an assistant. The lady who originally worked here rotated between reference and youth and the one who would take her place is going to be permanently assisting the reference desk with their geneaology department. So, that left an opening in youth and this position was created. I was recommended for the job. Since I really want to work as a youth librarian one day, I immediately jumped on the offer and so far I am loving it! Of course, I miss the circulation desk and the people I work with terribly. But, on the bright side, they are only about twenty steps away from my new desk. In fact, I am waving at them right now :)

The atmosphere in the youth department is quite different. While I would equate the circulation desk to being like an ant hill, the youth desk is more relaxed. At circulation, we strive to be constantly busy, constantly carrying out orders, and constantly ready to defend the library from the verbal assaults of disgruntled patrons. After so many weeks at this work, it becomes more mechanical than anything else. I found myself going through my daily routine over there without even thinking about. I'm sure that this familiarity will come to the youth desk as well, but even so, the tasks are very different than that of circulation. The best analogy I can think of is like a prarie dog town- everyone does their own thing at their own pace but when the lookout barks the command to duck and cover, we group together to weather the storm or battle the foe. It's a little weird not being constantly busy all of the time, but I relish it because it really lets me bring out my creative side more.

Apart from this news, I dabbled a little bit in the online MMO MapleStory and I must say that I am enjoying it quite a lot. Probably because it is a platformer, has simple controls, and is quite cute if you ask me. I have a difficult time playing MMOs like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars (although I like both) simply because the control scheme on the keyboard is too difficult for me to do anything quickly thus resulting in my early demise. MapleStory is only a few keys, and an easy learning curve, so I am enjoying it. But it has gotten a little tiresome, simply because there isn't much variety in the gameplay. I think perhaps I should try a different class. My current character is Bookcart on the Renegades server; she's a Brawler class (basically a tank) and punches her way to freedom.

I configured Felicia's computer to use an Xbox 360 controller so she could play Skyrim with more ease, and I wonder if I am able to do the same thing with Guild Wars 2. MapleStory is cute, but Bookcart and her quirks have nothing on my Norn barbarian Rally Madslash, haha :) - plus I know people that actually play Guild Wars 2 and it's not very fun to play an MMO all by your lonesome.

Friday, January 18, 2013

If You Were Going To Do My Life As A Movie...

.... I think that Foster The People's album Torches would be the most appropriate choice as the soundtrack.



This will probably come out of left field for some people because it's not what I normally listen to or what I normally talk about. My favorite music is generally all types of metal; in particular, folk metal (I think it's that battle sounds and the image of vikings and dragon-slaying that gets me really excited) ... but that kind of music just doesn't suit the events that have happened so far. Had I been a soldier or born in a different era, it might be different, but the way things are. I think this little indie pop jewel will suit us just fine. I've copied and pasted my favorite parts out of the songs that I think are the most relevant to me. I'm not going to go into a ton of detail as to why they are a good fit because I'm not really a leaky faucet like that, brother.

1 ) Helena Beat

"Wake up strange and take the walk downstairs
Hit the pawn up on the corner and pay for my rent
You know that I could not believe my own truth
Just show them what I choose, got nothing to lose

Yeah yeah and it’s O.K.
I tie my hands up to a chair so I don’t fall that way.
Yeah yeah and I’m alright.
I took a sip of something poisoned but I’ll hold on tight."

2 ) Pumped Up Kicks

"Yeah! He found a six-shooter gun in his dad's closet,
with the box of fun things.

I don't even know what,
but he's coming for you.
Yeah, He's coming for you!

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, outrun my gun.
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks,
You better run, better run, faster than my bullet."

3 ) Call It What You Want
"Call it what you want
Call it what you want
I said just call it what you want
Call it what you want

Yeah we're locked up in ideas
We like to label everything
Well I'm just gonna do here what I gotta do here
'Cause I gotta keep myself free
You're ducking and moving just to hide your bruises from all your enemies
And I'm in the crossfire dodging bullets from your expectancies"

4 ) Don't Stop (Color on the Walls)

"I run they run everybody run run
And we're all just having fun
Sleigh ride boat ride piggy back ride
I'm going to show them all how I can ride
One two three close your eyes and count to four
I'm gonna (I'd like) to hide behind my bedroom door
Crayons on walls
I'll color on them all
I'll draw until I've broken every law"

5 ) Waste

"You know it's funny how freedom can make us feel contained
Yeah When the muscles in our legs aren't used to all the walking
I know if you could snap both your fingers that you'd escape with me
But in the meantime, I'll just wait here and listen to you when you speak... or scream"

6 ) I Would Do Anything For You

"Oo la love, I’ve fallen in love, and it’s better this time than ever before
Oo la love, I’ve fallen in love, and it’s better this time than I’ve ever known"

7 ) Houdini

"When I feel kinda bad and don't want to stress
Pass it off on a better day
Well you got what you want, and what you never knew
Perfect gift from me to you

Yeah yeah yeah

Got shackles on, my words are tied
Fear can make you compromise
Fasten up, it's time to hide
Sometimes I wanna disappear"

8 ) Life on the Nickel

"You got to push, got to shove
I've got to eat before they eat me
Got the crown and the cup
I've got to write to my family
And say, "I'm calm and feeling warm."
I'm not quite there, but I'm close
And it's a world of a difference"

9 ) Miss You

"Heat stroke, death's like
The wrong things that I think are right
I never knew that I could go as far as this
I took a problem recently forgotten
I know who I had been before I slipped
Oh, I want to change it
I will live a life that makes you smile
When I'm done here and long gone
Feverish speaking, just wanna see your face
Oh, What you say, what you say?"


 
10 ) Warrant

"Well I've been judged I've been a bug unknown
I know all about it but my heart is strong

I've been away been running to save my head
Yeah the warrant's out and I'm almost dead
I won't say what I've already said

Got to get away
Yeah, the warrants on my head
Got to get away
They want me alive or dead"


If these lyrics sound pretty cool, you can listen to some samplers >HERE<



Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Something You Just Can't Replace...

There are few material objects so dear to me that I can't live without. I've been raised with the mentality that things are just things and the things themselves hold no emotional value. It's the memories you keep and the lessons you learn that are the most important. However, there are a few items that I have that are irreplaceable; namely the B-flat clarinet I played throughout junior high and high school.

I don't know what inspired me to play clarinet in the first place, but it was what I chose and once I made my decision, my parents went out and bought me a beautiful Buffet clarinet. The first few days of band were a little awkward because I had been placed in the brass class; apparently, all of the band kids had to go through a 'trial' to determine what instrument they would be put on. I guess it was just assumed I would play a brass instrument and they scheduled brass class for me. However, I was pretty set on playing the clarinet and so they had to shuffle me into the woodwinds class. I was the envy of the band class for a time, and not necessarily in a good way. I was one of the few kids that got to play the instruments they wanted. I didn't get it out of luck though; I got it because my family was pretty well off and I didn't have to rent my instrument... that didn't earn me many friends.

I loved band class. It was my favorite class from 6th grade all the way until I graduated- even trumping lunch, P.E., library aide, and the only class I earned a tassel in : English. I wasn't the best clarinet player; I hovered between the second and third rows most of the time.... There was just something about all of the instruments and melodies coming together to make a whole musical piece that was magical. I had a hard time making friends and an even harder time keeping them. Band always made me feel like I belonged somewhere, and that I had many many friends. We were all teammates, in truth; you have to be, in music, in order to deliver spectacular concerts. As long as I was with the band or playing my clarinet, I was never really alone. And I liked that. From afar, I seem like a solitary person but more often than not, I'm lonely. I don't speak up so much but I want to be around people.

I had two clarinets by the time I got into high school. My Buffet was made of wood and ill-suited to marching band, so I borrowed a plastic Vito clarinet from an old music professor and swore to give it back after I graduated high school. It wasn't as well-made or as nice as my Buffet, but at least I wouldn't have to worry about it in the rain or cold. Besides, nobody can really hear the clarinets on the marching field anyway. I had great fun in marching band, and it added even more to the sense of belonging and teamwork that I felt with band. It wasn't just auditory now. It was visual too. You could see it!

... about halfway through my senior year, that illusion was shattered for me. I came out as a homosexual (on accident) and was largely shunned and bullied by the people I once thought were my friends. Music no longer held its' magic; nothing really did. I tried as hard as I could to shut myself off from everything. In all of my anger, frustration, and sadness, I don't know what happened to that little Vito clarinet. I'm pretty sure I gave it away; I can't find it anywhere.

I miss it sometimes. I still have my Buffet. It sits in a little nook at my office desk, and every now and then, I open the case and just look at it and remember all the good times. But that little Vito was my friend too.

Monday, January 14, 2013

Why My Family Would Make a Super Awesome Pokemon Team

I found this little gem the other day ....



.... and decided to have a little fun and see which what type combinations all the member in my family would get and whether or not we would be a good Pokemon team (because there are 6 of us ) :)

1 ) SUMMER (myself)

My type : Psychic / Rock
My Pokemon matchup : Lunatone


My role as a Lunatone would likely be a wall and be able to set up defenses for the rest of the team. Because of this Pokemon's ability Levitate, I am immune to Ground-based attacks as well as 'trap' moves like Toxic Spikes and Stealth Rock. My specialty would be using powerful Sp. Atk moves against largely physical opponentsa who would likely have low Sp. Def. In a perfect world, my nature would be considered Modest giving my Sp. Atk a nice boost, but lowering my physical Atk. which I would really have no need of....

The moveset I would ideally use is : Psyshock , Stealth Rock , Light Screen , Embargo


2 ) BILL (my dad)
His type : Bug / Flying
His Pokemon matchup : Yanmega

My dad would definitely add to the speed factor of a Pokemon battle as well as get in all of those nasty little status effects including Poison and Confusion. Because of this Pokemon's ability Speed Boost, his speed would increase every turn guaranteeing that there would be no way the opponent could get in moves without getting slowly drained away. His ideal nature would be Naive taking extreme advantage of the boost in speed it would give him and getting rid of less needed Sp. Def.

His ideal moveset would include : Quick Attack, Bug Buzz, Toxic, Supersonic

3 ) MEL (my mom)
Her type : Flying / Normal
Her Pokemon matchup : Pidgeot


Pidgeot is an excellent member of the team because of the wide variety of moves it can learn as well as its' solid speed and attack skills. The ability Keen Eye guarantees that any trouble-causing status effect moves used on it won't deter its' accuracy so it's almost 100% accurate with physical based attacks. Her ideal nature would be Adamant to crank up the attack base with a little neglect to Pidgeot's already lacking Sp. Atk.

Her ideal moveset would include : Aerial Ace ,  Whirlwind , Double Team , Roost

4 ) MARY (my sister )
Her type : Fire / Ground
Her Pokemon matchup : Camerupt

I'm counting on Camerupt here to be the heavy tank hitter of the team. Her ability Solid Rock allows her to take little damage from even super-effective attacks. I'd further exploit this if she had a Relaxed nature which would pump up her defense at a risk to her already low speed. Camerupt's fire-based attacks are great against virtually any opponent, and Ground-based attacks are able to attack multiple enemies at once. That makes this Pokemon one mean fighting machine capable of withstanding virtually anything.

Her ideal moveset would include : Magnitude , Lava Plume , Yawn , Strength

5 ) 'LANA (my sister )
Her type : Bug / Water
Her Pokemon matchup : Water / Bug

'Lana's role in the team would definitely be the wildcard. The nice thing about this type matchup is that anything one type is weak against, the other type is resistant to which gives it nice stats all around. It's ability Swift Swim would allow it to have double speed in the rain, or water in general. Having a Sassy nature would be ideal because the only moves really capable of hurting it are Sp. Atk based and this would increase its' Sp. Def with a little hurt to its' Speed. Surskit would be great in helping setting up the battleground with all sorts of tricks.

Her ideal moveset would include :  Mist , Bug Bite , Rain Dance , Solarbeam


6 ) BLAIR (my brother)
His type : Water / Dark
His Pokemon matchup : Sharpedo




My brother's role on the team would likely be one of the heavy hitters (along with Mary). Because of this Pokemon's ability Rough Skin, any type a Pokemon hit him with a physical based attack their health would be lowered. His ideal nature would be Impish; thereby bolstering his defenses to make use of his inborn ability and getting rid of his less necessary Sp. Atk. Sharpedo has great speed and would be a fantastic asset as a tank against Psychic, Ghost, and Ice types which are some of the trickiest types to fight against in the Pokemon game.

His ideal moveset would include :  Crunch , Surf , Bounce , Torment



WEAKNESSES / RESISTANCE CHART

I think we'll be all-right as long as we don't have to fight a double battle with Lt. Surge and Elesia

 

Yup, with the six of us together, we are one badass Pokemon team! :D

Saturday, January 12, 2013

If I could take any animal home from the zoo ....

.... I would probably want to a primate. My first instinct is to say a chimpanzee, but then I remember all the horror stories with chimp aggression, including the famous story where that lady got her face ripped off and eaten by a chimp.I'm not sure I'm dominate enough to stay dominate with a chimp, but they sure are cute.


And they are so remarkably intelligent. I would love to have a chimpanzee in order to study its' use of language. I would love to have a conversation with one, figure out what it thinks, what it feels. I've read several different books about chimpanzees and the development of language. It is something that I would love to experience for myself. Maybe even learn something new. The books that I've read have never been very definitive about whether or not chimpanzees are self aware or if they have abstract thoughts. Chimps are so remarkably close to humans on a genetic scale that I can't help but find them absolutely fascinating.

I would highly recommend reading the following .....

Half-Brother by Kenneth Oppal
The Only and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

That being said though, they are by far more aggressive and I'm not I would be capable of handling that.



So I'll settle for a nice shy gorilla

Thursday, January 10, 2013

Writing Criticism and Video Setbacks

I received a review from the famous Farla on Fanfiction.net ! - she pointed out some punctuation and capitalization problems that I have in my writing, and one paragraph with phrasing that could be really misconstrued. I'm grateful she took the time to read one of my works. She's really a legend.

I read through her profile and I looked over the review work that she's done and man! - I know people joke all the time about how what with all of the terrible young adult fiction coming out how easy it would be to get a novel published, but if authors go through editors and beta readers and critics as tough and hardcore as Farla, they must be a lot better than they are made out to be. I never thought my writing was lacking before, but now I'm inspired to continue to work on my craft even more... even if my craft is just Pokemon fanfiction, haha.

I talked a lot about writing a novel when I was in junior high and high school, and I have daydreams about it now and then, but man, nowadays I'm just not sure I'd be able to write a full blown acceptable novel. Just when I get an interesting concept in my head, I work with it too much and then it becomes too complicated or then I figure out that somebody has already beaten me to the punch. I'm not looking to write something completely original, but I'd like to put an interesting twist on a novel concept.

Anyway, I began a Pokemon Fire-Red Let's Play series on my Youtube channel and it was going really strong, but then my computer decided to crash and I had to restore everything to factory settings. I didn't lose a lot of important files (at least, not things that can't be duplicated) but among those files, I did lose my recordings and my save files for my Let's Play. I think I'm going to try to recreate everything, but it's definitely delayed my progress. I'm a little bummed about that.

Did I tell everyone how much I like One Piece already? : )

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

My Favorite Quote.



“Live a good life. If there are gods and they are just, then they will not care how devout you have been, but will welcome you based on the virtues you have lived by. If there are gods, but unjust, then you should not want to worship them. If there are no gods, then you will be gone, but will have lived a noble life that will live on in the memories of your loved ones.”
-- Marcus Aurelius


This is perhaps my favorite quote. It's not one that I often post or use but it is the one that speaks to me the most. I live in what the United States calls 'the Bible Belt' and since I am a homosexual, I get battered with bullying Biblical quotes day and night by intolerant Christians (and various other religions and their scriptures). While I struggled with my sexuality in junior high and high school, being accepted was a major priority for me, and it was hard for me to accept myself when everyone around you tells you that 'God hates fags' - I'm a pretty logical person, in real life, and so I couldn't grasp why God would hate someone for loving someone even if that someone led a virtuous life. This quote spoke to me because it made me realize that this life is too short to spend it unhappy and trying to be virtuous. As long as I was a virtuous person, I deserved to be happy as well, and if God wants to punish me for loving someone of the same gender, then He is unjust and not worth worshipping at all. Many will disagree, but this quote helped me feel okay with who I am so I'm not a stranger in my own skin.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

5 Books I Read in 2012 That Really Surprised Me

I have too precious time to waste on terrible books. I can be a really tough critic. I generally know what I'm getting into before I read a book, and I feel really bad when I say that I do judge books by their covers. But you know, some just fit the mold! The books below are books that I read this year where my first impressions of the book were completely wrong and I was surprised by what I found in them.

--

Most Surprising Fiction Read ........ Hell Train by Christopher Fowler



I know half of you are going 'what?!' but this wasn't even a hardcover release!' And I remind you what the category is.

Fowler wins this award with Hell Train because firstly, it's 'leisure horror' and my experiences with leisure horror have been terrible; second, it was only $3.00 for me at Walmart so honestly, I wasn't expecting a lot. But what I did read blew me away - four couples accidentally board a train bound for Hell and in order to get off and win their souls back they must overcome their vices - aka 'the seven deadly sins' - the storytelling is captivating and the demons and the trials are positively GRUESOME. Perfect for any horror fan! It well exceeded my expectations of it to become one of my favorite reads of 2012.




While this book didn't warrant a 5-star rating from me (I ended up giving it a 3-star), it was definitely the most fascinating nonfiction book I read this year. How do doctors declare people dead? What makes a person dead? What ethical issues are there over organ donating? - it turns out that the truth is stranger and creepier than fiction. My only issue is that Teresi seems terribly one-sided, arguing strong against medical practice in general, throughout the book which is not only unprofessional but makes this book a little untruthful. If you do pick it up, read it with a grain of salt.


Most Surprising Youth Read .......... Death Cloud by Andrew Lane



I got the tip to read this book from my friend Elyse. Normally, I avoid 'young Sherlock Holmes' series because they just borrow the name and then the character doesn't really match up, and no offense but most writers don't do the character Sherlock Holmes justice. He's absolutely brilliant and in all the 'young Sherlock Holmes' mysteries, he is less so. I kind of had my doubts this was going to be any better. I'm glad I decided to give it a whirl though because it well exceeded my expectations. Wow! - and it's the only 'yound Sherlock Holmes' series that the official Sherlock Holmes society (I forget what they are called right now) actually deems canon, it's so well-written. So if you are a Sherlock nut, or even just a lover of mysteries in general, you got to pick this one up. Very well-written!

Most Surprising Comic/Manga Read ........... One Piece by Eiichiro Oda




Anyone looking my Goodreads.com thread will know that this was the year of the manga for me, because I was so desperate to catch up on a lot of popular anime/manga before the first official AMA-CON back in July 2012. Among the stuff I read, I picked up One Piece thinking it was going to be a typical shounen manga- a blaze through but forgetable. Well, 30 volumes later, and it remains as one of the best anime/manga that I have even partaken in. One Piece is about a rubber man named Luffy and a ragtag band of pirates who go after a legendary pirate king's treasure and all of the goofy people and adventures they encounter. I love this manga because it's just fun! It doesn't take itself so seriously like BLEACH and it doesn't rely on info. dumps like Naruto. One Piece has the action/comedy ratio perfect and the drawings are just out of this world. Oda is one creative guy :)

Most Surprising Completely Terrible Read ........... Halo by Alexandra Adornetto



Goodreads.com advertised this book all over the place this past year, and praised it as the next 'Twilight' saga for teens. Although I wasn't a big fan of Twilight, I decided to give it a try, and regretted it soon after. The book is basically Twilight for the Christian crowd, instead of vampires there are angels. Angel Bethany falls in love with Human Xavier and their love is forbidden. Bethany however is such a Mary-Sue and Xavier such a Gary-Stu, that the book is unbearable, and the books contradicts itself over and over just to make special exceptions for Bethany. Somewhere in the plot there's supposed to be a battle for Earth between God and Satan, but 98% of the time, it is Bethany creaming her panties over Xavier which makes this not only unbearable but uncomfortable to read. If you want to retain your sanity, just stay away from it. Any 'good' reviews you see on it, Adornetto probably paid them to do so.

Friday, January 4, 2013

My Dangerous New Hobby

Nope, not drugs.
Nope, not prostitution.
Nope, not excessive amounts of alcohol.
Nope, not ridiculously loud and fast motor-vehicles.
Nope, not porn.

My new hobby is : making let's play(s) to post on YouTube, specifically Pokemon.

And the only one that it's dangerous to is my girlfriend because it demands a tremendous amount of time to play, film, edit, finalize, and post.

Let's just say I taped 40 minutes of gameplay yesterday... it took 3 hours to edit. 3 hours to finalize and another 30 minutes to upload and post.

7 hours for 40 minutes. Sounds like a bad punk/new wave song, right?

But I am so proud of myself! I never thought I'd get the chance to do it!




I've decided to limit myself to only 2 a week or so, just so my whole life isn't consumed by it. Thankfully, my girlfriend is pretty supportive of me trying new things.

I might post some animation stuff up there too once I figure out how to use my new animation program : D

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Need A Boost? Try Generators :)

The new year has started off as a little bit of a surprise for me. I've been doing more writing in the last few days than I have in a years. Granted, it is fanfiction, so it's not really original writing, but hey! - if my muse keeps going and my writing gets better, I may just turn around and write something. I won't promise anything; I'm just excited I've started writing again.

Those who know me personally probably aren't as surprised as I am. I used to write a bunch in junior high and high school, both original stories and fanfiction. When I got into college, I got pretty busy with school work and essays that it just drained me creatively... I only even got back into it after a joke a coworker and I were making at work about Pokemon, then it turned into 'hey, you should so write that' and then I just decided to do it. Neat, huh?

For those who want to get back into writing, or start writing creatively, I highly recommend trying some computer story generators to get your thinking process going. My favorite site to go to for story ideas is Seventh Sanctum where there's lots of different genres to choose from. It also has the best links section leading to other websites with story (and even for fanfiction) generators.

For example on how to use generated ideas incorporated into your story, here's a link to one of my recent Pokemon short stories - Standing Up.

I used only a few elements to generate the story idea for this piece.

1 ) Random Number Generator : I told the computer to randomly generate a number between 1 and 650 (an approximate number of total Pokemon) and it gave me '297'

2 ) Pokedex : I consulted the national Pokedex to see which Pokemon was labelled number 297 - Hariyama. So I picked him as the main focus of my short story. I read the Pokedex information to make sure I got the character right.

3 ) First Line Generator : My weakness when it comes to writing is always my beginnings, so I generated a sentence from this handy generator and got - "He hadn't meant to scare him" - that I would use as the first line of my story.

Hariyama is a big Pokemon so I thought what would be scared by him? - a little kid! And Hariyama didn't mean to, because Hariyama only wanted to play.




Tada! And that's how 'Standing Up' was born :)

I really like this method for Pokemon fanfiction and I have a few more with the same elements in progress. So, the generators are really helpful. I hope my explanation showed just how they could help you too!