RESULTS BOOK | Pokémon Watty Awards

2016 d_s_t_e's Honorable Mention

My honorable mention is Fading by DestinyLegendheart. This is a one shot that essentially follows Suicune's existential crisis and how it plays out with his fellow legendary dogs and with Arceus.

I liked the structure of this one shot, which told a complete story with a distinct beginning and ending, just as a one shot is meant to do. I liked that the opening paragraph was simple and yet attention-grabbing. I also liked the note on which the story concluded. I also liked the way the plot unfolded, with little details creating a sense of foreboding at times and a number of surprising turns throughout.

One thing that I personally enjoyed about this story was that the legendaries had power and purpose that was truly suited to beings of legend. Suicune can control the water and the wind, while Arceus has even greater powers, just as one would expect. Arceus's castle was also shown to be fittingly grandiose. Some smaller things that I liked include having the accent mark in the word "Pokémon" and giving credit to the artist who created the picture shown on the cover.

What I really found to be the best thing about the story, though, was the concept upon which the plot revolved. From the beginning, Suicune is shown to have complex emotions, and I found his feeling of near-nonexistence due to being completely alone and unacknowledged to be really deep. I also thought that the story created a really interesting take on theodicy in a fictional universe. The depiction of Arceus being patronizing caught me so much by surprise that I thought it was bad writing at first, but then I realized just how fresh and clever it actually was, as well as the way in which it perfectly tied into the escalating plot. The final scene of the story was the climax. It pulled no punches and left me feeling genuine emotion.

Although the story had some technical errors and a few ideas that I felt weren't quite played out to their fullest, I think that it really is an original piece with something worthwhile to offer. It's great to see a fanfic exploring big ideas, portraying characters with intellectual and emotional depth, and evoking emotion in its readers all under the auspice of a well-constructed plot.