The Quest for the Legends

Have you ever considered making a page for The Quest for the Legends on Tv Tropes?

I'd never make a page for my own work; it feels wrong and egocentric to me. If somebody else wants to, though, be my guest (somebody made one for Morphic the other day).

A while back (and I mean, a long while back) you mentioned a fanfic called Tangled Web, by Chicrocketjames. Do you know where I could read it? I found the first three chapters somewhere, but nothing more.

I'm pretty sure the only place all the chapters he wrote are still available is here. Still got abandoned a tragically short way in, but it's quite a bit more than what you found.

Hey Butterfree, I took a Mary Sue Limitus Pokemon test on Mark and I got:

61+ Points : Irredeemable Sue. Did you base your character off Ash or what?

What do you think of this? I doubt you did base him completely off of Ash.

That wouldn't happen to be the one that makes you tick a box for every legendary the character comes into contact with, would it? Because I've run him through plenty of Mary-Sue litmus tests, and that's the only one where he didn't get graded as something between a normal, healthy character and an outright anti-Sue. And that is not a coincidence.

Mary-Sue litmus tests are inherently flawed because they can't test what actually matters, namely the mindset of the author. They can be nice clues that something could be going on behind the scenes, but for this fic, that particular question simply isn't indicative of anything at all. Sure, sometimes I guess seeing a bunch of legendaries is done to make the character more special, but the whole point of the plot here is seeking out many, many legendaries and, yes, catching them. It simply has nothing to do with the characters who are doing it, and exponentially less so with each subsequent legendary box the test forces you to check after the first one, because how in the world can the precise number of legendaries that haven't already been caught by the other kids magically affect Mark as a character?

But really, to be honest, I don't need a litmus test to tell me that no, Mark is not a Stu, because as I said, Sueism is about the mindset of the author, and the fact is I simply do not have the mindset that would make him one. Compared to the characters I find interesting in this story, I really don't give a damn about him, I don't expect you to give a damn, he's emphatically ordinary and not special in any way whatsoever except that he happened to be there when Chaletwo was looking for recruits, and as far as I'm concerned his most fun moments are usually when he's being pathetically passive and failing to do the right/noble thing. The only things vaguely Stuish about him are his Pokémon team, which is a silly artifact from the past, and the fact he's out catching legendaries to save the world, where it's made abundantly clear that he's nowhere near the most useful person involved and the basis on which he was picked was terribly flimsy and had little to do with his ability at anything. I delight in Mark's sheer unremarkableness and lack of outstanding or heroic qualities. If any character in this fic is a Sue or Stu, it's most definitely not him.

I'm not offended and all valid points to be made about the characterization in this fic are gratefully welcomed, but I think I have very good reasons to consider this test result simply inaccurate. If you would like to argue otherwise, do so by all means.

May: …

Mark: Um, well, I don't really care about being better than Ash or something, so I'd definitely rather ride a Lugia.

Old lady: What? Which year was this?

Oh, sorry, I must have missed that.

Mark: Probably just go home and study to become an artist or something.

Mark to Rose: Well, I guess I'm starting to stick up for myself a bit more, maybe, and taking more responsibility? It's kind of hard to judge these things yourself.

Old lady to Rose: Lots of things! I love knitting. My grandchildren just can't get enough of my sweaters.

Chaletwo to Brock: Physically, we're genderless. We're immortal and don't reproduce, and therefore we don't have genitalia. Some have a grammatical gender preference.

Carl to Brock: The town is gone, but the former inhabitants still keep in touch. We hope to establish a new community somewhere else.

Spirit to Brock: I feel nothing while in spirit form.

Mark to Kevin: Well, technically they don't think I'm dead, per se, but they'd remember it if I walked in front of them or something. Anyway, I'm guessing… or hoping… that Chaletwo and Molzapart can fix that somehow when they're back at full power, so…

May's Dad: How did your Meganium die?

May's dad: It… it was an accident. We were in a battle against this Typhlosion, and we were desperate to win, and… it's painful to remember.

Mark: What sparked your interest for legendary Pokémon? Also, how have your opinions on legendaries changed during your journey?

Mark: I dunno. I've just always found them pretty fascinating.

Sandslash: Have you ever had interest in taking part in a Pokéathlon or any other kind of event?

Sandslash: Maybe. I've never tried it before.

Gyarados: Do you prefer to be in your Pokéball or out of it, in the water.

Gyarados: I'd rather be out of it, but being in the ball isn't bad. It's just… stasis, where you feel fine but you can't do anything.

Gyarados (Again): Why did you eat those kids? They could have saved you!
Mew: Who was the last Destroyer?

Gyarados: I ate them because I was hungry and they were too temptingly close.

Mew: Who was the last Destroyer?

Mew: …I do not know. The Destroyer has always been a mystery.

May: Do you, in any way, blame yourself for Taylor's… (Passing? Moving on? Trip to Kindly Old Man Simmons's Farm? Sentence to the Great Metaphorical Illegal Cloning Facility in the sky?)death?

May: …

Alan: Do you, in any way, blame May for Taylor's Untimely passing to Kindly Old Man Simmons's Great Metaphorical Illegal Cloning Facility in the Sky?

Alan: Well, right now I don't even really know what happened.

Chaletwo: What was the Dragon who survived supposed to do then?

Chaletwo: I didn't think it that far at the time. As I keep saying, young and stupid.

Mitch and Sparky:Have you ever had the misfortune of a HUMAN dying in front of you and you couldn't do a thing about it?

Mitch: All too often. Poisons claim many lives even after the victims are taken to me.

Sparky: I was there when my mother died. It always sits with you; it's a very surreal experience.

Mitch and Sparky (again): If you were told that your town would be starved by earthquakes and pestilence assuming you don't give up your Gym and Pokémon to some random ten year old who was completely unqualified for the job, would you do it?

Mitch: Depends on who was telling me that and why.

Sparky: I think I'd assume they were playing a practical joke until proven otherwise.

Ms. Grodski: Were you glad when Mark left on his Pokémon Journey?

Mrs. Grodski: I'm glad to be rid of him, but I can't say I'm glad his parents let him on the journey. When will he learn if they just give in to him?

Molzapart: What evidence do you have to prove that you're not the Destroyer, hmm?

Molzapart: Evidence? Why would I be trying to stop the War if I were the Destroyer? That theory is nonsense from the ground up.

Chaletwo: Same as above.

Chaletwo: What? That's ridiculous. I'm trying to stop the War. I'm not the one that needs to present evidence here. When you produce baseless conjecture like that, the burden of proof is on you.

Mew: Same as above.

Mew. …I suppose there is no such evidence. But I am not the Destroyer.

Nurse Joy: When you see an injured / dead Pokemon, does it make you feel worse than seeing an injured / dead human?

Nurse Joy of Stormy Town: Well, I suppose there is a sense of responsibility when there's a Pokémon, since keeping them healthy is my job, but injured or dead humans are no laughing matter either.

Sparky: What's the weirdest thing anyone's ever ordered at your restaurant. Besides, of course, a Scyther ordering a bowl of beer.

Sparky: Usually people just order things off the menu, so I can't say there has been anything particularly weird, can I?


Phew.

The Talking Cheese, for future reference, yes, that was way too many questions, but I answered them anyway because I felt like it. Please don't ask so many questions again, and don't just ask a boatload of questions because you're bored; I have better things to do with my time than sitting here answering questions if you don't actually care about the answer.

Mark: Do you think you should catch a Grass type? All of your Pokemon except Gyarados are weak to either Rock, Water, or Ground, and a Grass type could easily cover all of that. You ncould catch a Torterra (Hint,Hint).

Mark: Well, maybe I should have tried to catch one before the League, but none of the remaining legendaries are Rock- or Ground-types and it's just Charizard and Sandslash that are weak to Water, so it doesn't really matter anymore. We're going to the Ouen Safari after the Eastern Cliffs, though, so maybe I'll catch something there.

Sparky and Mitch: Coke or Pepsi?
Guitar hero or Rock Band?
Halo or C.O.D?
Hamburgers or hot dogs?

Sparky: Are those animal world video games? I wouldn't know them, so I can't judge there. As for the food, I like both drinks, but I think I prefer hotdogs.

Mitch: I don't really like fast food, but I suppose if I were to choose it would be hamburgers and Pepsi.

May: What's your goal in life?

May: Succeeding as a trainer and earning some money.

May, Sparky, Mark: What's your greatest fear?

May: That's a stupid question. I'm not particularly afraid of anything.

Sparky: Oh, I don't know. It's so hard to put a gauge on such things. The imagination can come up with endless terrifying fates, but people can't waste their lives fearing each and every one.

Mark: Right now, I guess that we accidentally encounter the Destroyer and get maimed?

Mark answered not quite this question but gave pretty much exactly the answer he would give to this one a week ago.

(If you missed it, chapter 55 is up.)

I've updated the character bios for all three of the kids. The most interesting one is Alan, who has a bit in his character ramble now about the reasons for his departure.

May: What do you think of all of us question askers? Aside from the dumb scenario questions, I mean.

Mark: What do you think of all of us question askers?

May: I don't get you. Why are you even this interested in us? And it's kind of creepy how you know everything that's been going on.

Mark: Um, some of you seem okay. Some of the questions are just… weird.

Mark: Well, I've never tried one, but it sounds like it could be fun, I guess.

May: It's a bit too much if you ask me. Many-on-many battles are kind of hectic.

Alan: They're pretty cool. Nothing against them.

Mrs. Grodski: Hmph. In my day, Pokémon just battled each other one on one.

Mark: Which oneof your Pokemon is your favorite?

May: Same.

Alan: Same.

Mark: Well, they're all different individuals. I can't exactly just pick a favorite.

May: Skarmory, but Skarmory's my favorite Pokémon in general.

Alan: They're living creatures! Having a favorite is like having a favorite family member. It's demeaning.

Anyone who can answer: Has Champion Cave changed at all since, oh, say, a month and a half before the league battles started?

Chaletwo: I don't think so. It may be that the Nevermeltice crystals that grew in Polaryu's presence are keeping it cold now.

Chaletwo: Assuming everything goes well and the war is avoided, what are you going to do about your dragon trio afterward? Do you have a better idea than having them stuck inside pokéballs for all eternity?

Chaletwo: I… guess I can try to reprogram them somehow, if I'm back at full power.

EDIT: Oops, forgot these, it looks like.

Mark's Charizard: Do Pokémon become depressed or are capable of experiencing appropriately similar symptoms to the affliction humans call "depression?"

Charizard: I think so. I wouldn't know how humans experience it, but…

Scyther: When eating prey, do you have any favorite portion of its body?

Scyther: Depends on the prey. Some parts are tastier on one Pokémon than another.

Rick: Where is Mewtwo2 now?

Rick: That's none of your business.

May: Is there anything specific you hope to find in the Ouen Safari? If so, what?

May: I… don't know. Nothing special, I think.

Chaletwo: Is the Waraider Herd made up of many Waraiders of differing types or are they all just the one type?

Chaletwo: They're of different types. Waraider is just the Normal-type who's their leader, so to speak.

Mark: Do you have any recurring(?) thoughts/dreams of your family? If so, elaborate!

Mark: Nothing in particular. I mean, I think about them sometimes, but not like all the time or always the same thing or anything. Just like normal, really.

Mark: What is your favorite type?(Fire, Water, Dragon, etc…)

May: Same.

Alan: Same.

Mark: Probably Fire. A lot of Pokémon I like are Fire-types.

May: Dark.

Alan: I like them all. I don't really have a favorite.

Mark: What do you think would force you into a mental breakdown worse than any other you might have experienced previously? And what do you think an illusion world forcibly set up by your own mind to keep you happy (perhaps indefinitely), feature?

Mark: Um… that's a disturbing question. o_O I don't really know.

Mark: Hypothetically, if you were to enter a tournament that was to force you to only use one of your Pokemon, which would you choose?

May: See above.

Mark: I guess Dragonite. I mean, he's really strong and knows a lot of versatile moves.

May: Maybe Floatzel.

Taylor (while being mauled): Could you please describe what's going through your mind right now?

You can't ask dead characters, even if you specify "while they were still alive"; furthermore, I imagine all that was going through his head was pure terror and he'd have been a bit too preoccupied to explain it to you.

In the universe in which the 'fic operates, when a trainer dies, can a next of kin step in and take the Pokemon, rather than have them released? What about if it was in their Will?

Generally it's according to the Pokémon's wishes, unless those wishes conflict with somebody else's (i.e. if the Pokémon wants to be taken in by somebody who doesn't want it). Of course, Taylor's clones were taken in by Rick anyway because it's not as if anybody's about to stop him.

Also, how are Pokemon deaths investigated? Most trainers are on the road, so there will be little evidence, aside from eye-witnessed…

If the one killed or the one doing the killing was a wild Pokémon, there is no investigation. As I said before, Pokémon aren't big on human court systems. If a trainer's Pokémon kills another trainer's Pokémon, the trainer of the victim can press charges and will then just have to have the other trainer's name/picture/etc.

I've also got another question. Mark constantly seems to bag on himself about his lack of training ability - yet, he collected eight badges, and did okay the League. Is it really that big of an accomplishment to make it to the League?

Making it to the League, no. Mark actually did do pretty well, though; it's just that he credits that to his Pokémon and doesn't feel like he had much to do with it.

If either Mark, May or Alan had to die, who would it be?

Alan. Mark dying would be boring and May dying would just be a waste when she has all this character development to go through.

And how do I get the picture on my signature to not have a white background?

By making a picture that doesn't have a white background. Get a good paint program that can create transparent images, if you're using Paint.

Speaking of Colosseum and XD, what are your thoughts on them?

They were fun, atmospheric and had awesome music. I'd have liked them to be a little more properly story-based and I hated Poké Spots, but otherwise I liked them. Though I never got around to finishing XD; it was one of those games I went through training everything I got and I was somewhere on Citadark Isle with grossly underleveled Pokémon and kept losing to one of the Cipher guys. I'd like to see Genius Sonority make another Pokémon console RPG.

Oh, one other thing. What was your team on your first playthrough of Diamond / Pearl?

Something like Infernape, Staraptor, Luxray, Scyther, Gastrodon and Roserade. Later I added several more and started to rotate them (Butterfree, Leafeon, Charizard, Jolteon, Espeon, Lucario…).

Boy, I really need to catch up with these questions.

Mark: What Pokemon do you plan on catching once you arrive at the Ouen Safari?

May: Same.

Mark: I don't really know. Something good against the remaining legendaries, I suppose.

May: I… don't know.

Mark: If you could be any Pokemon, what Pokemon would you be?

May: Same.

Alan: Same.

Mark: If I had to choose? Uh, I don't know. I think I like being human. Maybe a bird Pokémon. I like them.

May: …a Psychic-type, I guess. Telepathy and teleportation would be useful.

Alan: Some Flying-type. I'd love to be able to fly on my own wings.

Mewtwo(squared): So, what's been going on with you since Taylor died? Has Rick taken you back? Does he use you? Were you released, instead? Also, similarly, how do you feel about Taylor's death?

Mewtwo^2: …

(If you just want to know, Rick has taken him back and he was not released, but he is not being used either because by now he's way too high-leveled for a first Gym of the region. And Mewtwo^2 is a bit too mind-controlled to have much in the way of opinions on Taylor's death.)

Charlie: How do you feel about the evolution/devolution?

Alan: How do you feel about Charlie's evolution/devolution?

Charlie: I'm pretty neutral about it. It can be convenient, but I don't really like to flaunt it.

Alan: It doesn't really matter to me what his physical form is, so long as he is himself.

chaletwo: how do you exactly know that you're in a fan-fic and if you know, how come mew doesn't?

Because his eyes see through the fourth wall. Look, these sorts of questions are just annoying. He nominally knows he's in a fic for convenience so that some character will be able to make fourth-wall-breaking comments in this thread. That does not mean it's some interesting canonical property of his you ought to be scrutinizing.

Mark: what would you have preffered eevee to evolve into if he didnt evolve into jolteon?

Mark: I don't know. Whatever he wanted, really.

mew: if you used future sight to see what would happen when the war would start, what do you see?

This question is nonsensical; Future Sight does not work that way.

mewtark: ~ gives bowl of milk and bowl of blood ~ what do you prefer?

Mutark: *sniffs at the milk, then eagerly goes for the blood*

may: what do you hope to replace tyranitar with?

May: I don't know, okay? Stop asking me that.

Tyranitar: ~Gives may doll~ how do you feel? ~gets female tyranitar and uses attract~ hmm?

Tyranitar: *growls suspiciously*

mark (again): do you plan on visiting the other regions just as a travvaler?

Mark: Sure, sometime when this is all over.

Rob: Have you found a pokemon to replace Scyther?

Rob: That's none of your business.

Leah: I know a guy you can call for help with Mew.

Leah: Really, who?

(No, you can't actually tell her. See the rule in the first post of the thread about not giving the characters important information they don't know in-story.)

Mark: Just a thought, but if you never formally released Mew, won't that make it impossible for anyone else to capture it? Since it's already 'marked' by a Pokéball.

Again, no giving characters important information they don't actually know in the story (or, in this case, make them think about information they haven't actually thought about). This is intentional.

Ignore the nature bit in chapter five. It makes no sense and is just another one of those goofs.

@the ditto(the one Mark battled)
how does transforming work and did it hurt as much as it would for the "real" thing when you were charizard and your tail flame got wet? oh and if you transformed into eevee would another eevees attract "make" you "love" it?

Aaron's Ditto: You just… transform. It's easy. The body transforms completely, so what's painful to them will be equally painful to me while transformed. It doesn't affect the mind, though.

@chaletwo then…how does it feel to know your not real?lol(well hey he SAID it himself;he knows)

See this answer.

Ugh. Been letting this rot for way too long.

If I forget anybody's questions, by the way, it's not because I'm deliberately ignoring them or something; it's just a mistake because I didn't see it or accidentally skipped past the post when I was looking through for questions.

Mitch and Sparky: What makes rainbows?

Mitch: Light refracting from raindrops in the air.

Sparky: Anyone who wants to! 8D

May's Blaziken: Could you briefly summarize your oldest / first memories, please?

Blaziken: Being in the nest with my mother and siblings. It was warm and comfortable, but not very interesting.

Mark's Gyarados: How did you make/learn/get your Dragon Beam attack?

Gyarados: One day as I was trying to get to Suicune, I felt something charging inside me and released a beam. At first it was weak, but once I'd discovered it I started to train myself to do it better. It came to me naturally.

May's Stantler: Do you think you will miss your herd in the Safari Zone, traveling around with May to defeat legendaries? Or were you always solitary?

Stantler: I've been solitary since my calf grew up. I was in the Safari because I wanted a new trainer, so I was prepared for leaving that behind.

Mark's Sneasel: Since becoming stronger is important, do you think you will train at hours that one would think you would normally sleep?

Sneasel: I'll train whenever I can. I don't care what time it is. You lose your sense of time in the Pokéball.

Stantler: What are your first impressions of the group, May in particular?

Stantler: My first impressions were that she was acting a little strange, but I suppose I know why now. I don't think she's a bad person. She just needs some help.

Sneasel: If you come across a pokemon obviously much smarter and stronger than you, would you still fight it?

Sneasel: Why not? Fighting a stronger opponent makes you powerful.

May's Stantler: What was life like for you in the Safari Zone?

Stantler: It was all right. Sometimes I was lonely. Sometimes it reminded me too much of Ruxido. But I wanted a trainer and I got one.

Mark's Sneasel: Same.

Sneasel: There weren't a lot of strong opponents around. I spent most of it waiting for a powerful trainer to come around.

May: Have you ever broken a bone?

May: No.

Mark: Do you think that if you let a ditto transform into a person, and tried to break a bone, would you succeed?

Mark: Um, probably? I don't know a lot about Ditto but I think they're supposed to just copy the whole body.

(I remind you yet again that Ask the Characters is not a good place to just find out some factual information about the world of the story that you're curious about. If you don't want a particular character's take on something, it's better to ask in Ask the Author - especially since I answer those much quicker than questions in Ask the Characters. I can tell you that if you broke a bone in a transformed Ditto, the bone would be broken and the Ditto would feel exactly like a person who just had their bone broken. If it transformed back into its own shape, it would stop feeling like a bone has been broken specifically, but it would still be painful for a little while afterwards. Asking Mark, though, is just kind of counterproductive.)

I have a question to May:
Have you ever considered using some kind of strategy
Moves? EG: Skarmory can learn Stealth rock if you find the TM, Butterfree can learn Tailwind, and possibly Mutark can learn Sucker Punch.

May: What are you talking about? Butterfree uses Tailwind all the time, one of Mutark's main moves is Sucker Punch, and Skarmory was rocking a Stealth Rock/Whirlwind combo in my second preliminary match. Have you been paying attention?

(Note that entry hazards are considerably less useful in most of this fic's battles than in competitive battling as we know it. You never saw May's preliminaries, but using Stealth Rock in any of the matches you did see wouldn't have made much sense since they were switchless and in fanfic battles being sent out into Stealth Rock once is not going to take away even close to half of a Charizard's stamina. Good strategy in the games is not necessarily good strategy in a fanfic.)

Mark, how do you think Charmander (the Charmander you trained, not Alan's) has matured on the course on your journey-interrupted-by-Chaletwo? Specifically, what are the signs of his increased maturity, if there are any?

Mark: Well, when he was a Charmander he was kind of grudging and easily annoyed, and once he'd evolved that redoubled into this obsessive thing against Scyther. Once he became a Charizard he got a lot more sympathetic and laid-back.

May's Stantler: Did it make you sad seeing that your former Trainer inexplicably hung himself? (I was wondering if you mourned for a while, or was simply stunned, shocked or flabbergasted, or if you shrugged your shoulders and left with only a little regret. I am sorry if I seem callous asking this, but the minds of Pokémon may be different from that of humans'.)

Stantler: It shook me when it happened, but perhaps most of all that it had never occurred to me there was anything wrong. He seemed cheerful and ordinary, the whole time I was with him, and then…

We weren't especially close. It saddened me that he died, like it would sadden me that anyone I knew had died, but more than that it was the unexpectedness that got to me. I felt like perhaps I could have helped him if I'd known. That, I think, is what hit me the hardest.

Mark: I just realized we have the same favorite Pokemon! *High fives*

Mark: Huh, really? Cool. Lugia and Articuno are pretty awesome, aren't they?

To any character: Would you rather catch a Wobbuffet or an Absol?

May: I like Absol, but Wobbuffet is a well-known powerhouse and I've already got a Dark-type, so I guess I'd rather have a Wobbuffet.

mark n' may's pokemon: if you could be anywhere at this exact moment outside of your pokeballs, where would you be (note:including letalligon)

You can't ask ridiculous numbers of characters a question like that. Pick three or four at the most.

(Oh, one more thing: Butterfree, did you watched the DP series? In other words, can I assk a question about characters from that season?)

Uh, I've seen the D/P movies? I don't really know why you'd want to ask questions about random anime characters who don't appear in the fic, though.

mays quilava: how did it feel to be picked by may?

Quilava: It didn't feel any particular way, at first. I'd volunteered to be a starter so I was ready for anything. It turned out pretty quickly that she wasn't especially fond of me, though, and it was all downhill from there.

any of marks pokemon minus sandslash: how did it feel to be caught/picked by mark?

Charizard: Better than rotting in a Pokéball all my life. He was nice and I liked him.

Sparky: why are jolly jolteons so damn fragile?

Sparky: Don't go around breaking them!

Allen: what do you think of my team of venasaur, rapidash, jolteon, omastar, rotation between onix and tyranitar and rotation between xatu and farfetch'd (note:optional)

Alan: As long as you love them all and they love you, it doesn't matter what Pokémon are on your team.

Dosnt May remind you anything about Paul?

Ash: Huh? May? She was nothing like Paul. o_O

(Ash has never met TQftL-May, so he could not possibly have an opinion on her.)