A Newcomer’s Dictionary to Pokéumans

Writing

Antagonist: The opposing character or force that stands as an obstacle between the protagonist and their goal. The antagonist:

• Does not have to be the villain. Remember, the antagonist is the person who opposes the protagonist. If the story revolves around the ‘villain’ (say Pokéxtinction) then the protagonist is the Pokéxtinctionist, and the antagonist is Pokéumans.

• Does not have to be a character, but can be a concept or force as well. (Like nature, technology, etc.)
  

Canon: 1) Facts and events that are stated in the original work (in this case, either the franchise itself or the OS - the Original Story) and thus are true within that setting. When writing about a fictional setting that  has not been created by you, it is key to follow as many canonical facts as possible to keep the realism in check. In Pokéumans’ case, it is stated that transformations last about a week, and thus this is a canonical fact, and should be followed in spinoffs. This is different than fanon, which are facts created by fans. 2) (As Canon Story: See Alternate Universe/Non Canon Story below) 

Crossover (Fiction): When characters, concepts and settings of two different franchises/stories are put together in a single narrative. For example, a ninja Pokéuman with a sharingan eye would be in a crossover, since the concept of a Sharingan Eye originates from the Naruto franchise. However, crossovers in the world of Pokéumans are strongly discouraged, to preserve the originality and believability of the world.

Plot: The actions and events which the story revolves around that follow a conflict, a climax and then a resolution. A story that has characters doing nothing interesting, doesn’t follow the above formula and/or has no sort of main story, has no plot.

Protagonist (Abbreviated as protag): The  main character that the story revolves around, and follows.

Spacing: How the sentences are spaced apart, and how they are distributed into separate lines. Good spacing allows for a piece of dialogue or a new action every line, and makes it easier to read especially on a computer screen.

•      Block of Text: The result of poor spacing, and literally looks like a giant, incomprehensible block of text.

Pacing: How quickly individual actions travel along the paragraph. If the pacing is too fast, it skips out on description and feels more like a summary than an actual narrative. If it’s too slow, then it drags on and some may find it exhausting to read. It will feel like an engaging narrative is the pacing is set just right.

The World:

Aquatic Pokemon: A variant of Fish Pokemon (see below). Is able to breathe or move to an extent on land, but is more suited to live in water (Such as Gyrados or Milotic). 

The Board Of Dream Messengers: The Board of Dream Messengers is the organisation in the Dream Dimension that oversees dream messaging and occasionally lays down the law when things get out of hand in their world. Originally created by Spoonerdog123 in the Ares spinoff, and is not currently known to be canonical, though mentioned in the group and used in spinoffs. For more information, see here: fav.me/d5lamey

Combo Move: Two moves performed together as a separate technique. For example, a Pokeuman might use Water Pulse and Ice beam together to freeze the pulse and aim at the opponent. They can even can have names, such as … ‘Icy Pulse’(?) for above move.

Dimensional Gem - Shards of the original portal that the original Pokémon used to escape from the human world, they have been scattered all over the world. They come as stones and their energy can be used to travel between the human world and the Pokémon Dimension.

Dream Messenger: Mentor spirits that appear to aid their recipients, who are few and far in between. Often are ancestors of the Pokéuman of question.

Base - The types of bases can vary, but can generally be defined as where Pokéumans generally live. Bases are usually run by a headmaster/mistress and contain a PRT.

Elite Four: The four most powerful battlers in the base, other than the Commander and the Headmaster. They can be challenged all in a row to leave the base early and obtain a humanizing accessory, though rarely are they ever defeated.

Energy Channeler: A special Pokémon with the ability to draw in energy from others and use it to their own advantage. They are also able to locate the Dimensional Gems. This ability has been passed down from the original Pokémon into today’s Pokéumans, though the majority have already been eliminated by Pokextinction and are often perceived as evil. Energy Channelers are currently off-limits are characters - partially because most of them have already been eliminated. 

Evolution: "A process in which a Pokémon changes into a different species of Pokémon," according to Bulbapedia. Like their game counterparts, Pokeumans can still evolve under the right conditions (i.e. a moment in the story you feel is appropriate, if they can still evolve and have the item they need, if applicable). As well, Everstones can be obtained if a Pokeuman is approaching Evolution but doesn’t want to evolve just yet.

Fish Pokemon: Any Pokemon that cannot normally breathe and move on land, and subsequently normally stay in Underwater Bases. Seldom do Fish Pokemon go on land through technological apparatus or a Humanizing Accessory. For a full list, see here: pfaccioxx.deviantart.com/art/P…

Forced Engagement of Atomic Reconstruction (Also known as F.E.A.R.): First appearing in Mosshrooms’s spinoff C-Sealed in Another Body, this substance is used to permanently turn Pokeumans back into humans, but comes with many side effects. You must ask the original creator Mosshrooms for permission to use his creation in your spinoff.  For more information, see here: fav.me/d5gi8yy

Great War - A war that occured millenia ago, between Pokémon and early humans that caused the Pokémon to remove themselves from this dimension.

Headmaster/Headmistress: The leader of the base’s school, and oversees the operations and students of the base.

Human: Probably the species you are right now. They are people that you know and live with on Earth, in cities and towns. Most humans don’t know about the secret of Pokéumans, but some are recruited from both sides to help out (though it is more common in Pokextinction).

Humanizing Accessory: Special accessories originally invented by the original Pokémon which allows the wearer to temporarily disguise as a human. While wearing a humanizing accessory, the wearer can appear as just their human selves but can use their abilities to a certain extent. With a normal humanizing accessory, the wearer can only wear it for about four hours before they experience mutations and sickness, though there are special ones that allow the wearer to change their effect. Most Pokéumans describe wearing a humanizing ring as uncomfortable and restraining, depending on the model. They come in varieties like prototype versions, that automatically turn the user back after a certain amount of time and are used by 1st class PRT members. They mostly come in Humanizing Rings, but can come as different accessories such as bracelets and necklaces.

Hybrid: A Pokéuman which has traits of two separate species, which is extraordinarily rare. Is the result of Pokéuman Genetic Splicing Syndrome, when a Pokeuman has two equally dominant genes and thus traits of both species emerge.

Hybrid Base: A base which is both a regular base and an underwater base, and contains both underwater canals and regular land rooms to suit both land and underwater Pokémon.

Mega Evolution: Though it is possible in the realm of Pokeumans, Mega Evolution can only happen after the timeline of the Original Story. More information will come up later about Mega Evolution as they become canon. 

Mew: The only legendary that lives on Earth, and the leader of Pokéumans. He takes on several guises such as Satoshi Tajiri, the founder of the Pokémon video games and makes sure that Pokemon are never truly forgotten. However, rarely is he ever seen by his own people.

Moveset: Official rules state that your characters cannot know more than four moves at the same time, or moves that their species can't normally learn.

Mr. X: The leader of Pokéxtinction, a Mewtwo. Was originally a human scientist a hundred years ago, before the grand shockwave and the founding of Pokextinction that soon followed. Apparently, he also his his own agendas…..

Oneshot: A one-chapter story, which usually doesn't have a large overarching plot like epics and spinoffs but still present a scenario of interest. 

Pokémon: 1. The original Pokémon from many years ago, who fled and are now living in the Pokémon Dimension. 2. The franchise that Mew (as Satoshi Tajiri) founded to teach others about the existence of creatures like Pokéumans. 3. Sometimes a term to refer to a child of two Pokéumans, although ‘Pokéuman’ also is used.

Pokémon Dimension (also known as the PokeDimension) - The dimension that Pokémon fled to after the Great War, and is currently the home to the original Pokémon.

Pokéuman: 1. A human that has been through a transformation into a Pokémon due to a special gene. 2. (as Pokéumans) The organization led by Mew that aims to raise, protect, and teach Pokéumans, as well as fighting back against Pokéxtinction.

Pokéumans Rescue Troop (Abbreviated as PRT) : A sub-organization of Pokéumans, that focuses on 1. rescuing transformees and other Pokéumans and 2. protecting the general population from Pokéxtinction, as well as infiltration of Pokéxtinction’s base. Each base has their own Troop, led by a Commander, that is part of a larger network. For more information, go here: fav.me/d4ckk6m

Pokéuman Villages: Settlements and towns across the world of Pokéumans, where Pokéumans live normally outside a base.

Pokéxtinction: An organization led by Mr. X, a Mewtwo, which opposes the Pokéumans. They aim to train Pokéumans and recruit humans in order to take revenge on their enemy. A person who works for Pokéxtinction is called a Pokéxtinctionist. According to Pokeumans, Pokextinctionists are often brainwashed into a brainless state to obey all orders. For more information, go here: fav.me/d4b7j9h and here fav.me/d52fjrk

Spirit Realm: The afterlife for Pokéumans, where deceased souls go for their final resting place. Some souls in the Spirit Realm go on to contact the living, and become a Dream Messenger.

Transformation: The process of transforming from a human to a Pokemon, often occurring during a Pokéuman’s adolescence. Transformations generally last a week, though there are rare methods of accelerating the process. 'Transformee' is the most used and accepted term for a person undergoing transformation. 

Underwater Base (also referred to as Fish Base or Aqua Base): A base that’s underwater and used for Pokémon that cannot breathe on land. Fish Pokeuman Students must stay in Underwater bases, though others can go on land through technology. 

The Group:

Alternate Universe/Non-Canon Story (Abbreviated as AU and NC respectively): A story that takes place outside of the universe of the Original Story (See below) and most other spinoffs (Which are Canon by contrast). For more information, visit here. 

Brandon Chan: 1.  (Also known as pokemonmanic3595): The creator of Pokéumans. Make sure to credit him if you submit anything Pokéuman-related. 2. The protagonist of the OS, a Lucario with Energy Channeling capabilities.

Clone Story: A story structure that is very similar to the OS.

The formula follows:

1. The protagonist notices their transformation.
2. They get gassed and is kidnapped in a truck.
3. They get  rescued via PRT stopping the truck.
4.They go to the base, where they meet friends, attend high school, etc. and they don’t question it.
5. And… what’s next is up to the author! Usually it involves a threat to them by Pokextinction that they themselves are willing to fight back against.

Clone stories are often written by beginners to test the waters and try a familiar (though redundant) format before moving on to making fully original plots - though some have turned into full-fledged epics, like Rescue 301 or Dragon Island (which are then called Base Stories. Stories that begin as Clone Stories then deviate into the world outside bases are still Genre Fics). Clone Stories may have some variations, but in essence follow a story similar to the Original Story. 

Editor (also referred to as a Beta Reader): Someone that looks over your work for any errors before you publish it. They can range from only correcting grammar and spelling, to giving full-blown critiques on characters and plot. It’s a highly recommended idea to get someone to look over your work, since it’s easy to skip over your own. (The editor for this dictionary, for example, was Lunarcentric )

Genre Fic:  A story that has a different formula and plot than a Clone Story, though the term is subjective.

Genre Switch: a series of guides to help newcomer authors write better and more creative stories, written by Byeonaraye. These guides, specifically written for Pokéuman spinoff authors, were highly recommended for anybody coming into the group to submit stories. However, they have been taken down by the group, and the author deems it as outdated. 

Lucario: a Fighting/Steel type Pokémon introduced in Generation 4, known as the Aura Pokémon. This Pokémon is very often used as protagonists, possibly due to the Original Story’s protagonist and their sheer popularity. Riolu, the pre-evolution of Lucario, as well as Zoroark and Zorua to a lesser extent, also falls under this syndrome.

Mary Sue/Gary Stu: A flawless character in skill, looks, or personality, often without a personality or a three-dimensional character. Often demonized for being boring and showing lack of skill in character creation. Most often, they are wishful self-inserted versions of the author, just more perfect.

Original Story (Abbreviated as OS, also referred to as Brandon’s Story): What is says on the tin - the original story, written by Brandon Chan (or pokemonmanic3595) that started it all.

Plagiarism: Directly using other resources and words and putting it in your own work without recognising the original author. Why is this in the dictionary? Because irectly copying and pasting the history of Pokeumans (whether it is from Brandon’s or Galactic-Rainbow’s deviations) into another spinoff is just that.

Pokeumans Wiki: A Wiki set up for all things Pokeumans that anybody can contribute to and edit. For more, see here: pokeumans.wikia.com/wiki/Pokeu…

Report Card Intro: When the author plays it straight and tells everything about the protagonist like that, just like - well, a report card! Example:

Hello! My name is Bob and I am a normal human! At least I used to be! I like pizza and basketball and my friends Ron and Jerry. And I really like video games, especially Pokemon. But my favourite pokemon is Lucario! And I will tell you about my adventure and how I was the greatest Pokeuman on earth!”

They can variations, but generally the information in Report Card intros can be presented by showing, not telling, the audience who the characters are through actions and events, and how they act.

•  Name, Rank, Social Security: This is a special case of the Report Card Intro, and sometimes acceptable when introducing new characters. Rather than telling everything about the character in one setting, all that is offered at the beginning is the characters name, his rank in life (student, child, adult, PRT, pokéuman), and perhaps his description. And nothing else is exposed about him. Example: “Hello I am Bob! I recently transformed into a Lucario, and now I am situated at the Hawaii Pokeuman Base!”
  

Trollfic: A story that has been written deliberately badly 'for the lulz'. Often, it’s written with bad grammar, logic, everything that breaks a story to poke fun at amateurity, and are also filled with jokes, memes, blatant stereotypes and randomness - on purpose. Brandon's current stance on trollfics is that so long as we don't get a big influx of them, it's fine.

Rule 4 (Also known as the AU Rule) : A rule on the front page that restricts the nature and amount of Non-Canon or Alternate Universe (See Above) stories. Perhaps the most controversial rule in the group, as it required all stories be in the same timeline despite many stories already existing in different ones. As well, criticisms addressed the vague wording, impracticality, and how rule restricted creativity in writing. It eventually was modified in August 2016 to allow only certain types of AU/NC stories. For more information, see the rule explanation and the rule change. 

Spinoff: Any narrative in the group that revolves around the of the setting of the Pokeuman universe. It's fanfiction of fanfiction! (Or Recursive Fanfiction, if you prefer the TVTropes Name.)

Superpower 1.  (Also known as Special Power) :  A special power or trait that a Pokéuman has that no other Pokemon their species has (Energy Channeling is an example) 2.The Fighting-Type move Superpower.

Writing Feature: A reveiw of a story, often critical that has been written. May also be used to promote the story, hence why it's a 'feature' and may be used as prize incentive. For example, this is a Writing Feature: fav.me/d5kxc1z

Ultimate Writer's Contest (Also called the Ultimate Contest, abbreviated as UC): A former contest project that required entrants to create something out of a given theme. After judging and the winner is announced, the theme would change and start all over. For more information, see here: pokeumans.deviantart.com/journ…