# A pondering...



## Stratelier (Jan 9, 2011)

One of the stories I'm working on as a personal project involves PokÃ©mon, but I need to make a few decisions regarding character backstories as I go along.

Among them is one character who is conveniently an orphan [tm].  The question deals with his backstory.  Just for the record he's a Shinx, but I'm thinking of a chapter where the protagonists have to pass through an area dominated by a Luxray clan, from which this character hails.  However, they don't accept him as a member of their clan, due to a background incident involving his parents.  The clan has pretty strict attitudes about who is and is not an acceptable mate, and one of his parents was found out to be unacceptable by those rules.  As a result both parents were exiled, and the clan even hunted down and killed one of them as punishment.

So the question I have to decide on is, exactly what were his parents?  Standard Pokemon breeding rules apply, so right now I can think up two options:

1 - The character's mother was a Ditto, since Dittos are shapeshifting pokÃ©mon that can breed with just about anything;
2 - Or the character's father was a Zoroark, since the dark fox pokemon feature an illusion ability that can make them appear to be just about anything.

But which makes for a better backstory?


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## Stratelier (Jan 12, 2011)

Well, looks like I'm on my own.  That's okay -- I had already been leaning one way, I guess I just wanted someone to challenge me to consider the alternative first....


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## sunandshadow (Jan 12, 2011)

It's probably because pokemon.  When you eliminate the percentage of forum users who don't know the breeding rules, then eliminate the percentage who disapprove of fanfiction in general, there's probably no one left.


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## M. LeRenard (Jan 12, 2011)

Yeah... I read your thread, but I didn't have any input because I know diddly squat about the subject matter.  The last Pokemon game I played was Crystal, and I only played through it once.  So the whole breeding thing, the Pokemon with different genders, all that... totally beyond my scope of understanding.
TakeWalker still seems to be into it, I know.  Maybe ask him?


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## Stratelier (Jan 12, 2011)

Nah, I've already decided (arguably having decided on it already before posting) .  Being a fictional mother is hard work; no only do they have to raise the children, but there's a high chance the author will have them killed off for drama, and frequently before chapter 1.


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