The Drunken Truth:

"Ash, now 18, returns from Unova to visit his old friends of Kanto. During his visit to Cerulean City, he accidentally gets... well, drunk.

This is a short fanfiction for the sake of humor because, let's face it, these types of situations are funny if they're not happening to you."

Genre: Fanfiction

Ivy (@RiverIvy)'s Review:

(Warning: critical critique is critical)

This is a short, humorous, and surprisingly well-written one-shot about an encounter with Misty and a drunken Ash. Obviously, it's a PokeShipping oneshot, so if you're picky with certain shippings in books, you might want to keep that in mind.

To put it simply, this book had absolutely no noticeable flaws. It was all that a romantic one-shot should be – cute, funny, emotional, and sweet.

The plot itself was simple yet a perfect scene for this type of romance to happen – what I also think makes this so great is the fact that the author really managed to capture the realism of the character's personalities and relate it to the events in the plot. Ash, being drunk, and the things that he says and does, are perfectly in sync with his character in the anime and just what you'd expect out of him. This made the story particularly enjoyable to read.

Another thing that I loved about reading it was the humor. There's really no way to explain it – it was funny, the concept was funny, and I laughed along while reading it :P But, the real gem here is that the book managed to make me laugh, and still get touched by the romance that was going on and the character's thoughts and feelings, which, especially on Misty's part, was in-depth and wistful. Good job!

As for description – well, it definitely wasn't bad, but there wasn't anything too special about it. Just average details and words, enough to paint a picture of the general surrounding I guess. However, I don't think this deterred the story too much because being of the genre that it is; it focused instead more on the feelings of the characters, and their actions and how they related to their feelings. Usually I'm quite picky with describing well enough, but eh, I'll let this one pass because it managed to do better without it.

The grammar was perfect. Not one typo spotted :3

Overall, this was a short, sweet, entertaining review for a short, sweet, entertaining story. I'd recommend it for basically anyone who's into romance and even those who aren't; and because it's a one shot, basically anyone has a time to read it. Although, I think AmourShippers won't be too happy with it, but I think they'll still manage to appreciate the quality of the writing :P

Rating: 9.5/10

Lostie (@Lostie-P)'s review:

Pros:

1) I really liked the idea of how Ash managed to get drunk. It was already a pretty humorous oneshot, but I thought that detail was especially funny. Was that a way of slipping in another ship, or was it just for humor purposes? Guess I'll never know.

2) Though it was a story idea I've read about a couple times, I liked the way you wrote it. I liked the humor (as previously stated), with the added serious mood later on.

3) Hungover Ash was probably my favorite part of the story, as well as when he has to explain himself to Misty. Without giving away spoilers, all I can say is it must take a ton of courage to say what he did. It was easier for Misty since she went after Ash.

Cons:

1) When you used a hyphen, you'd only use one. Which is actually more correct than two or three according to my English teacher! Just not the short one (-). If you're on an apple product when writing, you can just hold down on the hyphen button to get the long one that you're supposed to use (— or –). I mean, I learned this Friday, so I have the same problem. It's not a big deal as it didn't take away from the reading experience, just a small conventional error.

2) Only use three periods. I mean, not total of course, I mean when you write something along the lines of "Oh no...". I can't remember the name of three periods, but I'm sure you know what I mean. I'd notice you use five or six, which makes the story seem a little less quality than it is. Again, just conventional errors.

Those are the only major things I noticed! I really enjoyed this oneshot, even if I really don't ship Pokeshipping. Good job!

Overall: 8.5/10

X (@Darker_X)'s review:

"The Drunken Truth" is a one-shot written by Wattpad author gymnastgirlflips. A painfully short anecdote of a hypothetical scenario where glamorous celebrity Ash Ketchum(No, I don't like him), gets drunk, it was so sad as to how I didn't get to read more of this author's works.

Since it was a one-shot, there's really only a few points to cover the premise of the review- all in all, this was a short, entertaining read, perfect as a template to be used for humorous one-shots. It has a unique plot, a nice diversion from all the fights and battles- I particularly liked the way I could almost visualize Ash Ketchum giggling and goofing off! It was an amusing diversion from his usual hot-headed, bashful, determined persona. (No, I'm really not a fan of him.) I must say, it might even made me gain a little respect for his more emotional, sensitive side! (Still, not a fan) This is a perfect portrayal of how getting drunk can get you in humorously complicated situations. The only possible suggestion I would give to make the book better is a bit of editing. There were several instances where I noticed the grammar go anxiously awry. It's not drop-dead clumsy- some editing would make it perfect, like how chocolate chips and chocolate fudge make chocolate ice cream go from delicious to divine.

VERDICT: By one-shot standards, this article of work was really good. Another example of how delightfully unique creative minds can and should get, I would definitely recommend The Drunken Truth to everyone for reading. It's just amazing how so much delight is stuffed inside that one single part!

RATING: 8.5/10.

Scarlet (@Scarlet_Regnar)'s review:

For me, this fic pulls me in two different directions. One one hand, I really can't fault this fic on the author's writing ability. I've had the privilege of reading "First Light" for the Pokemon Watty Awards, and I was blown away by the author's good description of the environment and the humanness of the characters; I think that the humanness of Ash and Misty really carries over. I also liked how the author seamlessly wove dialogue and the character's actions together so that I could vividly see it. Finally, the subtle humor that the author provided added another bit of a polish to the fic as it felt genuine and not forced.

I feel that a lot of the criticisms I have for this fic are more of me having different writing tastes, as I'm not really a slice of life or a romance person. One thing that I will say is that I thought that the fic was a bit one-note, as I felt that besides the subtle humor, there wasn't a lot of conflict or mystery or action. I feel that even Romances should include some conflict, as it helps to shows character growth.

Overall, a very well-composed fic. Just because I may not care for the genre does not mean that it is a bad fic, but my score is based on how I as a reader enjoyed the fic.

Score: 6/10 — Good.

Interview with the author:

Q: How did you find Wattpad?

A: One of my best friends in real life introduced me to it and I was already writing, so I decided to join and post what I had.

Q: Do you find it an interruption or struggle to write?

A: Oooh. And yeah, to answer the question I do find it hard. Writing doesn't take top priority in my life. All of my free time outside of school is spent with people ministering to them and truly being their friends (we all need friends) so I don't have much time to write unless it's a school break.

Q: Do you ever get writer's block? How do you fix this?

Not really? I have more problems with not having time to write actually. I'm really busy. I love writing, and that's what relaxes me, but unless I have breaks from school I usually don't get any done. Like I said in the last question, I'll get stuck (normally somewhere around the halfway to three-quarter mark in a story) and have to figure out how to get to the ending I had in mind. Usually that leads to a way better story. First Light is a perfect example of that. It was way better because I actually thought through options. But my advice if you have writer's block- write anyway. I don't care if you don't have ideas. Write about your characters doing random stuff. Usually that leads to more ideas anyway.

Q: Where do you get story ideas?

A: Well, as you can all see, I have only Pokemon fanfiction posted on here. So Pokemon is a big inspiration. It's my childhood. And the show stinks in comparison to what it can be and doesn't deserve it's popularity, which is why I love writing about it- to try to make it better. I'm getting off topic. Story ideas... other short stories I've written are usually based on real events that have happened in my life. Friends. Also, if you've never played the card game Once Upon a Time, you should. I got a great idea from playing that and my friend and I will hopefully one day publish it into a novel, which I'm super excited for. But yeah, you get random cards and are forced to make up stories with them. It leads to good ideas. And hilarious things happen. It's definitely a game for writers.

Q: What inspires you?

A: Definitely my friends. I love writing about them. Probably way too much, but I can't help it. They're all funny and great. Plus they write too, so they read over my stuff and come up with more ideas for me. I'm also going to say God considering I follow Jesus and that's the whole point of me writing First Faith. I love that book. It's seriously the best I've written and gets better as it goes on. I can't wait till people can read the whole thing!

Q: Do you like to work out an outline or just see where the plot takes you when writing?

A: Well, before taking a creating movie script class twice, I didn't, but now I definitely recommend all writers making an outline and writing out ideas you have. I recommend people learning how to write movie scripts and how movies are split into parts. It really helped my writing and how things should flow... and also gave me peace of mind about how books turned into movies take out your favorite details. Because that's just wrong, but at least it makes more sense now. Anyway, outlines! Yes! Do them or else!

Q: If you had to write your book all over again, what would you change in it?

A: Well, I'm talking about Drunken Truth and I would hardly call that a book. If I wanted to change anything in it, I would because it's so short. But I wouldn't change anything in it. Not saying it's perfect, but I'm happy with it. If I were to write First Light all over again, the first half would be way different I think. If you haven't noticed, the end especially just has better writing. I wrote it over a period of years. The tone is different. The last half is way better. I have too much on my plate to think of changing it though and don't really want to.

Q: How committed are you to writing and/or Wattpad?

A: Extremely. I'm a Literary Studies major (senior!) and want to write as a career. I want to publish novels in the fantasy genre. So I won't stop writing anytime soon. To Wattpad? Well, I said I was doing a series on Paul and Dawn... which will be really hard actually. I have all the ideas, but seriously, I don't have time and it's more beneficial to write a novel I can publish instead of Pokemon fanfiction. But hey, I said I would, so I'll eventually get it done. And if anyone on Wattpad wants to talk, I'll talk to them. I've been told I'm intimidating to start talking to since I'm "famous" pretty much? That's so weird. I'm loyal to all you people so don't feel that!

Q: What advice would you give to your younger self?

A: Well, I messed up a lot in life. I'm not exactly happy with it, but I also wouldn't change anything because I wouldn't be the person I am now and wouldn't be able to give heart to heart advice to people who make the same decisions I did. So this is probably pretty lame advice, but a few years ago I majored in Psychology since that makes money compared to writing- lost my scholarship. Meh. I would have told myself to just go with what I actually wanted to do and not try to please anyone else. Plus I could have taken more writing classes and been a better writer! But really, no big deal. It's a life lesson.

Q: What is your favorite book you've read, one that inspires you?

A: Wow. Tough question. All writers should read a lot. Well, my favorite series is Harry Potter, but the series that inspired me to write is Maximum Ride by James Patterson. I loved the wit and idea of winged kids. But then the books got really bad compared to the first three, so it's not like I'd recommend them. But Harry Potter is absolutely wonderful. The foreshadowing, world building, friendship- I can't tell you how much work she did on those books. That's what every writer should aspire to be.

Q How much research do you do before you write?

A: Well, on my Pokemon stuff, I'll research the character's personality, Pokemon, and what moves look like so I'm accurately portraying them. Besides that Pokemon doesn't need much research, unless I'm uncertain what towns look like or something.

Q: Who is your role model?

A: Jesus. I don't really think it matters what a person believes- he's a good role model. Though I do believe so that's why I said it lol. But really, love others as yourself, put them first... I mean, I strive to do that and my life is way better off than it used to be. Though I'm still selfish and working on it! If you mean writing wise, that would be Walt Disney, who originally inspired my love of stories and broke barriers. "It's kind of fun to do the impossible".

* * *

Article written by: Ivy (@RiverIvy)

Reviews by: Ivy, X (@Darker_X), Lostie (@Lostie-P), Scarlet (@Scarlet_Regnar)

Interview conducted by: Abby (@abbert21)

Special thanks to: @gymnastgirlflips

-----

We hope you liked this review! Tune in next week.

-Ivy