!!! Contains SPOILERS for Bonds !!!

It took forever, but I finally completed Bonds. This was a strange, wild ride that tested my abilities as a writer. It's honestly only the second full-length fanfiction I've ever finished (one-shot books don't really count).

I think it's healthy for writers to see the flaws in their works so they can better themselves in the future. I'll be separating my critique into three parts to try to lessen the mess: the characters, the plot, and the boons/banes from Bonds.

Let's go ^_^

• The Characters •

Let's be real: no one read Bonds purely for the plot because the characters were the main focus of the story. I've always written character-focused fics since I started off writing reader-insert one-shots.

Because it's so easy to make "prophecy children" into Mary-Sues/Gary-Stus, I decided to balance my cast out by giving them flawed personalities.

You would think that sort of thinking would mean that my main characters are pretty good, right? Well...

Alice Faith Bristow

My average character who often ended up standing in the shadow of her boyfriend because of his rapid development. It's sad to say that Alice felt bland and flat because her personality wasn't extremely outgoing or frustratingly complex.

I do like to think she's the one who garnered sympathy from readers and kept them rooting for the protagonists in the first arc.

Alice's own arc wasn't the most obvious, but it was there: she learned how to deal with her nerves and become a pillar of emotional support. I know her character development wasn't as dramatic as Ken's — it was quite subtle. Her anxiety lessened dramatically as she stopped fidgeting (there was a reason I always mentioned her tugging her hair, shifting her feet, avoiding eye contact, etc. in the first arc) and displayed confidence. The only time I felt it was very apparent to the readers was in the last five chapters of the story :/

All in all, I had fun with Alice's character because I personally feel like she allowed readers to see Bonds through an honest lens. Still, I do acknowledge how simple she seemed in comparison to the other two in the trio.

Ken Kane Amachi

If I had a dollar for every time I complained about Ken, I'd have enough to buy the Nintendo Switch. I've gone back and forth on loving him or hating him to death. In my personal dictionary, the word "frustrating" has a picture of his face as the definition.

My logic was this: since he's connected to Arceus, aka the PokéWorld's Lord and Savior, he needs to have a terrible personality from the get-go or he'll be a Gary-Stu. So I did that, and wow did I loathe it in the beginning.

Writing first arc Ken was annoying. He was especially horrible in the first drafts of the early chapters. Making him likable felt nearly impossible because I didn't even like him ^^; If Alice was a breeze to write, then this jerk was a natural disaster out to ruin me.

That being said, his change is the most prominent in the story. He went from a complete asshole to a tolerable asshole that somehow won over 90% of my readers. While Alice drew readers in, Ken was the one who made people stay. Let's be real: the ice prince has his own fan club of readers.

I'll never forget Ken because he was the ultimate challenge I faced in this fic. My biggest regret with him is that he outshone the other characters' progression too much, but I guess that's not his fault.

Jay Akagi Quinn

Aka The Best Boy™ who deserved better. Just when you thought Alice couldn't look any more boring, she lost her title as the sorta humorous one to Jay.

This fossil-collecting, cave-exploring, always-smiling boy was my catalyst whose job was to drive Kalice towards the plot. He singlehandedly jumpstarted both the romance part of the book and the whole Team Ultragalactic ordeal. What did he get in return? Not much.

I think I did a so-so job on making Jay a dynamic character. His family problems gave him conflict, but it didn't feel like it was enough. This is mostly to blame on the fact that he came in so much later than Kalice. The whole family drama arc he had felt forced :/

I'm also not proud of his abrupt introduction (and departure, but I'll talk more about this later). He just kind of showed up and made himself at home, throwing off both Kalice and the readers. Still, he managed to assimilate well thanks to his cheery personality. Once Jay got cozy, it was hard to believe he hadn't been there throughout the entire story (he got his own fan club, too, for crying out loud XD).

If Bonds had been a longer story, then I feel that Jay would appear more fleshed out. Less one-dimensional. Better.

Main Supporting Cast

The Bristow Family: Their personalities weren't interesting as they simply acted the roles I needed them for. Irene's moral support and Joe's happy demeanor were nice while they lasted.

Lumiose City Double Battle Brawl Contestants: I'd originally planned for the Alolans, Rosie, and the steroid kid to reappear, but it seemed too filler-y. Rosie's mean girl persona was mostly there to show why Alice was a shut-in and just how gullible the protagonist could be, but practically no one remembers that.

Dan & Bailey: These two airheads were actually supposed to be Ken's and Alice's foils (look at me trying to apply what I've learned in language arts). They were everything Kalice wasn't, meaning that they were joined at the hip living the #YOLO life. I always had fun writing their scenes (Sassy) and found them harmless enough. The hosts did induct Jay, after all.

Casper: I have a soft-ish spot for Casper mostly because I've had him drafted for such a long time. Maybe even longer than Jay, if I think about it. But then he finally appeared and... he wasn't very exciting, to say the least. All he did was show how Jay wasn't there purely for comic relief. Even his death was dedicated to Jay as it would drive him onto joining Looker and stopping the rest of Team Ultragalactic.

Cyrus: I apologize to all Pokémon fans for my adaptation of this character. He was just as cliché as the anime makes Team Rocket, and I'll never touch him again. Trying to explain his motives by saying he was influenced by his father (Xander) didn't help much. If you want a by-the-book villain, look no further.

• The Plot •

Arc One - Chance: The Lumiose City Double Battle Brawl

The major goal for Arc One was to establish Ken, Alice, and their relationship's dynamic. It was all about two introverts being forced into a situation (thanks, Joe) and having to figure out how to cope.

I'll be honest: I didn't make an outline until around Chapter 6 or 7. Add in the factor that I took a good 5/6-month-long break between Chapter 4 and 5 and you'll see how much things had changed. It shows especially in the first arc because some scenes drag on for much longer than what's necessary.

I think the first couple of chapters where Kalice meet are difficult to get through. Everything's awkward because of their clashing natures, and the way they dealt with each other the first day they met just made things worse. I've spent way too much time worrying if their beginning interactions would deter readers from clicking out of the story and removing it from their libraries.

Once the Gogoat race happened, things finally began picking up. Kalice's friendship developed at a natural pace... after the Daycare chapter. The Daycare scene where Alice and Ken finally have their first decent conversation was a struggle to write, but it was necessary. It took a whole seven chapters for Kalice to become 'friends'.

As for the positives, I'm quite happy with how my battles for the Lumiose Double Battle Brawl turned out (even though I spent way too much time on them). The battles themselves were fun.

Still, this is by far my least favorite arc.

Arc Two - Hope: The Kalos Hotspot Tour

Arc Two's all about strengthening relationships and foreshadowing the dark future. Unlike Arc One, events occur at a fast pace and so Bonds adapts a very slice of life anime-like genre. Even my attempts at humor are improved (at least I think so).

Let's get this straight: Jay quite literally saved the day. He made writing the fic so much more fun as I got to poke fun at Kalice through his mischevious antics. His friendship with Ken seemed a bit forced, but I like to believe it smoothened out over time.

Developing Kalice's relationship from good friends to boy/girlfriend status was interesting. It was very much a slow-burning love story that didn't accelerate until around Chapter 20. I knew from the getgo that Ken wasn't going to be the one to confess first. Building Alice's confidence to express herself to him was a lot more rewarding.

As for the foreshadowing, I know I could've done better. Being subtle isn't my forte. Having Casper drop in unceremoniously every couple of chapters was kind of cheesy. But then again, you guys already know when it comes to "plot" that my story oozes cheese. What type of cheese? I'd say something tame like cheddar.

Arc Two is my favorite of the three... Perhaps it's because Arc One was so unbearable that it makes Arc Two look all the more appetizing.

Arc Three - Fate: Team Ultragalactic

Arc Three can be summarized by me laughing nervously while backing away with my hands up. I think I'm the only who had fun during it because all the readers were too busy checking the title to make sure this is the same story that spent two chapters on a Gogoat race.

The 180 I pulled going from Arc Two to Three was shocking. Everything started happening at once because the trio were captured, and it turned this fic into a rollercoaster ride full of hysteric characters ready to burst at any given moment.

I think that Arc Three had the best described scenes. Catching the urgency of the situation was difficult, but it came across well. From the characters' emotions to the action sequences, I'm proud how I was able to present these dire events.

...but the content itself is wishy-washy. Arceus and Cyrus are laughably bad, and Mew played a minor part in helping Kalice beg for their lives.

As for the ending, I actually have planned for Jay to leave Kalice to join the International Police with Looker for quite a long time. It's befitting for him to try to stop what his family started (and gives a plot for his spin-off). He did leave suddenly, but it was necessary, you know?

I like to think Bonds had a happy, well-deserved ending. This arc's neither my most nor my least favorite.

• Biggest Boons & Banes •

I'll settle for +'s and -'s to keep this section short ^^;

+ Kalice's relationship was convincing and worth rooting for #TeamKalice

- The beginning chapters are so frustrating; my toes curl when seeing how Ken and Alice used to act (to be honest, the pacing was all sorts of off)

+ Despite being introduced later than the other main characters, Jay's presence wasn't awkward and he fit right in

- Literally everything about Cyrus and Team Ultragalactic yikes

+ My battling scenes aren't too repetitive even though the same Pokémon were used a good six times in a row

- The Legendary Pokémon bits weren't incorporated that well

+ My grammar's not completely terrible

- The perspective changes between the main trio should've been separated more

+ I love the attached media (gifs and cover)

- Emotional trauma, who? I only know ignoring important deaths :/

• Final Verdict •

"Bonds" was the most daunting creative project I've ever tackled head-on. It's helped me grow so much as a writer, and I'll be forever thankful that I decided to finish this fic rather than abandon it. As flawed and cheesy as it is, I'm still proud of how it turned out.

If I had to rate it on the GRA scale, I'd give it a 7. I'm surprised it was placed second in the PWA17's Romance Category and won Best Beginning.