VagueDoctor's Stories & Notes
 

Inspired by several posts here, but mostly by Enchilada645/Zero's thread.

I write fanfiction that tries to be canon-complaint. So, stories that can fit right into the series I'm writing for; I believe it's a fun exercise to see what I can do without the limits of live action production.

This thread will be periodically updated. Think of it both as a collection piece and a journal. If possible, I'll try to edit the first post to include all of my stories.

I am VagueDoctor on Fanfiction.net.

Completed Masterlist

- Kamen Rider Wizard: Festival of Fate

- Cleaning Day

- A Dog's Nap

In-Progress

- Kamen Rider Wizard: Root of Power (Pseudo-sequel to Festival of Fate)

- Kamen Rider: Ex-Aid x Street Fighter - Forever Fight!

On Hiatus

- Kamen Rider: Connect to Server, Please!

So, Root of Power isn't exactly a sequel to Festival of Fate. Initially, what happened was that I completed Festival of Fate and was riding on clouds with how satisfying finishing this story was.

Part of me wanted it to be a sequel, but the more I thought about it the less people would feel inclined to read because Festival of Fate is admittedly novel size, haha...

I didn't want others overwhelmed. You can think of these two stories as, "If you want them to be sequels they are." If Root of Power sounds more exciting, however, you can read that one first; my favourite character in Wizard, Mayu, has a big presence, :D

There was one story I wanted to write, but I'm not exactly sure when I'd be able to tackle it. Considering that Blade recently had it's 20th anniversary and my IRL friend is a huge fan of Blade, I wanted to write something that would feel satisfying to the fans.

The plot would kind of be about Tachibana/Garren trying to create an artificial Undead that would take the place of the current Joker Undead. While reluctant to work with BOARD, it's Hirose and the others who would convince him to go through with it. I believe Tachibana was a scientist prior to the series?

Either way, it would be kind of a Gaiden (side story) for Blade that would bring closure to the 3 main riders: Kenzaki, Hajime and Tachibana as they battle against the artificial Undead.

Also, I had an idea for a Shinkenger story too. Admittedly, I do like the pairing of Takeru and Mako. Still not sure about the plot, probably something about going to a ski resort for a team getaway and finding themselves trapped on the mountains...

Very interesting ideas. I'll try to read them if I can.

Thanks! There are a few stories on hiatus. My schedule has been wild over the past two weeks, so putting out updates is a bit slow, but I'm on the way to the newest chapter of Root of Power!

It would be great if I had a bunch of sources for Hokkaido at the ready for me to research...

Part of this story (Root of Power) takes place in Hokkaido, but in a rural village. I've seen a bit here and there for what such villages are like, but having an encyclopedia on these kinds of places would be a dream for me.

Back when I started writing fanfiction, I used to have a huge masterlist of research on Japan, but that hasn't been updated in quite some time.

There are some liberties here and there I like to take. So, it doesn't really snow much in places like and around Tokyo from what I know. See, I never really had a vision for where Toriisaka in Wizard takes place, but it reminds me more of Yokohama than Tokyo. Sometimes, Toei shoots in Yokohama so I placed Toriisaka as a district of Yokohama.

That reminds me, we do not have a lot of easily accessible information about older toku shows. It must've started around Gotchard that they began documenting their production notes in an accessible manner. I would do a lot to get my hands on some BTS stuff for Wizard - I even own a magazine, but it's kind of... basic at times?

Granted, there's a lot I cannot translate...

Aaaauuuugh, I really should've kept up with my Japanese! > _ <

Excellent. I've tried writing fiction before, but I often run out of ideas. Generally, I don't know how to develop characters or build up dramatic climaxes.

Oh, cool, that's my second favorite Tertiary after Necrom.

Until Dawn: Shinkenger Edition :p

Seriously though, the premise could work. I'm also a Takeru/Mako fan, but I hardly see any fics written about them.

Keep trying. If you want to write more fiction, you should start by reading more fiction, especially of the kind you're interested in writing. It's not procrastinating, it's research! Inspiration has to come from somewhere after all.

I can advise you to create a plan for your future work before writing. This doesn't have to be something absolute and immutable. It can easily change as you go. But when you know the ending you want to reach from the start, you're much more likely to stick with it.

I have some advice for you! I've been writing for a few years now, and I find that the more I write the more I look back and feel better about where I started from - even from something I considered right then and there to be 'good.'

My advice:

Characters

• Use archetypes (the jock, the funny character, the straight-man) You don't have to know everything about a character and it's okay if you get some things wrong. As long as you know the 'gist' of what they're like you can run with that. A good way to figure out what someone is like is to re-read character wiki pages, or rewatch episodes in a show.

• Characters should often contrast each other. Usually, a message in a story is shown through characters who hold conflicting personalities or ideals. Person A/B/C should usually have a different opinion on something, or if it's the same they should express it differently.

• Character development: rules of 3. Humans love the number 3 - it usually satisfies their sweet spot before something feels overdone. If a character is going through an arc, think about the 3 major points (beginning, middle, end). I.E. showcasing a character changing for the better requires them to be their unchanging selves, then an incident happens and brings them to the middle (slight changes, but not all the way there). Finally, once trouble occurs they should complete their change and become a better person.

Plot

One of the best ways to figure out a plot is find a movie, book, or show you really loved and do something similar. Everyone starts out with having ideas that arise from inspiration. In terms of theme or messaging don't worry - no author ever has their theme figured out at first; you just start seeing patterns naturally.

Plots also have beginning, middle, and end.

If you're not sure where to go, sometimes going the opposite way you intended works. A trip to the supermarket doesn't always go the same way, so perhaps something stops them. Honestly, the weirder it gets the more I tend to like.

Everything you watch also has a structure too.

For Kamen Rider, the structure of Heisei Phase 2 usually goes like:

Opening introduction to villains --> Hero's first scene where the problem arises --> side characters talk to each other or the hero --> first fight scene and the hero loses or villain gets away --> hero meets victim of the week and the show's message is incorporated through them --> villains reflect on their success --> recovery of the hero and rethinking their strategy --> meeting with the victim of the week (if there is one) --> final fight scene where the hero wins --> epilogue.

Ultimately

If you're ever not sure of what to do, pick what you think sounds fun. You don't need to know where to go all the time in a story, because many stories are written out of order. Some scenes I have no idea what I'm supposed to do, but I know what the characters should feel in the next scene.

Biggest Rule

There are no rules. For a long time, I was so caught up in the beginning trying to note things down that I didn't really write a lot. Instead, I listened to the general advice I read online and decided what seemed fun and what didn't.

Best thing you can do is to start writing. Don't worry for how long the story will take to write and don't worry about the depth or length either.

Writing is fun, so write the stories you personally would like to see. That's the best way a story can come into existence! I believe in you.

Haha, I suppose Until Dawn works! Actually, I was thinking more Persona 4: Golden, but it could easily become some kind of horror story. There's something romantic about the winter season, especially when all you have is the snow and pent up feelings for a fellow Shinkenger.

There are quite a few on FanfictionNet. My favourite is one named Wake in the dream by nninfae. Their style of writing is just so... good? It's hard to explain with specifics, but the dialogue and structure of the story feels really professional.

When it comes to underrepresented ships I feel you. I'm a Haruto/Koyomi fan, and there is not a lot I can scavenge from the internet. Outside of one incredibly (but retired :( ) Japanese artist who has drawn like hundreds of pieces for them it tends to feel like I'm in the dark, especially because FFNet is kind of dead for reviews right now.

Although, there was one author who continually commented under my stuff. They actually have written the longest Ex-Aid story in the Kamen Rider community - it's humongous. Anyways, this was more about the fan spaces being smaller.

Hell, putting aside the fact that Wizard is definitely a more niche entry in the series despite its reputation taking a far more positive spin in recent years.

Wow, this was quite the ramble, but I'd be happy to recommend some stories for Shinkenger if you're searching.

Thanks for the rec and yeah, I'm totally cool with you suggesting more, Shinkenger or otherwise.

Sweet, it's been a little while since I've popped up in this thread (in my own thread of all things :o ), but here's some more recommendations.

Samurai Sentai Shinkenger: The Hidden Feeling

On the topic of not having a lot of stories written about them from a previous post, yeah, I agree. Getting into tokusatsu in the 2020s is like stepping into a town that is simultaneously haunted by ghosts of the pasts and is bustling with new life. Maybe it's because I'm a fan of older series (I say old, but they're only like a decade or so old), but I kind of wish I was who I am right now and could exist back then when there was so much life bleeding into my passions.

I actually have an art piece soon in the works for my current KR: Wizard story. Hopefully I'll be able to share this one. I once received a gift from a friend who commissioned a fabulous portrait of Koyomi, but that artist has seemingly dropped off the face of the Earth and I'm not sure if I would be allowed to post that anywhere.

I'm gonna try and post here more regularly as time goes by. It seems like a great way to document the process and to leave my mark as a writer somewhere I really enjoy.