i am frustrated! i am stuck on figuring out some sort of plot/driving force for my BW fic.
more under the cut:
my previous fic (of which this is a sequel) was largely character-driven, and, um, written and posted as i went. this time around, i'm writing the whole fic first and then posting. shockingly, the former method kept me on track at the time (and how can i say no to comments and kudos giving me a delicious brain kick), though i found myself writing myself into (and out of) holes.
the premise of the first fic was: Touko returns to unova post-BW2 after hearing of Plasma's second defeat. for a week she follows whispers of N's presence somewhere in Unova---leads that bring her frustratingly close... or nowhere near him. on the way she meets Mei, the new champion; Iris and Alder; Roxie; Anthea, Concordia, and Rood; and even Cheren. she staves off persistent feelings of despair, anxiety, and depression and takes chances on strangers and old friends until at last reuniting with N.
this follow-up fic begins where the last left off: at Touko and N's reunion. i've written some 25 pages as N and Touks catch up and then... go to Alder's home and on to Roxie's.
but i am constantly asking myself why. why go to Alder's? why do anything? what is their motivation?
maybe their lack of a driving force is relevant. what do they do now that they've found each other? they're both a bit too traumatized for a happily ever after. and they have nowhere to go, nothing to fall back on---N has no family (sans his sisters, whose situation is... complicated), and (in this fic) Touko wants nothing to do with her mother.
i've been toying with a Looker-based plot, but i'm not overly excited about it. canonically, Touko worked with Looker to arrest the missing Sages. in this fic, Touko now feels pretty complicated with the whole situation. in short, she wishes Looker and the international police would mind their own business. after reuniting with N, however, she runs into Looker once again, who reveals he is looking for N, too---for questioning. after all, Plasma has wreaked havoc across the region again. of course, Touko tells Looker to stick it. but now she and N have to lay low, knowing Looker has a habit of appearing unexpectedly.
and then what. how exciting is laying low. ugh.
there are some other quirks in the story---Touko harbors a deep hatred for the Pokemon League after they looked down upon her abdication as champion; tabloids had a field day with that fiasco, btw; she hopes to make up with Bianca after having a conversation with Cheren for the first time in two years; her mom is a narcissist; her twin sibling Touya is wrapping up his second year of university.
and N. still figuring out how to perfect his voice and mannerisms. his appearances in the previous fic were brief.
writing this has jostled some ideas around, but... not as much as i had hoped. i don't know. advice welcome.