Pen Name: Leo M. R., Leo for short

Age: 21

Sex: Male

Occupation: Linguistics university student

SECTION I: News Update

(June 19, 2014, Jakarta Mean Time):

So I’ve been gone for over two years… Yeah, I’m not even gonna try justify that. All I can say is: university. Damn, is it making me busy! But fear not! ‘Tis now the summer break and I basically have three months to focus back on writing, which should mean MORE UPDATES in the very near future!

Yes, my fics aren’t dead.

A few things: Regarding Digimon World Adventure, I’m aiming to finish the first arc (which will be covered in the first thirty chapters) this month. I will also be doing some minor rewrites for the chapters I’ve uploaded; don’t worry, I’m not talking retcons, just a bit of polishing the actions here and there, fixing the characterizations, etc. If, for some reason, you’re following that story, then these can only be good news.

Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Blood Red Challenge, though… I’ve hit a sort of roadblock for that. Not creative-wise, but logic-wise (as in, I just realized that I’ve a massive plot hole with the way the matchups have been going on so far, or at least a massive Fridge Logic question). Until I can figure out how to satisfactorily answer this challenge, I’m afraid BRC will be put on hold for a while. Rest assured, though, that it is not dead! I will continue work on it, just not any time soon.

SECTION II: Story Information

Digimon World Adventure: If you have played the Digimon World games for the PlayStation, you might notice some fun things about this story. For example, the main character Akira is NOT an original character that I came up with. He is actually the protagonist of Digimon World 2, the main hero of that game. The reason his partner is an Elecmon is that, canon to the story of Digimon World 2, Akira joins the Blue Falcon Guard Team, which specializes in Digimon of the Data Attribute. Elecmon is a Data Digimon, and it digivolves into one of my favorite Digimon of all time. Zamber is thus the perfect partner to be teamed up with Akira! Of course, unlike Akira, his personality is my own invention, and something that I hope will get developed as the story progresses.

Another interesting tidbit of information is that, if you were paying attention, you'd see the names of several locations, including Mt. Panorama, Amida Forest, Drill Tunnel, and File City. These are some locations found on the File Island that was the setting of the original Digimon World game. Yes, that means Akira, Zamber and the others are currently on the File Island directly inspired from the game, not the anime (which was also inspired from Digimon World). Like I said though, Akira is the protagonist of the second Digimon World game, not the first. What does that mean? Simple: expect a special guest appearance at some point in the story.

Also, long time Digimon fans might find the characters' names in my story odd. I used the Japanese names ('Taichi' instead of 'Tai', 'Yamato' instead of 'Matt', etc.) and I even used 'Chosen Children' instead of 'Digidestined', but for some of them I didn't use the Japanese spellings ('Joe' instead of 'Jou/Jyou', 'Koshiro' instead of 'Koushirou', etc.). This is because I live in an Asian nation, so I didn't get the American dub of the anime when I was young, but I also didn't watch it in the original Japanese dub. I first watched Digimon Adventure (and read the novelizations) in the Indonesian dub, which used different spellings that has stuck with me to this point in life. However, when I got slightly older I was very fortunate to watch a dub of Digimon Adventure that used the English language but kept the Japanese names, scenes, lines, and songs (basically an unedited translated version). That particular dub is the most important one in my life, and has influenced me the most (if memory serves me correctly, it was aired on Animax Asia around the mid-2000s). I’d love to watch that particular dub again, and if anybody who reads this knows what I'm talking about, I’d very much appreciate it if you would tell me!

The first saga of this story doesn't really have that much characterization in it, which wasn't what I hoped for. If I have to come up with an excuse, then I'd say it's because this story is my very first fanfic and I treat it as my personal experimentation ground. That's why the chapters The Green Labyrinth, The Forest Guardian, and Story of the Centaur are really long, while Midnight Battle Underground is split into three parts: I was experimenting with my average chapter length. Was it better to write really long chapters, or was it better to split them up into several parts? Which style did I prefer? In the end, I opted to write chapters that weren't too short or too long, but when I needed to write really long chapters, I have to divide it into 2 parts and only 2 parts. Apparently, I found 3 parts way too much. This you can see in the 2-part chapter Rivalry.

In any case, I have long since decided that the first saga, which I expect will span the first thirty chapters of the story, will instead focus on building up plot foundations for future sagas, as well as introducing characters and their basic personalities. The plot will thicken and become more complex at the end of the first saga, and characterization will get deeper at the start of the second saga. To those who find themselves interested in Digimon World Adventure, I can assure you here and now: it has only just begun.

Blood Red Challenge: Like so many of its kind on FFN, this story is about the epic showdown between Red (the male protagonist of the first generation of the Pokémon games and its remakes) and Gold (the male protagonist of the second generation of Pokémon games and its remakes) atop Mt. Silver. I named the challenger 'Ethan' because it's the official name, I believe. 'Gold' is actually just a fanmade name that is very, very, very popular with the general fandom. That name arose during the second generation because at that time, Ethan had no official name, and now, even after he's been given the name 'Ethan', dedicated long time fans still find themselves attached to the idea that he is named 'Gold'.

Anyway, like I said, I know the idea of Red vs. Gold/Ethan has been done so many times before and will most likely be done many times again in the future. That's partially why I did something different with it: I made the battles exceptionally vivid and violent. I hope this sets my story apart from the rest. I also put Blue (the rival of the first generation games and its remakes) and Leaf (the female protagonist of the remakes of the first generation games) in the story for two reasons: 1) I have yet to see a story where the battle is overseen, at least by such major characters, and 2) They're there because they're always there and they're meant to be there for Red.

What's that? What do I mean by that extremely ambiguous sentence? Well you see, I will tell you here and now that this story is part of a much larger story. I will write other Pokémon fanfics that tie in to this particular battle, and that mega-story will be unique, epic, and ambitious! I can guarantee you that much. Blood Red Challenge is a short story that won't even span 20 chapters, as its primary purpose is to introduce my readers to my own brand of Pokémon world, one that shall be made public in due time. Watch out for that!

SECTION III: About the Author

Hi there! I’m Leo, Leo M. R. That’s my pen name (because it’s obviously not Indonesian), and not my real name. What does it mean? Why did I pick it? Do I like the name ‘Leo'? Well, not exactly. As you can probably see from my avatar, my favorite animal is the cat, especially the lion. This explains 'Leo', which also happens to be my star (Zodiac) sign. As for ‘M.' and ‘R.’, well, I intend to keep those a secret for now; if I ever become a published novelist (fingers crossed!) then I’ll hopefully be using this name, with the last name expanded. The M. is only for a select few to know!

The reason for me writing fanfics is, well first and foremost, because I truly love the original works of whatever my writings are based on! Second, as I’ve said, I want to be a writer, and I see writing fanfics as the perfect training, since there's no pressure to write. On that note, I’d like to point out that I write fanfics primarily for myself. I'm not here writing fics just to get reviews, criticisms, or praise and acceptance. No, I'm here to write, and in general discover myself, my identity, as a writer. That means for whatever I write, what I think/my opinion is of the highest priority. This also accounts for my extremely erratic update schedule: I update my fanfics only when I've written a chapter that I think is high-quality, which always happens at random (because the arrival of inspiration is so unpredictable). I’m quite the perfectionist that way, I know…

However, I figured that that doesn't mean I can't let other people see what I've come up with. If other people somehow enjoy my stories, or even get inspired by it, then that's a bonus. A very good thing, yes, but at the end of the day other people's satisfaction is collateral to me. In other words, my readers are second priority. That doesn't mean I don't enjoy reviews; I absolutely love to see reviews, whether they constructively criticize my work or just give me praise in general. But again, reviews and the input from other people are secondary to me. I write, I publish, I read, I review, I fix, I rewrite; that's the main point of my existence here. So I apologize in advance if anything I write is to your disliking. If it's to my liking, I will stick with it.

Another reason I put my fanfics up on FFN is to see and meet other people from all over the world who share common interests and passions with me, and (if possible) making new friends, too! FFN is a great way to befriend new people who like the same things as you do, so here I am! If you think I’m someone worth your time and you want to be friends with me, hit up that PM button up top! :-)

I have an incredibly large interest in languages and linguistics, as well as psychology, biology (specifically zoology), religious studies, sociology, philosophy, and mythology. Combine that with the perfectionist that I am and add in the fact that my great dream in life is to be an international-level novelist and you get stories that pay great detail to the characters' speech patterns, mindsets and personal values while also weaving unusually complicated plots, outrageous situations and out-of-this-world solutions, as well as lots of witty dialogues and intellectual challenges. At least, that's what I'm expecting of myself!

The kind of stories that I enjoy to read (and by extension write about) are mainly those with lots of thrilling action in them, as well as having scientific ingenuity, psychological elements, clever wordplay, strong character development, the occasional humorous situations, and plot creativity. I don't dislike romance, and I’ll be peppering my own stories with a little bit of romance here and there, but romance is a rare read for me. I enjoy drama, fantasy (this is actually my favorite genre), sci-fi, and even horror from time to time, and stories about friendship and family can get me in a very good mood. I absolutely LOVE adventures and stories about high-end adventures, and I generally avoid tragedy or hurt/comfort stories unless the summary has somehow enticed me to. Oh, and I am a big fan of mystery stories too, though I only read them, because I don't think I'm clever enough to write my own mystery stories yet…

What else is there I can say about myself? I can't think of anything more for now, so I suppose this is the end of my introduction. If I think of something else I should put in here, I will. For now, I can only say thank you for reading this and my stories, sorry if I said too much, too little, or if I offended you in anyway, and please enjoy whatever I have to offer here! :-)

Favorites

Favorite writer: Matthew Reilly

Other writers whose works I've enjoyed immensely: J. K. Rowling, Dan Brown, Derek Landy, Dr. Seuss, George R. R. Martin, Sir Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman

Favorite bands (in descending order): Linkin Park, Sum 41, Red Hot Chili Peppers

Other musicians whose works I enjoy immensely: Thousand Foot Krutch, Muse, Michael Jackson, Mika, Halestorm, ABBA, Queen, Bon Jovi, Green Day, Owl City, Fall Out Boy, Fort Minor, My Chemical Romance, Avril Lavigne, Britney Spears, Adele, Eminem, Ali Project, Yousei Teikoku, Koji Wada, Kotoko

Favorite Western cartoon series: Codename: Kids Next Door

Other Western cartoon series I've enjoyed immensely: Samurai Jack, Gargoyles, Xiaolin Showdown, Courage the Cowardly Dog, Lilo & Stitch, Scooby Doo, Where are You!, the original Tom and Jerry, Dexter's Laboratory, Ben 10, Generator Rex, Megas XLR, Kim Possible, Martin Mystery, Avatar: the Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, Phineas and Ferb, Teen Titans, Young Justice, the DCAU, Adventure Time, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Gravity Falls, RWBY

Favorite movies: Anything by Pixar

Other movies/movie franchises I've enjoyed immensely:

- Live action: The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the Dark Knight Saga, the original Spider-Man trilogy, the X-Men series, the Jurassic Park series, Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Godzilla (2014), Zombieland

- Animated: Disney movies, Dreamworks movies, Despicable Me, Who Framed Roger Rabbit

- Guilty pleasures: Evolution, Space Jam, Godzilla (1998), Baby’s Day Out

Favorite superhero comics: Spider-Man

- Other superhero comics I enjoy immensely: Daredevil, the Punisher, the Inhumans, the Runaways, Black Panther, Batman, Green Arrow

Favorite manga/anime: One Piece (manga), Pokémon Special/Adventures, Digimon (anime)

Other manga/anime I've enjoyed immensely: Detective Conan, Hayate the Combat Butler, Honey and Clover, Elfen Lied, Mirai Nikki, Superior, Digimon Adventure V-Tamer 01, K-On!, The Law of Ueki, Death Note, Type-Moon's Fate series, Baka to Test to Shokanjuu, Ranma 1/2, Fushigi Yuugi, Fullmetal Alchemist, Eyeshield 21, Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Durarara!! and Baccano!, Air Gear

Favorite video game series (in descending order): Pokémon, Kingdom Hearts, Harvest Moon

Other video games/video game series I've enjoyed immensely: the Digimon franchise, Twisted Metal, Monster Hunter, Tenchu, the Warriors franchise, Tekken, Crash Bandicoot, Dragon Quest, Legend of Mana, Monster Rancher, Soul Nomad & the World Eaters, Persona, Devil Survivor, Grand Theft Auto, The Thing

SECTION IV: Motivational Quote

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." Dr. Seuss