Chapter 5: Learning that you are, in fact, Displaced. · 8:03pm Aug 20th, 2017
Bleh, no idea why this chapter's taking me so long... In the mean time, let's talk about a common stumbling block for Displaced stories which I am about to hit... The part where they find out that they're "Displaced".
Everyone seems to automatically do it with some grand crossover where a high-level Displaced comes waltzing in like "Oh hey, let me show you how everything works!" and they make a token and it's all fun goodness, and somehow everyone knows how to just make a magical artifact, rip a hole in reality, and make infinite copies of said artifact regardless of actual magical knowledge or potential... ...And somewhere in there, the tone and any sense of believability is invariably lost.
Look, crossovers can be great, but if you're not careful with them, they can really derail an otherwise decent story. In my experience, that first crossover in which a character comes in and explains Displaced is the worst culprit, so that's what I'm gonna be breaking down today...
The Setup
First off, the setup, and reasonable character behavior. Someone's token smacks your character in the head, and they're all like, "Oh, let me just summon this otherworldly being, because why not?" and they just summon the other Displaced with no reason to do so. The worst parts are when the token says something like "call me if you need help" or "I am a being of great power, so summon me wisely." How is this a situation where a normal person just summons the unknown entity out of nowhere? And then, when the other Displaced is there, they just make a token, just like that, with no reason before or after that explained as to why they would want to do that and how they even know how to.
When you're doing these things, keep in mind your characters attitudes and motivations, and make sure they're not breaking character for expediency. I'm also gonna recommend that, as my other advice with crossovers has gone, you need to weave it into your actual plot.
Here's a quick and dirty example: have them find that token about "calling for help" and pocket it for later thought, maybe even think back to it a couple times, then later put them in some dire situation, like facing down something terrifying, and use it as a last-ditch "I hope this works!" The other Displaced shows up, they beat the monster, and the other Displaced talks about what's going on and maybe hangs out a bit before they leave. Right there, I've just written a more interesting and reasonable first crossover than most of the Displaced fics I've read. Even better, you can easily (and should) tie that monster into your main plot, have the character get too cocky and get in over their head, then lament the fact that they needed to be bailed out, and it leads to some real character development. Right there you have all this story fodder to play with, all from just taking a few moments to try and really set up that crossover.
Tone
Another thing I want to talk about is tone. You've got to recognize the tone you've used in your story, and the tone that you're using in your crossover: stop turning a serious broodfests into jolly jaunts through the multiverse. You can make this easy on yourself by being more careful about who you cross over with. I see a lot of people saying you should "avoid crossovers with people who aren't around your skill level", but years of experience has taught me that this is entirely wrong: you should try to crossover with fics who have a compatible tone with yours, regardless of how good they write. In my experience, I've never had trouble working with inexperienced writers (hell, this is a given in professional writing. I've even worked with writers who barely know enough English to communicate!), because I can always just mine them for ideas and drag the quality of the prose up by myself. What's far more jarring is when one writer is trying to write something silly and carefree, while the other person trying to keep an air of darkness, cynicism, and drama. When you're doing a crossover, you want it to all have a single tone that doesn't break the story, and the easiest way to do this is by only crossing over with stories with a compatible tone. (this, by the way, is why crossovers with superhero teams work so well: Batman and Superman have contrasting messages, but the two different approaches to serious superheroes compliment each other excellently in say... World's Finest)
Of course, we can't rely on a rigid rule like that: eventually you're going to want to deal with someone who has a different tone than you. While I'm going to recommend that this never be the first, I will say that it's not hard to do, as long as you and the other writer agree to a tone and stick with it: one story may get a bit out of character, probably both if you're doing it right, but at least you'll have consistency. Great example is Archie Meets the Punisher, which was a crossover that worked, because Archie focused on its more serious aspects as a character drama while retaining its humor through wacky hijinks, and the Punisher took on a less violent tone while keeping it's titular protaganist dark and brooding. In the end, Archie and Punisher team up and capture the bad guy, but the innocent tone of Riverdale makes the punisher feel like, just this once, he doesn't have to brutally kill his quarry. Everyone stays in character, and it feels like a dark-comedy plot for Archie and a light-hearted piece of character development for Punisher.
Alternatives
Final issue, I'd like to talk about here, and one that leads into today's excerpt... You don't even HAVE to do crossovers to make a solid Displaced story. Everyone does it, but you can just as easily have someone else explain it. Like, maybe the Displacer does it? Maybe Discord or Luna, both of whom get around the dimensions, talk to them about it? Maybe the first time the prospect even comes up is in a hypothetical conversation of "do you think this happened to other people?" Maybe Twilight starts researching the subject? Wouldn't it be neat if Twilight finds a book about a Displaced who lived in that shard before this one? Right there, you have drama, suspense, enigma, story potential. Look, you don't even have to do any of that if you don't want, but please realize that things can always be done a different way, and if you can come up with some spin on it that isn't commonly done, even just a minor variation, your story will be all the more "fresh" for it.
Anyway... I have an example on hand which will probably see a good deal of revision. (partially because of the irrelevant silliness of some lines) This is from Chapter 5, which has been so close to completion for the past week that it's making me want to scream...
I was about to open my mouth when I felt a presence phase in on top of us. Suddenly, I felt a burst of power rewrite reality in the middle of the room, creating a reality from the multitude of possibilities where some sort of long-bodied chimera was floating just above the rug. Holy crap. I could feel the power dripping off this guy, and his form seemed to be made of perfection in chaos itself, if such a thing was even possible.
...Also... he looked familiar... in a comforting way, which made me want to be friends, which was bizarre, considering he basically had the body of a well-groomed monster...
“Ah, Fluttershy! I see our gooood friieend Twilight has decided to join us for Tea! Let me guess Twilight, you just couldn’t resist the thought of my impeccable company. Oh, but you really should have called ahead. If I’d known I’d ha- Oh.” Discord imediately stopped when he noticed me for the first time, having somehow not sensed me as a living creature in the room. He leaned in, giving me his full attention, ”Well you're different.” Discord dropped the subject mid-sentence and began eyeing me over with amused curiosity, picking up my hoof and looking at it, sticking his head under my body and looking over my underside...
“Um... Discord?” Fluttershy stammered, blushing, “That’s... a little.... Rude... don’t you think?”
“Nah, it’s fine. I’m a huge fan of Discord.” I said off the cuff, “I also don’t mind this kind of attention from an attractive male... Hey Twilight, I think I’m a bisexual xenophile, if you were wondering about those preferences.”
Fluttershy practically buried her face in her hooves at that one, trying to hide the immense blush at hearing another female talk that bluntly about a male she was clearly interested in.
Twilight blushed too, “I um... wasn’t really... um... ok... I’ll keep that, in mind...” she stammered.
I didn’t need to give into my shame though, and my sense of humor was finding the whole thing hilarious. So did Discord, because he started laughing out loud, something which I joined in on.
“Ah Twilight, I don’t know what this abomination is that you’ve called in from the void, but I completely approve of this application of the dark arts!” he laughed more, grabbing my hoof and shaking, “Welcome to Equestria, whatever you are... Do you go by something pronounceable on the lower planes?”
“Meta. And Twilight didn’t summon me, I was sent here from another world by someone else’s spell, which was trying to change my physical form when I sabotaged it. Twilight found me unconscious.”
“Hmm... sounds like someone tried to Displace you...” Discord rubbed his beard, peering over me with a smirk, “That would explain the recent disturbances in the dimensional barriers...”
“‘Displaced’?” I asked, “You’re saying you know what happened?”
Discord gave a shrug, “Oh, you know, one hears things when they get around the multiverse. Normally, lower level beings like Humans or Ponies don’t travel beyond their own universe without extensive training like Twilight here has, or the help of a being with those kinds of power, such as yours truly. Sometimes, however, a higher level being, and I’m talking ‘That Which Dwells Within The Void’ here, will decide that a world-dwelling creature, such as yourself, should be something else on a different world, so they’ll grab some concept from the collective unconscious, slap it on them, and chuck them across the dimensional barriers. It's all the rage this century, though I prefer crackfics, personally. Anyway, Displacement is a veeerry meticulous process, and one which it sounds like your ‘Displacer’ wasn’t expecting to be interrupted, you clever thing you...” his smirked turned into a grin as I sensed something like... admiration?
“But why would someone do something like that? I did not consent to this!” I lightly stomped a hoof for emphasis. “What sort of goal could possibly justify this sort of thing?”
Discord raised his hands defensively, “Oh, I wouldn’t know! I mean, they all have different motives. Some do it for entertainment, some do it to meddle in the affairs of other worlds, some even have these sorts of cosmic machinations which involve Displacements across countless worlds. I wouldn’t be surprised if your Displacer simply did this because it was some convenient shortcut in some other plan. You, however, probably put a spanner in those works...” he rubbed his hands together, “Oh, I’d love to see the look on that interdimensional meddler’s face when it realizes what you’ve done...” his grin faded to a frown as he had a sobering thought, “Well, of course, assuming it doesn’t just destroy you on the spot... That would be a shame: I quite like your attitude so far...”
I sighed, “Well, I’m glad my continued existence has your vote of confidence: I wouldn’t be happy about being destroyed myself... Though...” I thought, “I suppose I wouldn’t be unhappy either, seeing as I would no longer exist...”
Discord chuckled, Twilight and Fluttershy were just looking back and forth between us with increasing amounts of worry on their faces.
“Discord,” Twilight asked, “Is there any way we can defend Meta from her Displacer if it comes after her? I mean, do you have any way to protect her?”
Discord shook his head, “While I am the Avatar of Chaos in equestria, making defense against the impositions otherworldly beings my purview, I wouldn’t be able to tell you in advance. Meta’s displacer could be anything from a lowly Deep One to a full on Eldrich God, and anything between that could have a myriad of strengths and weaknesses. Now, you, being the one chosen to wield the powers of the Avatar of Harmony, should also have that kind of power at your disposal, but I simply can’t promise you anything about a situation I know nothing about...” he thought for a second, “You know, it’s quite exciting, really.”
Fluttershy took a step forward, “Please Discord, Meta seems like a nice enough pony. Isn’t there anything you can do to help her?” she put a hoof on his arm.
Discord looked down at her hoof, and I sensed that connection again... strong... I’d have to ask them later what kind of bond they had. He rolled his eyes a little, making a good show of feigning a lack of caring, though I could sense the will to please her within him, “Oh fine, I was going to have some me time today...” he held up a coconut to show us a hole in the side, bouncing his eyebrows, “...Buuut if it means so much to you, I suppose I could go look around and see if I can turn anything up on who might’ve done this, but only because you’ve all been so forgiving about the whole Tirek thing...”
...Tirek...
“Thank you Discord! I'm so glad you're our friend!” She leaned in and gave him a warm nuzzle on his arm.
Discord actually blushed a little at it, “Yes, yes, well, we can't all be beings of cosmic power now can we. It was delightful to meet you Meta, now if you'll excuse me, I have some holes to poke my head into...” He raised his hand, snapped his fingers, and rewrote his position in reality in a flash of chaotic power.
I glanced around, feeling his presence fade out of the quiet cottage...
What I don't like was that 'dimensionally misplaced' balony that was going around, when the word 'displaced' already has a meaning that already fits perfectly well.
4642071
I don't remember that entirely, but I do know there've been ongoing issues with people trying to pin down these rigid definitions of what makes a fic "Displaced", which has led to some weird breakdowns.
I might have Discord use a term other than just "Displaced" here, now that you mention it though... like... "Multiversal Displacement"...
I remember seeing a story where he knows a bit about displaced because he read fimfiction before he became displaced so when he first ran into a token he instantly tried to summon the displaced from the token but it turned out the displaced he summoned was using his powers for evil and overall was a psychopath and he had two chapters basically entirely dedicated to battling the displaced I remember thinking that was an interesting way to do the whole crossover thing
What I don't like is that crossovers happen AT ALL. Nine times out of ten, I don't care about the random character who just wanders in. The flow was fine before the sudden cameo and rewards the MC with power he didn't earn through character development. It always feels like it fucks up the pacing and makes an already convoluted plot line even more confusing and complex.
4642105
See? That sounds like a really cool subversion of the trope! Do you have a link?
4642120
Once again, Crossovers are a Tool, and when used right, they can and do enhance a story. What I'm talking about is how we make that 1 in 10 times when things work well the norm.
We know for a fact that it can be done: you can't tell me that Teridax vs Auric was bad. They had a fucking war that ended with a fight to the death on a barren world, complete with Teridax (spoiler, he doesn't rewrite reality in his own image) lamenting to a sympathetic Auric that he loved him because they were so alike, yet so different, Teridax's long, hard life finally slipping away as he finally reveals his original human name, "Matthew Bates".
That was a crossover between like, 10 stories, built up over at least a year of smaller crossovers.
Yes, you're right, these things can derail the story and screw up the pacing, and that's what I'm trying figure out exactly how to avoid here. Please don't write off such a unique trope just because you've seen its execution fail.
4642149
I get that, but consider this: Fan fics are produced mostly by non-professional authors. Amateurs of varying degrees of skill. As such, the ability to pull off a good crossover is reduced exponentially. I would love to see a good crossover...of a book or game or movie. They are also sometimes bad but at a much higher success rate. Seeing a crossover in a story I like on Fimfiction is like the story rolling a d20 and having to roll the natural 20 if they want it to be good. It hurts me every time I see the crossover pop up because it means the probably death of whatever interesting plot line the character had. That's how displaced stories feel to me. Super interesting, then they crossover and it all goes to shit as characters suddenly take 15 levels in badass and the whole thing becomes boring.
When I read the title of your published blog at the feed, I couln't avoid its siren's song for a common complaint from most commenters on the genre.
What you describe is quite right, and other writers for the genre would benefit immensely from the lessons inside your commentary.
And I think one of the attractions for such an endeavor is the roleplay aspect, where two or more fellows work at the same thing just for fun. This element here is perhaps what detracts quality from most crossovers - either that or making the whole thing a contest of 'whose is bigger'.
By the way, the excerpt for your next chapter is truly well done, and showcases a lot of tropes from the genre without falling into dreaded and dry clichés.
With this said, I'll check out your other blog posts to see what else I can learn.
Thank you, for sharing with us, your viewpoint on this subject.
Cross-overs should happen only if its related to the main plot. Like my story, I've been rather sparingly with who I cross-over as I know people despise displaced who derail the plot to the extreme. Crossovers should only happen after the main character has gained some character development, possibly after chapter ten more or less depending on how detailed your writing is.
Second, cross-overs should NOT happen for the sake of 'my powers are better than yours' contest. A friendly sparr would be better.
4642091
Why is "Displaced" a capital-letter name now? Does it have a trope page?
4642455
Its always been capitalized
4642105
That ruins stories for me for a variety of reasons.
Its lazier than a fat woman on welfare.
Its the most exhaustingly boring excuse and could be done with both pre-Diplacement character development and a slight twist.
It makes crossovers nothing more than fanboyish gid.
Etc etc etc
4642201
Three things:
1) You're right that crossovers are generally a bad idea for the people who do them, but the "don't crossover" advice is so omnipresent that there's no point in repeating it.
2) The whole point of me bringing it up is to improve the issue when they DO crossover by trying to give helpful feedback.
3) It doesn't matter if they do a good job or not, because Fanfiction is bullshit and doesn't have to be good.
Don't take this personally, but do you have any actionable feedback? Because it's not that I don't agree that what you're saying is at least reasonable, I don't think it's helpful to this situation...
4642328
That's why I wrote it: it's probably the most common hurdle for Displaced stories to stumble on, and if they can clear it, it won't just improve that pivotal moment, but the basic idea of it will have a positive effect on the rest of the story.
The roleplay aspect can be a large part of what makes it fun for the authors, as well as just the cooperative process of creating a tandem story and the feeling of interacting with a character you probably like. On top of that though, I'm attracted to it as a writer because of all the potential it has as an element, and the unique situation it allows.
<3
At the end of this, I plan to do some sort of larger writeup to help authors improve their writing. Please though, continue to read and discuss these, as I'm going to incorporate concepts that come up in the comments when I distil these into faster, easier to follow entries.
4642358
Right. My general advice. Like I said, it CAN be done without being part of the main plot, but the most annoying thing is when it's done while there's a plot going on, or worse, the plot has not even gotten developed.
That's probably a good rule, but I bet someone could pull off a fanfic where it happens in the first chapter and not fuck it up if they knew exactly what they're doing. In fact, picture a story where the Displaced character wakes up, looks around to see they are lost in the woods, and is immediately hit with a token. They pick it up and hear the message about seeking help, and immediately summon, I dunno... Mewtwo. They freak out that Mewtwo is real and talking to him and he's like "Yeah, but you're Ampharos." to which they look down and realize that their Ampharos kigu (I love those) is now their body. They start screaming and Mewtwo is all like "are you fucking kidding me?" That's how the prologue ends.
Tell me you wouldn't want to see where this bullshit was going.
Once again, Teridax vs Auric. There is nothing that can be done that can't be done well.
4642674
BUT, it sounds like it worked for a number of reasons, mainly because it totally set up a very unique plot. I can see it happening, and I can even see it being reconciled in the same way we reconcile MLP being a TV show in the human world. Every plot element is a tool, and writing well isn't about the tools you use, but how well you wield them.
4642891
What you described is quite correct.
The tools are there, but the handling, on the other hand, can make or break a story - or serve as a intermission, to allow the main plot to breathe a bit before plunging back into the story.
The final thing that is a almost too common constant is the 'incomplete', 'abandoned', or 'cancelled' stories out there, most write by mean of muse alone instead of planning it out, and ends up with the writers losing sight (if they ever had it) of how they wanted their story to end.
Planning is key, just like a map would be when in unfamiliar territory.
Also the knowledge of how to use a compass would work to aid in the endeavor.
4642821
Well, more pointedly my suggestion is not to crossover on a Displaced story of all things. I think that the fact that it's a trait of the whole multiversal setting makes it nearly destined to be used poorly by nearly everyone. It isn't well thought-out most of the time because it's slapped onto a concept someone was already going to write as opposed to naturally grown into the story idea. You like a story, then it crosses over and now you want to know who this character is so you start reading their story and they cross over with something else and now I've got three series(most with series that haven't updated in a year or higher) and it becomes a giant pain in the ass to read everything. I just think that crossovers for a whole setting that many people have used is the core issue. If it weren't a Displaced setting, there wouldn't be griping. It's the combination of cross-overs and everything related also using crossovers is the issue. I've read a lot of them and aside from the issue of Gary Stu-ness you'd get with any character with powers, you'll find the crossover is the #2 complaint. If it happened just once or twice, it wouldn't be a problem. The fact that it daisy chains multiple series together is the issue I and many like me have. Go ahead and make a Displaced story, or a crossover. Don't make a Displaced story with crossovers.
I seem to recall reading that since displaced. Stories require that crossover, this cant be a displaced story.
Glad to see you are bucking the trend even more!
Can't wait.
Y'know, most of the time when Displaced stories cross I sigh and try to skip past it. They're just so rarely done well. (And I DO like me some crossovers. One of my favorite Neil Gaiman stories is a Sherlock Holmes/Cthulhu Mythos crossover.)
That being said, I've got faith in you being able to find something that works.
4643261
I was gonna say, if you don't read crossover chapters, you're really not gonna get alot out of Meta... XD
4643237
It IS Displaced, and there IS crossover being planned out, but this is the first in a series, and won't have her leaving her Equestria until the very end. The sequels, however, are going to revolve around crossovers, and I hope you stick around for them, because I really think I can make it work.
4643008
Well, that's not a very good suggestion in a discussion about how to do crossovers. :\
You know what? I'm just gonna do my thing, and you can watch if you want to see crossovers explored. Or not, doesn't matter to me...
4643277
Oh, i know it is displaced, but sonce apperently you have to have a crossover for it to qualify people may argue otherwise.
I certainly am entertained and am not leaving.
Actual magic science stories are not common.
4643307
Yes, I do love my technical/occult fantasy. <3
I don't have a link heck I even forgot what the story was called I discovered the story before I had an account set up for fimfiction so I kinda lost it I have been trying to find the story for a while actually
4642674
I see your point I just kinda thought it was a bit of a different idea compared to the usual I run into a token I summon the displaced and we all become friends in the end
4643908
Midnight is terminally cynical. It sounds like a good twist to me.