The Displaced 'Stigma' and the 6 Fanfiction Failure Metarules · 7:50pm Oct 28th, 2015
Okay I have to ask... what is wrong with using something that *insert nasally voice here* "has been done before"??? With the recent 'stigma' -and I use that term very loosely- that has been placed on crossover stories using the Displaced template I am starting to get a headache with how many people cry "FOUL" when an author uses it.
To be frank, I do admit that there are quite a few authors who use the Displaced template that are bad writers that are unwilling to have someone at the very least look over their work to help make it at least more pleasing to the eye and mind. I used to be one myself until my grandmother -a retired English teacher- 'beat' it out of my head. Now I actively try to find an editor -though sadly with little success-. In these trying times I remember the six Metarules for Fanficton Failure that my friend and fellow author Kamen Rider Chrome on Fanfiction.net wrote on his Bio a couple years back that he found which got me back into writing fanfiction again despite the falures I was having at the time.
Fanfiction Failure Metarules for Writers
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #1-- Readers will absolute love a completed work but will invariably pick apart and inadvertently attempt to destroy it if given a hand in its creation. Be especially wary of open forums and chat channels in this regard as they usually have opinionated folks who haven't ever written anything or anything in nearly forever. Either have a healthy self image or screen your pre-readers carefully to avoid this failure.
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #2-- The phrase "...that's just another excuse to (plot device)." indicates you are dealing with a person of below average insight as to how fiction is written. These people should not be allowed to influence your work in any way because everything is a means to an end and is therefore "an excuse" to achieve that end. For example; "...(plot device) is just another excuse to lock Ranma as a girl." This is an empty statement attempting to hide behind factual expertise; a bludgeon used by particular readers that don't get their way or don't approve of your plot. It contains no value beyond personal opinion and should therefor be treated as such.
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #3-- There is no impossible in fanfiction. Every once in a while you'll run into that anal retentive plot nazi that will say it simply can't be done like that. It doesn't matter what 'that' is because 'it' simply can't be done and they are, of course, the foremost authority on such matters. Normally this advisement is made by people that don't know they're closet creativity thieves; people who don't realize that their favorite series usually has either plot holes you can drive a death star through or that same series has Lucky God martial Artists, Flying airships, and springs of drowned Asura-zebra-octopi-phoenix-yeti-bulls. Sadly, their disagreements usual come down to little more than opinion of what is in reality- say it with me -magical bullshit. As such, these people should be given as little creative share in your work as possible. All that said, there is a difference between the broken ideology of "can't be done" and the more realistic "shouldn't be done". Consult the Rules of Fanfiction Failure for a head start on those.
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #4-- "It's been done before!" is never an excuse not to do it again. Some of the best works you will ever read in fanfiction "have been done before" and it's still amazing how these will be the first words out of reader's mouths when running an idea past them- even though they absolutely HAVE to know somewhere in the back of their mind that this is an empty statement, because half the fics they enjoy "have been done before". Don't take this one personally. It's reflex. Smile, nod and continue writing anyway with Rule of Fanfiction Failure #8 somewhere in the back of your mind.
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #5-- Fanon is not a sin. That's right folks, its time to drop the rosaries and stop going to those cleansing ceremonies because contrary to what you have been led to believe, fanon is not the end of the world. What is the end of the world is not knowing the difference between fanon and canon. Even if you don't know, your readers will and there's a good chance that your fic will deserve the smack-down heaped upon you even as your pitiful cries of "no flames" go unnoticed in the fic summary. Fanon often personalizes a fic and can- and I stress can -make it better than the original source material, but like Fan Fic Failure #13, knowing what you're doing to canon before you rape it at the alter will make or break a fic.
Fanfiction Failure Metarule #6 -- Do what they tell you not to or shouldn't. Who are 'they'? They are the know-it-alls of fanfiction; even other authors. This particular rule is a close cousin to metarule #3 and has served me well over the years. They tell you not to put specific dates in your fic? Do it. They tell you that writing about X will only cause problems. Go for it. Not only will you set your work apart from theirs as unique, your readers will appreciate you tackling subject matter others are afraid to touch. Trusted prereader advice should always take precedence over this rule, but always keep it in the back of your mind. Asking yourself 'why' somebody advises against certain material is half the battle whether you take their advise or not.
These rules keep me going and continue writing despite all of the 'hate' and 'vinegar' I get with my work. Cause in the end...
Edit: Thanks to Proper Noun, I am able to finally tell everyone who the actual creator of the Fanfiction Failure Metarules are... Mr. Ozzallo of FanFiction.net. Along with that is another Metarule he recently created which goes along with what I began at the top of the Blog.
NEW! Fanfiction Failure Metarule #7 -- Know your gimmick and ride it into the ground. Every series has a gimmick that the plot revolves around, and the people reading your fiction are there for that gimmick. Your job as an author is to know what that gimmick is and incorporate it obviously into your work. Transformers have transforming robot battles. Ranma1/2 has martial arts and gender curses. Harry Potter has clueless magical noobs in over their heads... And you think I'm joking. Be that as it may, your readers are exploring the genre because they like source material. Obviously you need to know the cast of characters and have a halfway decent plot, but folks, they're their for a reason. A transformer fic without a robot transforming is a travesty. A Ranma fic that doesn't feature a curvy redhead is stale. Harry Potter without its James and the Giant Peach derivative plot is... Well, I think you get the idea. The original fiction has a gimmick and that gimmick better feature prominently throughout your work as well.
In addition, here is a Google Doc Ozzallos-Sama created before the creation of his Metarules that I am going to try and abide by though successful following of those rules will vary form story to story. The Doc itself if linked here.
And with that, I instigate a rule with my blogs and stories. Anyone that try's to start a Running Review War either with me or one of my readers, I do reserve the right to delete unless it is civil and does not revolve around a "No I Can't! Yes It Can!" format. Yes Everyone has the right to an opinion, but no one has the right to try and force that opinion down someone's throat if they do not agree with said opinion.
Basically; Keep your comments civil, Do not force your opinions on others, and Keep cyber bullying out of my reviews or...
*Takes on a German accent* You will spend a night in the cooler.
Thank you. I just got me some new baselines to follow. m(_ _)m
To those who use number 4, I'll just leave this here:
I found what seems to be the original source here btw, since your friend wasn't sure where he found it.
Edit: Relevant to your complaint is the following from Rules of Fanfiction Failure, from the same guy on the same link:
This is literally the Displaced gimmick - you take a character (say from Kamen Rider), tear out their personality, throw in a random human, and drop them in a new universe. You probably shouldn't use sources that undermine your position, yeah?