Sep
11th
2014
So, a question for my TSC readers... · 1:19am Sep 11th, 2014
Why do you think certain authors have made the Sweetie Chronicles chapters that take place in their worlds canon to their universes?
It always surprises me and honors me when the creators of those worlds turn and tell me in one way or another: "Hey, D, I'd like this story to be officially part of my world."
Usually what goes through my mind other than "AWESOME! YAY!" is to ask the question: "Why?" I usually don't say that though, I tend to s-stammer a: "S-sure! Thanks!"
So, I would like to know your thoughts on it as readers.
I'd imagine that they treat it like a huge honor and it's their way of giving back. I'm not exactly sure, but that might be the answer to your question.
cuz it's an awesome addition?
i have no other idea
Free exposure. And being part of something bigger.
They like the idea so much, feel so honored, and want to be a part of this that they have to.
Because pony can pony pony, pony.
Making something that's bigger and part of an expanded universe is appealing. It 'matters' more, for lack of a better term.
Because they like contradicting their prequels and confusing people that don't read TSC like TPC
Maybe they feel that you adhere well enough to the (specific) canon that it's basically inseparable from the story, were you to try and figure out who wrote what without any clues.
2445067 it didn't necessarily contradict TBNE, though? (not an argument for this blog, but still)
I'd say it's because of being part of something more. Or maybe it's because it's you, D.
In a way it is because TSC has a life of its own, and authors may want to give Sweetie Belle a little respite from the way things are going in her life, or just sympathize with her to that extent. I will say that I thank you for giving such permissions. In some cases, it just works out right, allowing an author to give an outside perspective to their world.
Because (at least in my mind) it makes the concept of all fanfics being connected seem more real.
It doesn't seem all that surprising to me. Considering this is a site that obsesses on what is and isn't canon in their own heads.
Extended universe awesomeness.
Because sweet, delicious collaboration.
Because it's fun.
I think the interaction between authors is a form of validation. If they like your stuff and then you use theirs, it becomes proof that they have done well in the eyes of those they respect.
I don't know, but I kind of wish they wouldn't. I've got nothing against TSC, but I also haven't read it. So when TSC's Sweetie pops up in a story I've been reading, then that chapter tends to usually be more of a chapter of TSC than of the other story. So it suddenly feels like I'm reading a completely different story from somewhere in the middle. And it tends to spoil things if I ever do decide to read TSC.
This isn't just a problem with TSC though. It's basically the same problem that any crossover has. But when a crossover is canon in both universes, things become extra weird. If a story is only canon in one universe (in this case, the TSC universe), than only that story's fans will need to read it. But if it's canon to both universes, then both stories' fans will need to read it, and if they want to really understand what's going on, they'll also have to read the entirety of the other story as well.
Are you planning a The Empty Room crossover with TSC, you have already made somthing similar with the three sisters.
My question is why publish it? I mean I do write stuff like that from time to time but it never gets published
I have nothing of value to offer to this discussion.
And I'm okay with that.
I think because it gives them a pre-made scenario they can "act out", a sub-plot to expand upon their world some more and to pay homage to the guy who's bringing attention to their fics.
A heart of Change seems to have taken your chapter and turned it into a major story plot.
As an author whose world would sadly have little to offer Sweetie except, perhaps, a haystack of Twilight to lose the shard in, it's kind of a hard question to answer. Would I accept something in TSC that I wouldn't accept in my own writing? Would I let Sweetie leave with a star in TSC but decide it's out of the question for canon? I don't think I would make that distinction, so the hurdle shouldn't be too large.
I think the main consideration would have to be how it fits into the story arc, which would then be dependent on what Sweetie needs to get out of the crossover. Unless things lined up really well, I probably wouldn't do the AHoC thing and make Sweetie's visit an actual chapter in the story, but if it worked out only slightly less well, I could see making some references to obliquely acknowledge it.
When it comes right down to it, though, Sharing the Night is a story I obsess a little too much over with only a small number of characters, so maybe it's not the best benchmark. If I ever got around to writing Schrödinger's Dawn, which is more of an adventure story, the decision would probably come much easier.
Damn it, now I want to see this... Please tell me Sweetie will end up in a world with a filly or teenaged Twilight? Please?
2445226
The original TER actually already had a TSC Sweetie reference in it, so it's safe to say that's a yes.
2445023 I'd agree with Manaphy here. That's certainly a large aspect of it. Wanderer D, you have very much been an inspiration to me. Certainly you are one of the key motivations I point to when reflecting on how I started writing again, and certainly SoC wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for you writing TSC.
Aside from that though, I feel like there's a two-way validation in this. Writing a piece which is canonical in both universes gives both stories a certain sense of importance. Both stories feel stronger by forging that bond between each other. A reader of just one of the stories will realize that the author is basically saying, "This is a great story, and it works well alongside mine. You should really check it out."
I think the reason that so many of the authors want to make it canonical is because you do capture and explore the themes and elements of the story you are crossing over into, and that in itself is validating to the author you are writing the chapter with. You respect our work, and we respect yours, and together we create something that works for both stories. Why shouldn't we validate it by making it canonical after the fact?
I can't speak for all the other authors you've collaborated with, but it has certainly been an honour and a great learning experience. One of the best few months I've ever had.
Thanks!
Making it an actual crossover, with the TSC chapter becoming a major element of the other fic, is IMHO awkward. It would more or less force readers to read both fics to actually get what is happening.
On the other hand, avoiding contradicting TSC, and perhaps adding a few references that the reader don't need to understand in order to enjoy the story, is something that I would enjoy. Helps with being able to read both fics without cringing about conflicts.
2445096 You would probably know better than me. Didn't TSC chapter of TPC say that sweetie met BB in TBNE? That certainly wasn't in the original. I didn't want to comment on TPC where it wasn't welcome to ask.
To be fair... I don't like when that happens. Not because Sweetie doesn't deserve recognition, but it forces the story out of its natural rhythm. .
As for why they do it.. I think they see the "Wandered Sweetie" as natural phenomenon of of the multiverse, some kind of "Doctor Whooves" that is destiny to fix(or alter) things around multiple worlds.
2445519 What you've got to remember, though, is that ol' Bluey went through thousands if not millions of reiterations*. Sweetie Belle was only there for 730.5 reiterations (or, y'know, two years) compared however many years Bluey had, which I think he said at least a few hundred/thousand.
*This is one I can't remember exactly because he'd either said "hundreds of loops" or "hundreds of years," and I can't recall which. And that was only when he met Sweetie Belle; that's no even counting all the loops after she left!
2445540
She's really more of a Sam Beckett–Scott Bakula type... Or at least, she was. Not sure if she's different enough now to not take over local Sweeties by default, or if the last few have all just been more than two days' travel from the shard. I didn't think that was the case with BTTM Sweetie, but I could be wrong.
2445540 Aye, that could definitely be a possibility.
Since I'm the kinda guy who likes to look at all three sides of the coin, here's my say on it:
Like with most crossovers, there's going to be continuity errors. Some of these are easily hand-waved (just look at Doctor Who; the newer installments {starting with #9} seemed nearly allergic to keeping with the traditions of the show, and continuity holes opened up on a regular basis), others can be a detriment to one or both of the crossing paths. There is no more dangerous place on the street than the part where two or more meet, as it were.
Even so, letting someone else take the reins can give you a perspective that may very well be a boon later down the line: maybe a character of yours was being received badly by the public, but this other author managed to capture their spirit exactly as you'd envisioned them, and suddenly that character everyone didn't like is adored! While possibly a bit shallow a trench this paragraph has plowed, it's still deep enough for the seeds to grow, I'd say. By which I mean that the crossover is a boon that can add to the lore of both or either story, especially if you do it in such a way that the characters are interacting with each other, but both stories still follow their own protagonist(s). Like how TSC Sweetie is the PoV for TSC, but another character (Like Blueblood in TPC) is the main character in their own fic. The same thing is happening on both sides, but with differing opinions and character development backing them up.
To try and make a rather crude analogy, it's like crossing Sailor Moon with Power Rangers. Rita and Beryl could do well to work together and strengthen one another: Beryl's youma are stronger than Rita' usual brand of MotW, but using Rita's magic to create giant youma would be quite the thing indeed. Now just imagine a giant robotic Sailor Senshi, with a miniskirt made out of rocket launchers, machine gun turrets, and rail guns. Oooh, yeah. Shit just got real. In a crossover like this, both groups are rather well equipped to fight their own enemies, but not each other's, let alone both at once, meaning that the Scouts and Rangers might have to marshal their strength and band together to beat the two evil women and their evil minions.
I think it's their way to show you how much they appreciate your work, like those who write sequels and spin-offs of other autors' stories or those who realize fanarts of them
It makes both universes feel bigger and more alive.
I think it would be easier to ask Why they wouldn't want it to be Canon
It's like getting sideswiped by the Batmobile; you've just had a brush with awesome, and while a few people may resent it, most are just in awe that it happened at all.
2445399
Did it really? Shit now I have to go re-read that again.
I'd say, D, that the reason is the amount of effort you go to to make TSC fit into the worlds they've already created, and tried to make them better than they could have been alone.
For Best Night Ever, the TSC chapters gave Blueblood something to learn from, and I'd think that another character is always better for teaching a lesson, or enabling character growth, than the setting of the story. I loved BNE, but having read TSC first I felt there was something missing; Blueblood just wasn't as relatable. Giving him another character to care for and teach made him a character that you could like, instead of just someone you could tolerate because he got redeemed from his douchebaggery.
Another example would be On a Cross and Arrow, which really wasn't changed beyond a cute expansion on the world with Artemis' nightmare night. OACAA was already an interdimensional adventure fic, so adding more dimensions to the background really just makes sense.
2445902
You might have to look pretty closely. I only really remember it thanks to it being talked about in blog posts after the fact
you really need to do an End Of Ponies chapter dame it its bad enough the the original is cursed to never be complete but to hint at a crossover release a sample of it then scrap it is almost to much to bear i went from being the happiest reader on fimfic to the most pissed off many small puppy's were kicked that day and i vow to kick a puppy a day until you do release a E.O.P chapter so for the sake of small puppy's every where get back to work on that i don't care when please by all means take your time make it a good one one but until you release something saying your doing it you just might start to see puppy's with a size 13 bruise
I would say completed stories or set in future chapters would be a good choice otherwise I would go for AU or soft cannon for the story
In how meny of the stories are she canon? I know that she is canon in backwards trough the mirror but wich other stories are she canon in?
2447013 The Light Never Goes Out, Best Night Ever/This Platinum Crown, Scion of Chaos/A Heart of Change, Backwards Through the Mirror and... other future ones I'm not at liberty to disclose.
When 2 kids have a play-date you don't memory-wipe one of them afterwards.
I think it's partly because they want to give back for the fact that you were using their worlds in TSC, and partly because it gives them something to work with in their own later works in those settings.
Hell, I'd love to see Sweetie pop up in my own fic setting, the Shogunverse, but I'm pretty sure you're not looking for any new worlds for her to pop up into, and pretty much all of the fics I'm doing in the Shogunverse are still in-progress anyway.
2447247
okay tha's cool. I have a theory about why they make it canon.
When you write TSC you colaborate with the author of the world Sweetie visits right? Well that might be the reason. When they write Sweetie in their universes (with you) it probably feels as tough they are adding her and her actions to teir universes as well as yours making TSC canon in both universes. But that's just a theory.
I kind of like it myself; I also think it makes the TSC chapters more interesting when she actually get's involved in the major events of the worlds she visits.
I also like playing around with multiverse theory, and find stories that handle it well a lot of fun.
2447247
You don't?...
Drunk Vimbert says: bid for greater exposure!
I can't speak for other writers, but I can say that if Sweetie found her way into one of my (hypothetical) stories, then would make it canon, because I love this story, and having it be canon makes it more legitimate. Did sweetie visit my universe, or did she just visit one that looks almost exactly like mine. I would prefer mine.
Free plot threads.