tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post4402034295034147879..comments2024-03-12T01:33:30.737-07:00Comments on Fraggmented: The Metastory TrapJohn Seaveyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07530526320973807452noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-16323313417723947632014-07-02T17:07:53.796-07:002014-07-02T17:07:53.796-07:00What most people forget is that what made Babylo 5...What most people forget is that what made Babylo 5's overacing storyline so effective was that it was character-focused rather than event-focused.<br /><br />Very few of us watched it so fervently because we wanted to know what would happen next.<br /><br />We also watched it so intensely because we wanted to know what would happen next TO WHOM and, most importantly, HOW HE OR SHE WOULD REACT TO IT.<br /><br />The big problem with modern overarcing storylines is that they focus on the event rather than on the characterization, yet in most cases, it is the resulting characterization that involves us and not the event in and of itself.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-68564260718276502902014-07-02T17:05:21.550-07:002014-07-02T17:05:21.550-07:00"Why is it called Metastory?"
The prefi..."Why is it called Metastory?"<br /><br />The prefix meta- refers to something which is overarcing and/or analyses its subject from a more abstract perspective; it can also refer to something which consciously makes comment upon itself.<br /><br />For example, meta-ethics is the study of the components and foundations of ethical systems; meta-mathematics is the study of the underlying concepts of mathematics, such as what a number actually is; meta-linguistics is the study of languages and their cultural systems; a meta-language is the language used to discuss other languages; meta-data is data about data non-recursively; a meta-narrative is a story about a story.<br /><br />(Almost none of the above still use the hyphen, but I include it for clarity about my point.)<br /><br />To be honest, the correct term is "overstory" not "metastory", but it's not difficult to discern what John had meant.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-88867853545439939862010-02-06T18:38:08.154-08:002010-02-06T18:38:08.154-08:00Why is it called Metastory? It doesn't seem v...Why is it called Metastory? It doesn't seem very "meta"? Even when you talk about it you seem to add "over-arching" or some other word to really clarify what it means. It's a counterintuitive term. I would've thought metastory was the little stories that made up the over-arching story. Overarching metastory just seems like an oxymoron.<br /><br />Maybe just call it the "larger narrative" or "arching story?"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-6851802377635825092009-01-03T11:31:00.000-08:002009-01-03T11:31:00.000-08:00Great post, John. I think I may need to reference ...Great post, John. I think I may need to reference it in an upcoming column. You've taken a red Sharpee and drew a big ol' circle around the main problem with Big Two comic books in the last four or five years, that has chewed up and spat out so many: Ralph & Sue Dibny, Peter Parker and Mary Jane, Ted Kord, Janet Van Dyne, on and on and on...<BR/><BR/>I can only hope that this metastory trend will burn itself out before much longer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-20351381438797525632009-01-02T18:53:00.000-08:002009-01-02T18:53:00.000-08:00That's the thing about all this "shaking up the st...That's the thing about all this "shaking up the status quo" and changing things so they're never the same again-at what point can a status quo even establish itself? You're constantly changing everything, so how the heck can you even establish a long-running storytelling engine if you have to rewrite everything three episodes from now? <BR/><BR/>Sometimes this leads to long-term changes in the storytelling engine that otherwise undermine what was so appealing about the original concept. I used to be interested in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer", back when Buffy was the lone Slayer struggling against the forces of evil. When they introduced all those 'potential' Slayers, I was extremely annoyed, since I thought they were taking what was special and unique about Buffy and cheapening it by making it available to dozens more people. <BR/><BR/>If you look at the Season 8 comics now, you have Buffy and the Scooby Gang at the head of a paramilitary organization of literally thousands of Slayers worldwide...not exactly what drew people in in the first place. <BR/><BR/>Personally, I think the "Spider-Man" technique works best, where the villains hatch schemes that Spider-Man can beat in one to three issues, while Peter Parker's personal life provides an ongoing drama that the readers always have to buy if they want to keep up with. While the major plot ends with the villain webbed up for the police and Spider-Man saving the city yet again, the drama surrounding Peter Parker and his supporting cast are involved in something new every issue. Readers who care about the characters on that level can keep buying to keep up with the metaplot, while other plots are concluded every few issues, and not dragged out ad nauseum. <BR/><BR/>This type of storytelling can thus satisfy both those who want metaplot and done-in-one stories, and could just as easily apply to Batman or the Green Lantern as Spider-Man. Just because the Joker's latest diabolical scheme has been thwarted doesn't mean that Professor Hugo Strange's long-term plans to seize control of Arkham Asylum from the inside are done, nor is Bruce Wayne spared having to deal with the grief caused by misguided social activists or the unpleasant rumors spread by LexCorp to undermine Wayne Enterprises. <BR/><BR/>And finally, that anecdote you relate about Mark Millar just confirms why he's such a crappy writer when it comes to dealing with Marvel's established properties, and why his supposedly "groundbreaking" work is dog scat compared to what Tom DeFalco has been doing in the MC2 universe. <BR/><BR/>*rimshot*<BR/><BR/>Jared.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-87632580473027362122009-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:002009-01-02T11:55:00.000-08:00I think this is exactly what turned me off of this...I think this is exactly what turned me off of this season of Heroes. Every episode was in service to "utterly changing the world as you know it!" The only payoff is if you followed all of the plot to this point, and if you did... well, everything you knew just turned out to be wrong, so was following the plot really worth it in the first place? Every major "event" or "revelation" that has happened, I found myself going "Even if they're treating this as true now, it won't be in 4 episodes or so."<BR/><BR/>It's hard to get yourself invested in a story that turns on its ear so regularly, and if every other installment "shakes the world right to its core", then you're going to shake apart the core - that is, the very idea that made the story appealing in the first place.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694932622678066392noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-74773185357309002822009-01-02T03:10:00.000-08:002009-01-02T03:10:00.000-08:00Great post.The most interesting thing is that this...Great post.<BR/><BR/>The most interesting thing is that this metastory thing seems to be growing stronger. I mean, Buffy and Babylon 5 don't hold a candle to Lost or Heroes in terms of complexity of backstory and amount of "big changes/revelation" every episode.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15742539.post-27544810479519672712009-01-01T16:01:00.000-08:002009-01-01T16:01:00.000-08:00John,great post, I think the classic example of ho...John,<BR/><BR/>great post, I think the classic example of how this can ruin a series is the X-Files. As they were making up the meta-story on the run, they were never able to satisfactorily bring the arc and the individual stories together, especially after about season 3 or 4, once the backstory had become both complex and ridiculous.<BR/><BR/>Personally, I love arcs, the season arcs in Buffy were great, Babylon 5's arc was excellent, but you are quite right about the need to balance arcs with accessibility for new comers. I think though that is now ameliorated by the ease with which you can go back to the start now. 10 years ago, if I came upon a series and I thought this is good, but it's too far in, I just didn't watch it, as it was difficult to actually see the earlier episodes. Now I just go and buy the previous seasons on DVD and catch up. <BR/><BR/>I came upon your blog recently and as a long-time GM, I find it very interesting in terms of writing stories for roleplaying campaigns.<BR/><BR/>cheers<BR/><BR/>MartinAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com