If you know what you are doing is bs, should you embrace it or try to turn it around.

[SirDogeTheFirst]

This has been a question eating my mind as of late. Should we embrace the BS in our books, if there is, or try to fix it?
I started asking this while building the world of my current project. It had magic, superpowers, modern technology, knights wearing power armor while wielding magic swords, aliens, mechas, monsters superpowered people, etc, etc. At one point, I stopped and took a deep breath. Do I trim the extras from my story, make it more grounded or do I embrace the absolute slop of a setting I was making and go beyond?
While thinking about that, one media appeared in my mind: Baki.
Baki, as a story, is an absolute mess, and everything and anything is as awful as it gets, but at the same time, it is enjoyable. I know two people suddenly acting like they are eating an invisible meal that doesn't exist, or Yujiro getting so angry that he caused an earthquake is stupid, but at the same time, I enjoyed reading that.
At the same time, a reverse example: Warhammer 40k. Pre-horus heresy books, 40k was a super rule of the cool, nothing was grounded and writers pulled everything out of their asses, but with Horus Heresy, settings Grimfunk (lots of deaths and human rights violations, but with added funny factor) turned more Grimdark and grounded, and it worked from what I see. It brought so many new people to 40k and Horus Heresy books are (or at least the ones I read so far) great creating a more grounded setting while protecting some of that original juice that made 40k what it was.
TLDR: If you know your story is getting stupider than usual, should you try to fix it by making it more grounded, or fully embrace the slop you are making and crank everything to 11?

 

[2wordsperminute]

Honestly depends on whichever you find more fun.

 

[Representing_Tromba]

Bullshit is nice as long as it is consistent. You wouldn't expect a person to survive being flattened except in a toon world. If the world says it's okay then go for it.

 

[Rhaps]

As a DM, BS is something I deal with constantly. At some point, it get out of control, always. And I've embraced it for all of my career

 

[FluffyGura]

Def bs because bs is what attracted your viewers, it is also what you promised them. Bs which is why they read Ur story to read the tomfoolery, I think it would be better to embrace the bs as it is what your readers want.

 

[CharlesEBrown]

Depends on the genre.
If you are really in doubt, use the poll feature to see if your readers have noticed and object, or are sticking around because of it, or really just never noticed.
Now, if you don't have any (or many) readers, then maybe reconsider what you are doing and either start over, course-correct, or go balls-to-the-wall gonzo wacky, whatever seems most interesting to YOU.
But if you do have readers, ask their view, see if they prefer it nutso, or want something more buttoned down - or if they are holding on to find out if YOU have a way of sorting it all out and explaining it to make sense at some point...

 

[beast_regards]

I started asking this while building the world of my current project. It had magic, superpowers, modern technology, knights wearing power armor while wielding magic swords, aliens, mechas, monsters superpowered people, etc, etc. At one point, I stopped and took a deep breath.

Did you consider adding teleporting catgirls from another dimension?

 

[RepresentingDesire]

The only bs world is a inconsistent world.

I personally have cranked it up to 11 and it helped my themes, I literally don't know the genre of my world but that doesn't matter because the most important part is how it interacts with the story.

 

[SirDogeTheFirst]

Honestly depends on whichever you find more fun.

Fair enough.

Bullshit is nice as long as it is consistent. You wouldn't expect a person to survive being flattened except in a toon world. If the world says it's okay then go for it.

Big agree, consistency and Bs can and should co-exist.

Def bs because bs is what attracted your viewers, it is also what you promised them. Bs which is why they read Ur story to read the tomfoolery, I think it would be better to embrace the bs as it is what your readers want.

More stuff that is then.

Did you consider adding teleporting catgirls from another dimension?

It is tempting, and it's not like a catgirl would be a misfit in my slop.

 

[beast_regards]

It is tempting, and it's not like a catgirl would be a misfit in my slop.

See, I found your problem right here. Just add catgirls. It would make more sense this way.

 

[tealery]

Lampshading but really I'd say embrace what you enjoy. As long as it doesn't get so complicated that it's stressing you out, it's okay imo.

 

[RepresentingCaution]

Not 11, 42.

 

[AnonUnlimited]

Since the world is full of BS, it's not unrealistic to have BS in books.

 

[Nolff]

This has been a question eating my mind as of late. Should we embrace the BS in our books, if there is, or try to fix it?
I started asking this while building the world of my current project. It had magic, superpowers, modern technology, knights wearing power armor while wielding magic swords, aliens, mechas, monsters superpowered people, etc, etc. At one point, I stopped and took a deep breath. Do I trim the extras from my story, make it more grounded or do I embrace the absolute slop of a setting I was making and go beyond?
While thinking about that, one media appeared in my mind: Baki.
Baki, as a story, is an absolute mess, and everything and anything is as awful as it gets, but at the same time, it is enjoyable. I know two people suddenly acting like they are eating an invisible meal that doesn't exist, or Yujiro getting so angry that he caused an earthquake is stupid, but at the same time, I enjoyed reading that.
At the same time, a reverse example: Warhammer 40k. Pre-horus heresy books, 40k was a super rule of the cool, nothing was grounded and writers pulled everything out of their asses, but with Horus Heresy, settings Grimfunk (lots of deaths and human rights violations, but with added funny factor) turned more Grimdark and grounded, and it worked from what I see. It brought so many new people to 40k and Horus Heresy books are (or at least the ones I read so far) great creating a more grounded setting while protecting some of that original juice that made 40k what it was.
TLDR: If you know your story is getting stupider than usual, should you try to fix it by making it more grounded, or fully embrace the slop you are making and crank everything to 11?

Like Void said 'The only bullshit is the inconsistencies'.

I, as a reader, do not care if the story is a load of tosh. As long as it makes sense, it's a good read.

 

[corruption]

I have two views on this
1) I enjoy stories where things make sense, if they are meant to follow logic and
2) I also enjoy some amusing crackfic from time to time

Do as you want (as long as it's legal)

 

[Azhurie_Mythephan]

11 is to low... Make it at least 23...

 

[Anonjohn20]

Baki, as a story, is an absolute mess

Baki as a manga was great. It was the anime adaptation that couldn't understand the concept of "show, don't tell."

 

[ElijahRyne]

This has been a question eating my mind as of late. Should we embrace the BS in our books, if there is, or try to fix it?
I started asking this while building the world of my current project. It had magic, superpowers, modern technology, knights wearing power armor while wielding magic swords, aliens, mechas, monsters superpowered people, etc, etc. At one point, I stopped and took a deep breath. Do I trim the extras from my story, make it more grounded or do I embrace the absolute slop of a setting I was making and go beyond?
While thinking about that, one media appeared in my mind: Baki.
Baki, as a story, is an absolute mess, and everything and anything is as awful as it gets, but at the same time, it is enjoyable. I know two people suddenly acting like they are eating an invisible meal that doesn't exist, or Yujiro getting so angry that he caused an earthquake is stupid, but at the same time, I enjoyed reading that.
At the same time, a reverse example: Warhammer 40k. Pre-horus heresy books, 40k was a super rule of the cool, nothing was grounded and writers pulled everything out of their asses, but with Horus Heresy, settings Grimfunk (lots of deaths and human rights violations, but with added funny factor) turned more Grimdark and grounded, and it worked from what I see. It brought so many new people to 40k and Horus Heresy books are (or at least the ones I read so far) great creating a more grounded setting while protecting some of that original juice that made 40k what it was.
TLDR: If you know your story is getting stupider than usual, should you try to fix it by making it more grounded, or fully embrace the slop you are making and crank everything to 11?

Why not both, justify the ‘slop’ with a couple of more subtle chapters, and then start cranking up that justified BS to 11. For example you could try this:
Why have things been getting stupider? Once you find that out, use a throwaway line from a previous slop chapter that fits and repeat it, then have the protag experience deja vu. (If you don’t have a line come up with one, have it in the next chapter then wait two or three chapters before doing the first step.) Then in two chapters have it happen again and this time the protag starts to get suspicious of the events happening around them. The next 3-5, or so, chapters are them chasing down leads to some great manipulator behind the bs. The protag is thoroughly beaten by the manipulator, but manages to escape by the skin of their teeth. Now the BS is justified and you can crank it up while giving the protag a direction to end the conflict.