What are some pitfalls for Multiverse Traveler/Planeswalker stories?

[SomethingElse]

Basically the title, I was thinking about storyboarding and writing a multiverse traveler story after reading The Last of the Omega Lords and I want to know some of the things to avoid when writing such a story. One such example off the top of my head is to not make the story just the main character endlessly yoinking every power/relic in sight.

Since most multiverse stories have the protagonist become OP if the character is smart I would also ask for some tips on making a story with an OP protag still enjoyable.

 

[ArsMagna1337]

You need to use the PoV of people other than the MC. In fact, don't make the protag the PoV once in a while.

 

[Maven]

Reading like a shopping list of the writer's fantasies instead an actual story. To add to that: no sense of wonder to associate with the act of planeswalking or doing magic in itself.

 

[Guardian Box]

I'd say focusing too much about the powers obtained, and the pursuit of power instead of actually using it in various fun ways during the story.

Whenever I see a first chapter that details the kind of powers the protagonist has access to my eyes glaze over. I don't even read that part, just skip the chapter and hope to be surprised later.

Just frontloading everything in the first chapter, really. Powers, characters, relations and so on.

 

[f0Ri5]

An over inflated character roster and poorly developed characters.

Plot threads tend to lack significance, given how many of them there are.

Overpowered main character. (Can be adressed by making the story not about fighting, or give the mc problems that cant be punched, or make supporting characters the focus like Tomohiro did with OPM.)

Shallow worldbuilding as well as shallow... everything else.

 

[Yuhabahha]

Good advice so far, what I would add is know your 'magic'.

i.e. how does your jumper's/planeswalker/etc power work? Under what conditions can or can't be used? Establish it early and don't deviate from it, either to nerf or buff without a very good long build-up (avoid the nerf in general)

Cause if you don't, and unless your mc is 'built' in a way that they wouldn't run when things get rough, readers will rightly complain of rail-roading if they don't use their powers to run from, say, Cthulhu when they're a lvl one mook.

And know your 'magic' in a general sense as well. What powers will the mc acquire, what are their limits by themselves, if (some) can stack together what can they achieve etc. Work? Yes. Will make for a more authentic tale? Also yes.

Another trick, powerwise is... you're the writer. If a power would be too complicated for 'x' point in the story... don't go in that universe just yet. You're the writer. You decide the order. The portal making power and its destination might be 'random', on paper, but that doesn't have to be the case irl.

And one last bit, emulate good gamer fics/self-pub books. Meaning mention the powers, of course, but don't constantly keep filling page after page with descriptions of them etc. Rather describe/show their effects when used.

In other words, a jumper tale is no different from a thriller than it is from a romance is different from fantasy etc, etc. At the end of the day it's all about plot and character & the interactions between them. Everything else is wrapping, with each genre having its preferred conventions and tropes...

Oh, and yes, relating to the character bloat and thin plot, as f0ri5 rightly mentioned... think of each 'world' as an isolated island, for the most part, with its own tales and cast of characters. Few of whom will have relevance, be mentioned again on the wider story beyond how they helped the hero grow/evolve. Meaning, don't rush through each world, have a tale and threads and a cast of characters as big as needed and only just.

Good, examples of that, even though its not a 'jumper' tale, so to speak, is Onepiece and QQ's very own AStoryForOne's 'A nascent Kaleidoscope' which is an excellent planeswalker tale.

By the way, if all that sounds like its too much? Start writing and don't worry overmuch about it. Tackle it one bit at a time, and as long as you keep reading and writing? You'll improve.

 

[Longtimelurker]

things to avoid when writing such a story

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I've characterized Multiverses on other Forums as the "Pandora's Box Tropes" (along with Time Travel[1] and Sufficiently Advanced Perception/Memory Manipulation), in that they have a distressing tendency to metastasize and consume the entire story.

Start writing and don't worry overmuch about it. Tackle it one bit at a time, and as long as you keep reading and writing? You'll improve.

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What he said. The best way to get good at writing is to write.

[1] Presuming Free Time Travel, as compared to Novikov-style Time Travel

 

[Soupervan]

First up is the lack of variety.

Most multiverse fanfictions focus on an mc that gradually becomes a god through fighting, looting and stuff. I'm not saying those fanfics are bad for being about that but trying something else couldn't hurt; maybe take a note from light novels? There are multiverse traveling musicians, actors, chefs and more in those most trying to become the best they can at their chosen craft yet somehow in fanfiction such things aren't as common.

Then there's the problem of power; MCs in multiverse stories often become too strong or skilled too quickly for the story to stay interesting. You can do the logical thing of planning out the worlds they visit and the powers they gain, skills they learn etc. so that the MC experiences challenges scaled for them or you can focus on other elements. Hobbies, humor, harems, etc.

Speaking of harems... They can get way too excessive. Dealing with one relationship and keeping both people happy is work enough, adding dozens or more is just exhausting; have pity on your protagonist.

The most important thing for multiverse fics in my opinion is writing in enough detail that people that have never read/watched the fandom your character ends up in can still understand without having to google a time or two per chapter.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Then there's the problem of power; MCs in multiverse stories often become too strong or skilled too quickly for the story to stay interesting. You can do the logical thing of planning out the worlds they visit and the powers they gain, skills they learn etc. so that the MC experiences challenges scaled for them or you can focus on other elements. Hobbies, humor, harems, etc.

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This is a common problem in a lot of stories, especially Fanfics and lower-end (self-published stories), where the hero's power outscales the challenges put in front of them, they become OP, and the whole story becomes boring because of it (I have some stories specifically in mind). If you give Frodo an X-wing, you have to give Sauron a Death Star - at the very least. (I've been rereading LOTR, and it is interesting how many times the heroes are just completely outmatched and have no real option other than just run)
Remember one of Sanderson's rules - limitations are much more interesting than strengths. Insofar as strengths are interesting, it is in a very superficial way compared to having to overcome limitations.(This is why superman is considered to be relatively boring). In general, Sanderson's rules are something that you should stick with.
As an aside, there's nothing wrong with letting your protagonists lose at some times and even lose really badly. Having characters that always succeed in everything that they do makes the stakes feel much less significant. (At least, that is something that I have noticed separates good stories from bad ones)
Also, if you are going to have side characters (especially romantic interests) please flesh them out into real people with personalities. Or at the very least, please give them more than one character trait a piece - or barring that, please just give them an interesting character trait. The Plinkett Test is a useful heuristic for just about every character with more than a few lines of dialogue.

An over inflated character roster and poorly developed characters.

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Having a large roster of characters does not necessarily mean that they become poorly developed. However, it certainly is a huge red flag.

Also, the most important rule is that no rule of writing is a hard and fast rule, they are more like guidelines that can be broken. However, the guidelines are there for your protection, if you do break them, you best have a good reason to break them, and know what you are doing.

 

[Aureus]

Don't rush. Make every stay as long as it needs to be, to explore the setting and to properly interact with the characters. Better to have fewer jumps that are fleshed out than many that are hollow.

 

[Longtimelurker]

Don't rush. Make every stay as long as it needs to be, to explore the setting and to properly interact with the characters. Better to have fewer jumps that are fleshed out than many that are hollow.

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In General, always favor quality over quantity

 

[Andy333]

Lack of character interaction. The waifu's feel like a checklist being marked off and not living breathing people interacting with the cast. Something I would love to see more of is arguments, planning and disagreements between the main character and his harem as they plan out their next move.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Don't rush. Make every stay as long as it needs to be, to explore the setting and to properly interact with the characters. Better to have fewer jumps that are fleshed out than many that are hollow.

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OTOH, there's no functional difference between a single-universe story vs. a multiverse story that dies before it enters a second universe.

 

[Aureus]

OTOH, there's no functional difference between a single-universe story vs. a multiverse story that dies before it enters a second universe.

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Author skill issue.

 

[SwiftRosenthal]

Author skill issue.

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How to handle pacing is indeed a skill that many web authors have major issues with.