When is a story Deux Ex Machina?

[Vahn]

So I just got a review from my story that said Desu Ex Machina. Now trying to find a better meaning for it I came across this definition.

" a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to move the story forward when the writer has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring a happy ending into the tale, or as a comedic device."

Isn't every story like that though? Every time you write aren't you DEM-ing?

[Konsaki]

Usually, a call of DEM is called when the solution to the current problem has no foreshadowing or has no logical chain of events to explain why the solution happened.

DEM started back in ancient Grecian plays where an actor playing a literal god (e.g. Ares, Zeus, etc) is lowered from the rafters and magics all the problems involved in the play's story away so it ends on a good note. This all usually happens without any of the mortal actors praying to the gods for help, so you don't really expect it to happen until it does and there's not logical explanation for it occurring other than it just did.

Now, events which could initially be considered DEM in stories are usually either foreshadowed somewhere prior to the DEM event, explained as to how the problem solving happened after the fact or could just be a pure DEM moment. It's hard to tell what your situation is without knowing what story the claim is against and reading it.

Example of a foreshadowed event: Little Red Riding Hood meets the Woodcutter on her way to Grandma's house and tells him why she's walking through the forest. He later decides to check up on the girl and grandmother to make sure Red made it safely. When he arrives, he's just in time to save Red from the Wolf.

Example of an after the fact explanation: Red is just about to be eaten by the Wolf when the Woodsman busts in and saves her. After he kills the Wolf, Red asks who he is and how he knew she was in danger. The Woodsman says that he lives in a cabin up the trail and checks in on Red's Grandma every day as he's headed home for the day. He just happened to be heading over when he heard Red's scream.

Example of DEM: Red is just about to be eaten by the Wolf when the Woodsman busts in and saves her. After he kills the Wolf, Red asks who he is and how he knew she was in danger. He says he's the Woodsman and something just told him to head this way today to check out this cabin. If he hadn't followed that feeling, he'd be on the other side of the river cutting wood there.

In all three examples, the Woodcutter arrives to save Red from the Wolf. It's the feelings and reasons for the events which differ between the three.

[Crescent Pulsar S]

So I just got a review from my story that said Desu Ex Machina. Now trying to find a better meaning for it I came across this definition.

" a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly resolved by the contrived and unexpected intervention of some new event, character, ability, or object. Depending on how it is done, it can be intended to move the story forward when the writer has "painted himself into a corner" and sees no other way out, to surprise the audience, to bring a happy ending into the tale, or as a comedic device."

Isn't every story like that though? Every time you write aren't you DEM-ing?

No. In terms of setting and characters, and the background for both, they may be made up from the ether (or not) but they form the basis for what happens in the story, which readers can logically follow and/or use to expect or believe what happens in it. Deus ex machina is used to fill in a hole if what you've set up is inefficient to get done what you want to happen in your story; it usually comes out of nowhere, with little to no basis for its existence. It's kind of like a car battery going dead, but instead of someone coming along to jump it, a lightning bolt strikes the battery out of the blue, and that manages to solve the problem somehow.

A deus ex machina isn't a bad thing in and of itself. It can work if it fits within the context of the story, so even if it's unexpected it can still be believable, and readers can experience surprise rather than disbelief (which is the key problem with using a deus ex machina as a device). That may still upset readers, because they may prefer having at least something to reference or figure out, so writers are more likely to establish something in the setting, or in a particular environment, which becomes relevant later (which can take the form of either foreshadowing or a Chekhov's gun; and a few other things, depending on their nature). Or, they drop a hint or two in some other way, so no one can accuse them of doing something out of nowhere, but still managing an element of surprise for those who didn't register it as important or forgot about it until they were reminded.

[Vahn]

Hmm the story that I got that review for was Warp Realities, and if the definition is a god coming down and magicaly solving a problem then my story was DEM from chapter 1 as Ranma dies and Urd a goddess from the Ah my goddess series literally came down from heaven and set things sorta right. In fact I introduced whole patheons through out the story...so would that make story a DEM throughout its entire existent?

[Crescent Pulsar S]

Only if Urd's appearance and actions were either unexplainable/unexplained or had no purpose other than to intervene in a way that nothing else conceivably could within the given context. And that's the thing: it really depends on the context, on whether a deity's appearance and actions will be a deus ex machina or not, not that they're deities or have the power to do whatever it is that they do.

It's been many years since I've read your story, and can only remember bits and pieces of it, so I can't say for sure whether what you've done is a deus ex machina or not. I mean, was there a reason for Urd to save Ranma, or was it just a whim? Does it tie into anything as the story progresses, or was it just a convenient device to get the story where you wanted it to go? The more the impetus for Urd's involvement follows those "or"s, the more likely it's a deus ex machina. It's just a matter of details, because it can only take one to determine whether it's one thing or another.

[Vahn]

pretty much chapter 1 Urd arrive on a whim to do what she did but her action set off another chain of event that I am exploring in the to add what I felt qas an intresting dynamic. One could say she did what she did on a whim but had a reason fordoing what she did also. Not sure how long ago you read my story but the bulk if the early chapters have been rewritten to be smoother. I mean from the get go that would constitute a DEM but my latest review for the latest chapter say he see a DEM coming.

I am just trying to figure out if I am doing a bad thing or bad storytelling in general.

[Crescent Pulsar S]

Well, on one hand, you can't really have a story (or much of one, anyway) if the story were to end upon Ranma's death, considering when it happens. On the other hand, Ranma's revival is a part of the premise, so it's technically not so much a resolution as it is a springboard for what follows. Personally, I'd find more reason to pursue whether Urd's behavior and power/ability/authority is canon, seeing as plenty of stories start off with something unexpected and/or unexplained happening, which isn't explained or resolved until later.

I'm no expert, of course, but I wouldn't worry so much about any deus ex machina being at the start of your story, whether there is one or not. I would be more concerned about one being in or around the climax.

(I read your story somewhere around the early and mid '00s. Probably around '03, give or take a year. I've been thinking of reading it again, lately, but I've been busy writing my own stuff. And being sidetracked by video games. <_<; )

[Vahn]

Yeah i actually addressed that issue with Urd in chapter 1 too. I wonder if it because the reviewer couldn't think of a way to resolve the conflict that he think I might be pulling a DEM. However, isn't any new information you reveal sorta a DEM also? Like in my fic i hinted at Saffron appearance in chapter 11 and actually revealed him in chapter 17 but with an origin that was not what most people expected.

[Crescent Pulsar S]

New information itself? Absolutely not. Without new information, a story wouldn't be able to progress. It's all about the nature and manner that a given element is introduced and used that determines what kind of role it plays. There are a lot of things that involve a lack of information, explanation, establishment and reference, and depending on the details and/or the degree they get classified with distinct names. For instance, making stuff up as you go along is different from a deus ex machina, in that the former is a persistent element that does whatever's required to move things forward each step of the way, while the latter just concerns one instance where what's already provided in the story isn't enough to move things beyond that particular point. A deus ex machina is very specific on all counts, with little else to confuse it with.

Also, it's common for people to assume they know what will happen next in an ongoing story. I've yet to encounter a single person who has been able to track where I go with my story, because they (of course) lack the information and intent that I (naturally) have on my end. And that doesn't cover the number of people who miss/forget/disregard clues and/or answers that already exist to their questions in the story. Lord knows how many times I've had to say, "that's in the story there," or, "I mentioned that in the preface," or, "I mentioned that in the note." ;/

[Blackcat101]

Well, I was accused of doing that for Secret Magical Girls Academy, and the story is still in the planning stages. Still I didn't cure Ranma of his curse or the neko ken, just have him a ring to get stuck in the form he is when he wears the ring. Is not a cure and Ranma spends haft the time as a girl anyway since is an academy for Magical GIRLS. But the only reason they are being nice with Ranma is that the Academy prefers to use the carrot than the stick. All my other stories don't seem to solve any of Ranma problems so far...

[Crescent Pulsar S]

I haven't kept up with the magical girl academy idea, but the ring doesn't sound like a deus ex machina within the context of the setting (seeing as there are doubtlessly all kinds of magic of various types about and available). It might be a convenient device, but a line of logic can (or should, if not) be drawn for why it's available and used. If the ring was made prior to Ranma factoring into the equation, I'd explain why it was made and what it was used for. If it was made for Ranma, I see no problem.