Continuity Discussion: Your Thoughts?

[GoronGainz]

Continuity seems to be prevalent at the moment, due to thousands of internet dwellers willing to nitpick & slander mediums for not maintaining it.

For smaller franchises continuity seems to be easier to maintain, whereas larger franchises with expanding stories, sequels, prequels, flashbacks & so on, occasionally break or retcon scenarios to better fit the new direction the story is taking.

How much value do you place on continuity in a story?

Is there a length of time in which breaking it is forgivable?

Are you not interested in it to begin with & simply enjoy what you're given?

Do you value continuity differently based on the medium? (Games, TV shows, Movies, Books, Anime etc.)

 

[Spirit]

I value continuity because if you start ignoring the things start to buckle and collapse.

Without continuity things stop making sense, characters act in ways they wouldn't and the established rules of the world become liquid which kills investment when anything is possible.

I don't think a big production or a small one or one that has been going years should be forgiven for messing up continuity.

When continuity starts suffering it's proof that not enough attention was given to the project in question.

There are a lot of moving parts in things that have gone on for a long time, but they'll have survived so long through good story telling and the established rules and characters being maintained within the continuity. As soon as you start messing up continuity it shows an apathy towards the product and the consumer.

I need me some continuity or I can't stay invested in something.

 

[Stitch]

It all depends on what the creators are trying to do with bending continuity, especially after said continuity has been out of their hands for up to decades.