fandomsecrets | [ SECRET POST #3200 ]

[ SECRET POST #3200 ]

⌈ Secret Post #3200 ⌋

Warning: Some secrets are NOT worksafe and may contain SPOILERS.

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Notes:

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Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

How do you feel about fanfic characterizations of your favorite characters? Do you think that certain fics have shaped the way you view the character (even in canon work)? Do you take the fic interpretation over the canon?

I ask because I'm about to embark reading a particular fic, and it's been a while since I've read the canon, and I...don't want to taint my perceptions of the character with whatever the fic writes.

What has been your experience, fs?

I think that fanon tends to shape the way characters are viewed a lot. Particularly villains. Just look at Loki, who is essentially a sociopath, being woobiefied and made into a romantic, misunderstood, redeemable character in fic. (I'm going by the movies, of course - in the comic, I'm sure they've had time to add more layers to the character which are only hinted at in the films.)

In my main fandom (Inuyasha), there is a character (Sesshoumaru) who is an antagonistic force but becomes a grudging ally towards the end. He's mostly there to be silent, intimidating and pretty. The amount of characterization that can be ladled onto a character that plays his cards so close to his vest is immense. Perhaps because of this, he is very popular in fic as a main character, which means he has to actually emote and speak and grow far more than he did in canon. I do it myself. And yes, it influences my view when I read other stories or rewatch the anime. In the former case, if someone takes a vastly different tack than I'm used to, it rattles me, even if there's nothing in canon says his character is one way or another. In the latter case, I usually wonder why he's so quiet, lol. But still, the best characterizations are the ones that keep him very close to canon or at least show how he changes.

I think as long as you don't start yelling at a fanfic author about how their interpretation is "wrong" based on other fanfic or something, you can manage. Backbuttoning is my go-to move if I just can't buy a characterization.

I've had fic characterizations shape my view of a character, but usually only after reading several fics that depicted the character a certain way - or more rarely if a single fic gives a character a very believable spin that explains their canon behaviour in a new way. But I also find myself rebelling against common fanon if I feel it doesn't have sufficient evidence in canon. For example, if a character says in episode 6 that they left home at 17, the fandom may take this to mean their parents were abusive. It’s a valid theory, but why not explore different explanations sometimes, right?

I'm definitely in it for the fanon. When I first got into fandom I felt very bound to canon, and felt that if you didn't take canon as the ultimate source of characterization and whatnot then what was the point of being fannish? But over the years I've become a lot more comfortable letting fanon be its own point.*

I feel like the fanon for my current fandom is so much better than what canon is giving us, so it's quite a relief to just embrace fanon and have it be informed by canon but not dependent on canon.

I've also had specific fics shape how I view the characters, not in my current fandom but in my old fandom, and honestly it was a real gift. The characters ended up being much richer and more complex and more wonderful in my mind, thanks to my experience of some really excellent fanfic early on in my stay in that fandom.

Bottom line is that for me, when I love a story enough to want to get into the fandom for it, the story and the characters are always improved by excessive fanfic reading and the build up of fanon. Do I love every piece of fanon about a character? No. But there are usually alternative fanons to choose from. I've rarely had an instance where a piece of fanon I hated was the only option.

*It's worth noting that letting fanon be it's own point works a lot better when the things you want from a story are in line with what the majority of your fandom wants. OTOH, if you ship an unpopular pairing or you don't enjoy a lot of the standard shippy tropes, then I suppose fanon won't be nearly so rich and multifaceted and satisfying for you.

Oh, yes. If a fic is popular enough, I think its interpretation of the characters can shape fandom's perception of them. That can be good or bad, but it's usually dependent on how good the fic is in its ability to "sell" that interpretation to the readers.

If you don't want your perceptions tainted, maybe consider rereading the canon first to refresh your memory?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[ SECRET POST #3200 ]

How do you feel about fic characterizations?

Re: How do you feel about fic characterizations?

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