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13 – Do you prefer canon or fanon when you write? Has writing fanfic for a fandom changed the way you see some or even all of the original source material?
All of my fics so far start off grounded in canon, except one. A particular episode of Tantei Gakuen Q made me see the innocent genki male lead in a new, rather sneaky light, and that is how I write him in my fic "It's All an Act, You Know." The title explains it rather well. *laughs* I find it rather fun to write him as a grabby secret horndog, something which definitely is not in canon. X3
That's my only true case so far of fanon over canon. Also, this question is kind of related to #7, which asked if writing a fic changed my opinion of a character. I've already answered that, so let me switch it to if reading a fic changed my opinion.
DEFINITELY. The most extreme example is in Harry Potter. Before fanfic, I accepted canon's portrayal of Dumbledore as a fighter for good, doing his best to defeat evil, regardless of the price. He might regret his actions, but it's all for a good cause. Fanfic made me see him as a calculating manipulator, training Harry up to be a blindly devoted unquestioning little sacrifice. YIKES.
I also prefer fanon's interpretation of the Slytherins, particularly Draco and Snape. I fully believe JKR backlashed against their popularity in fandom, and that adversely affected their roles in the final volume. (Every Slytherin forced to be locked in the dungeons because no way would ANY of them want to fight against Voldie?? PLEASE.)
Also the now semi-famous interpretation of Disney's Aladdin, introduced to me through a fanfic. When the Genie says "Ten thousand years will give you such a pain in the neck!" and yet he knows of Shakespeare, and fashion designers, cars, Jack Nicholson, Groucho Marx, and all these other pop culture references. Clearly Aladdin isn't set in the past, but in the distant post-apocalypse future.
Fanfic is wonderful for reinterpreting canon in ways that might not occur to a fan, and ways the creator might not have been able to do! (Or not wanted to, out of resentment. JRK, I'm looking at YOU.) When it comes to my own writing, I start with canon, and go from there. Granted, if I ever write HP fic, I'll probably go with the deeper and more rounded fanon interpretation of Slytherins (namely they aren't all shallow evil little rich snobs). Harry wouldn't be the altruistic good boy at heart, either. Ha! Shallow characterizations are boring. *sniffs*
All of my fics so far start off grounded in canon, except one. A particular episode of Tantei Gakuen Q made me see the innocent genki male lead in a new, rather sneaky light, and that is how I write him in my fic "It's All an Act, You Know." The title explains it rather well. *laughs* I find it rather fun to write him as a grabby secret horndog, something which definitely is not in canon. X3
That's my only true case so far of fanon over canon. Also, this question is kind of related to #7, which asked if writing a fic changed my opinion of a character. I've already answered that, so let me switch it to if reading a fic changed my opinion.
DEFINITELY. The most extreme example is in Harry Potter. Before fanfic, I accepted canon's portrayal of Dumbledore as a fighter for good, doing his best to defeat evil, regardless of the price. He might regret his actions, but it's all for a good cause. Fanfic made me see him as a calculating manipulator, training Harry up to be a blindly devoted unquestioning little sacrifice. YIKES.
I also prefer fanon's interpretation of the Slytherins, particularly Draco and Snape. I fully believe JKR backlashed against their popularity in fandom, and that adversely affected their roles in the final volume. (Every Slytherin forced to be locked in the dungeons because no way would ANY of them want to fight against Voldie?? PLEASE.)
Also the now semi-famous interpretation of Disney's Aladdin, introduced to me through a fanfic. When the Genie says "Ten thousand years will give you such a pain in the neck!" and yet he knows of Shakespeare, and fashion designers, cars, Jack Nicholson, Groucho Marx, and all these other pop culture references. Clearly Aladdin isn't set in the past, but in the distant post-apocalypse future.
Fanfic is wonderful for reinterpreting canon in ways that might not occur to a fan, and ways the creator might not have been able to do! (Or not wanted to, out of resentment. JRK, I'm looking at YOU.) When it comes to my own writing, I start with canon, and go from there. Granted, if I ever write HP fic, I'll probably go with the deeper and more rounded fanon interpretation of Slytherins (namely they aren't all shallow evil little rich snobs). Harry wouldn't be the altruistic good boy at heart, either. Ha! Shallow characterizations are boring. *sniffs*