canon vs. fanon

[tielan]

This seems to be something that I've seen a number of people - oldtimers and new alike - have trouble wrapping their heads around.

Canon is not the same as fanon.

I know it's a tricky concept to grasp, but we'll go through it again - one more time, slowly.

Canon. Is. Not. Fanon.

Now before people start getting huffy with me, I'll tell you straight. I've seen fans in their fifties struggle with this concept, and girls of thirteen understand it. I've seen slashers go nutso because an actor said there never was nor ever will be homosexual attraction between his character and another male character. I've seen shippers scream that their OTP truly do love each other - it's just the author/writer/creator who doesn't understand the character the way they do.

However, fanon and fanon pairings is not about 'being right'. Fanon is about liking what you like, for why you like it, because you like it.

In SGA, I like Shep/Teyla, Elizabeth/Ronon, and Teyla/Lorne. I like the characters, I like their personalities, I like the possibilities.

And frankly, I'm going to keep liking them whether or not they're canon.

Prior to The Long Goodnight screening, I was more than prepared to be shipping Shep/Teyla in the face of Shep/Weir. All things considered, I'm relieved I don't have to, but I wouldn't have gone Shep/Weir if it happened in the show. I still won't if it ever does.

Frankly, it's not about canonical 'rightness'. (Especially when it comes to Stargate. The Stargate PTB are good at giving mixed signals - or dropping the signal completely. If they were ISPs, they'd have gone out of business years ago.) The canon definition of the characters can provide our basis for developing fanon pairings, but it's doesn't have to be the be-all and end-all of pairing-ness.

The fact is that we like the fanon pairings we like because of the canon interactions our characters have. However, it's not needful that our pairing be canon for us to enjoy it.

You don't like my pairings? That's okay. I probably don't like your pairings. That doesn't mean I dislike you. (At least, not until you start telling me that all the people who prefer your pairings are intelligent, well-read, open-minded people, and all the people who prefer my pairings are narrow-minded idiots who wouldn't recognise true love if it was posted up in neon signage. You just lost your argument right there.) I'll interpret the show my way to support my pairings, you'll interpret the show your way. That's known as 'fanon interpretations of canon actions.'

Canon is what is on the show. Fanon is what we do out here in the fandom. Fanon can be bolstered by canon interaction and by writer/actor intent, and the best fanon pairings are canonically characterised, but they. are. not. canon.

They. Don't. Need. To. Be.

There is NOTHING wrong with shipping a non-canon pairing. There is NOTHING wrong with liking a pairing that isn't canonically supported. There is NOTHING wrong with a program, series, episode, actor, writer, PTB, or studio that doesn't support your fanon pairing.

Canon. Fanon. Two very different things.

Learn to deal with it.

Comments

[grav-ity.livejournal.com]

I love the way fanon works. It's adaptable, wankable, lovable, defensible, hateable and generally fun. I love it when two people having a discussion, have to pause and think "wait...is that fanon or canon?" I love how different people come up with different ideas. I have never had to deal with annoying people as I seem to have found a nice, agreeable group of fans to play with, even if we don't always agree on everything.

Er...no real point. I just kind of love you all. :)

[snoggingpicard.livejournal.com]

Um...can you hold still while I hug you? Cheers to this! :D

[lupin-with-love.livejournal.com]

♥

Non-canon ships are the best anyway. Seriously, one of my biggest Stargate ships is Beckett/Weir, which will never happen, but it's fun to ship it anyway.

At least, not until you start telling me that all the people who prefer your pairings are intelligent, well-read, open-minded people, and all the people who prefer my pairings are narrow-minded idiots who wouldn't recognise true love if it was posted up in neon signage. You just lost your argument right there.)

Holy crap, you stole those words right of my head. ;) People who base their opinions based on others' ships/slash are, sadly, great in number, but so wrong; I have a close friend on my flist who loves every ship that I hate, but I still love her.

♥

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

(Especially when it comes to Stargate. The Stargate PTB are good at giving mixed signals - or dropping the signal completely. If they were ISPs, they'd have gone out of business years ago.)

BWAH!
Ok, laughing my ass off here. :)

My only issue with canon vs. fanon is when people start claiming things happen on the show that didn't. Even if everyone has written something in fanfic (most likely because one person said it and a bunch of people thought it made sense so they wrote the same thing, like Zelenka having a still), if it hasn't actually happened on the show, it's still only fannish conjecture and open to being Jossed.

I like shows that don't have canon pairings. It's more fun to take what we get onscreen and delve into those interstitial moments we don't get to see and try to fill them in, especially when you work to cleave as close as possible to what was on the screen. That's where all my joy of fanfic comes in.

[saeva.livejournal.com]

Man. Even if something is canon, has been seen on screen, etc. it is still open to being Jossed. There's a reason we call it jossed.

- Andrea.

[tielan]

You took the words right out of my mouth. I was going to comment on Joss' tendency to throw his canon out the window.

[miera-c.livejournal.com]

LOL. OK, yes, there is that.

[ubiquitous-girl.livejournal.com]

"Especially when it comes to Stargate. The Stargate PTB are good at giving mixed signals - or dropping the signal completely. If they were ISPs, they'd have gone out of business years ago."

*Giggles* So true.

And I so agree. Fandom and canon are different for a reason. Canon is, well, canon, while fanon is about putting your own spin on things.

[ryf.livejournal.com]

They. Don't. Need. To. Be.

Exactement.

I will continuze shipping Weir/McKay, Weir/Ronon, McKay/Cadman and Weir/Caldwell no matter what happens in canon. Or rather, no matter what the writers decide to do with the characters romantically. And I don't care that my ships 'contradict' each other. So what? I like seeing these people interacting and can dream :)

[akimi-hime.livejournal.com]

For every reason you just said, McKay will continue to be my pairing whore, Zelenka's still will be operational until further notice, and everytime Teyla and Ronon are offscreen at the same time, they will be making babies. :D That's my fandom and I'm sticking to it.

Thanks for this.

[princeali-m-fan.livejournal.com]

You need an award for this post or something. Bless you and THANK YOU!

[diluvian.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you've been living in interesting times...

Thanks for this, truly. These concepts need to be aired repeatedly and often, in any fandom.

[karamarie-mckay.livejournal.com]

Excellent post!

I'm one of those odd ducks who really doesn't care how anyone else enjoys fandom insofar as they're not pissing on anyone else's enjoyment of fandom. Personally, I'm a McShep or McDex person, and I whole heartedly enjoy those aspects of fandom in the full knowledge that the episode will NEVER air in which any of those gentlemen declare their undying love/lust/fatal attraction to each other. Furthermore, I don't need that episode to air, nor do I need to talk myself into believing that there is intentional subtext that validates my interests.

This seems very simple and obvious to me, but it really does seem that some folks feel a huge need to be "right" in terms of fan perception. Every now and then I'll read something and have to suppress the wild urge to say, "Um, you're having a hysterical reaction because someone likes to pretend about two characters getting it on whom you don't imagine in that context. Reality check!"

Kharessa

[ceteramisto.livejournal.com]

This is a wonderful post that should be applied to all fandoms not just SGA.

For me personally, I have fandoms where I the main canon pairing has been my OTP. I have fandoms where a popular fanon pairing has been my OTP. I have fandoms where a rare pairing has been my OTP. I have fandoms where I have several non-competing pairings. I have fandoms where I've shipped just about everyone with just about everyone else. I have fandoms where I have one character I pair with everyone. I have fandoms where I have one character who pair in one specific het pairing and one specific slash pairing. I have fandoms which have only one pairing in the whole fandom.

The thing all these fandoms have in common is that I no longer let canon dictate my enjoyment of the fandom and my pairings. I've learned to find my area of fandom and enjoy myself there no matter what happens in canon.

If anyone's wondering for SGA I would qualify myself as predominately McShep, but I will read McKay with just about anyone, especially Teyla while being open to most non-Sheppard pairings. Since I'm reasonably sure that no slash pairing will become canon and I doubt my favorite het pairing of McKay/Teyla will become canon it's definitely easier to ignore SGA canon romances.

[2metaldog.livejournal.com]

Well, I don't do Stargate fic-wise, but I have the tendancy to pick the lesser known/less popular/total crackfic as what I like. What do I mean by that? One of my fav pairings is Sephiroth/Irvine. Yes, yes, I know that's an x-over but it is a crack pairing. I also do Sanzo/Gojyo, Ichigo/Zangetsue and Aya/Yohji/Schuldig (as a triad).

If people would just relax about it for two minutes, they'd see it isn't worth it to get all worked up over this or that pairing being right or wrong. What ever happens in fanfic, you can almost guarantee that it doesn't happen in the show/anime/manga/RL or whatever your thing is. People seriously need tochill over the whole issue.