Meta: Canon vs. Fanon: Where does Fanon Come From and Why Does it Refuse to Die?
MJ Panel Mod: wpadmirer
This is where I want to start the discussion.
I started in the X-Files Fandom. When I joined in (after the show had been on 3 years my town finally got the Fox channel), I started reading the fanfic and I kept seeing references to Mulder's behavior patterns that didn't match the show. Eventually I discovered there was a story by Livingoo called OKLAHMOMA that was being used by other fanfics as a "fanon" for Mulder's character. I was fascinated by this.
Essentially the canon of the show had changed because of a widely read and extremely good early genfic in the fandom. It became such a part of the fandom that people who hadn't read it were referencing events in that story because they'd read references to it in other stories, and it had become "canon" to them - not realizing that it was actually fanon.
So my panel discussion will be 1) what instances of "fanon" are you familiar with in your fandom that have changed how people view the characters or the show. 2) Do you know where these started? 3) How pervasive do find this to be in your particular fandom?
I think all of us, as we move through different fandoms will see that this does happen, and so - discuss!
WP
This is where I want to start the discussion.
I started in the X-Files Fandom. When I joined in (after the show had been on 3 years my town finally got the Fox channel), I started reading the fanfic and I kept seeing references to Mulder's behavior patterns that didn't match the show. Eventually I discovered there was a story by Livingoo called OKLAHMOMA that was being used by other fanfics as a "fanon" for Mulder's character. I was fascinated by this.
Essentially the canon of the show had changed because of a widely read and extremely good early genfic in the fandom. It became such a part of the fandom that people who hadn't read it were referencing events in that story because they'd read references to it in other stories, and it had become "canon" to them - not realizing that it was actually fanon.
So my panel discussion will be 1) what instances of "fanon" are you familiar with in your fandom that have changed how people view the characters or the show. 2) Do you know where these started? 3) How pervasive do find this to be in your particular fandom?
I think all of us, as we move through different fandoms will see that this does happen, and so - discuss!
WP