Sam:[quote:87dc22abcc]
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think this is generally true. However, when canon diverges so greatly from what the fans consider it to be, the show or movies can lose those fans.
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Agreed to some extent. If the author wanted to change canon for their work, one would think it would behoove them to make
logical progressions for that change instead of the random, all-over-the-map variations that ME wound up doing. While I respect the original author's right to change their mind about their creation, they really have to consider whether or not said changes will help them keep their fanbase, as you've stated. Subtlety, apparently, is lacking in the rich and famous writers when it comes to foraying into unknown territory for the sake of breathing new life into their creations.
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The Willow magic thing is the worst bit of writing and plotting I have ever seen which made what happened to Tara make no sense IMHO. ME simply didn't bring me along with them on that story at all.
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AMEN! A perfect example of lack of subtlety and complete disregard for an accepted trend that ME helped to set. As many excellent works of fanfiction can attest to, there were MANY ways they could've moved their characters into unknown territory without the sweeping, illogical changes that wound up happening. One can give their audiences a little brain candy without erasing the slate and going off-base completely.
Ruth:[quote:87dc22abcc]
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See, I've always taken what I saw on the show as canon, but when the creator of that show chooses to move away from that accepted idea itself anyway, then I suppose the idea of "canon" ceases to exert itself in any way that constrains or restricts a writer.
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Exactly! Once the original author has changed the canon of their work at that point, the word itself really ceases to have any hard and fast credibility. It now is a device left up to the opinions of fans in regards to writing their own versions of the events in a particular part of the author's present or past canonical works. There is no longer any way one can strictly adhere to a canon that has become so fluid.
[quote:87dc22abcc]
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You say that "we the fans" don't share a view with the writers and creator of the show. But then, I also suggest that amongst the fans, there are a hundred and one different ways of viewing what we accept as canon anyway. Can we agree on what is canon? Can we have a point from which to base our creative approaches to the characters on the show? I'm starting to think that perhaps we can't, because canon is different for every single fic writer, and no less, reader.
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That's my fault for not being more clear. What I meant to infer in saying "we the fans" is more on the lines of "we the individual fans with our own viewpoints about BTVS canon". And I quite agree with your assessment thereafter.
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I wonder if I can ask you what your view of canon is when it comes to the characters you write, just out of interest.
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Interesting, if not complex, question to answer. For me, BTVS canon is all about characterizations. For example, fics that have Faith raping Tara or Tara being unnecessarily aggressive, IMHO stray so far from my personal view of "canon" as to be painful. Even with what we do or do not know about Tara, I feel pretty safe in assuming that from
what we have seen thus far, Tara would never be that way or act in that manner, even in an AU situation. My view of canon tends to be a little....ahem...well repressed to be honest. I tend not to really focus on the BTVS characters' sexual proclivities but more upon how they interact with each other. That interaction, for me, is more canon than the situations in which they are thrown in the show. The bond between the characters, even some of the unspoken history, draws me to investigate some of the "what might have beens" on a deeper level than ME ever did. I've never really written early BTVS fics because I disliked the lack of maturity in some of the characters (from Season One up to Season Three). And for me, maturity was a very important factor when it came to characterization. I preferred to deal with Season 4 through Season 6 (only the Tara-included parts) because those versions of BTVS canon had the most potential for development, IMHO. They were ripe for storytelling.
All that being said, I'm not entirely sure I answered your question properly
. See this is the reason why you are the expert and I am just someone writing words down on a page.
Toni