Thoroughly answering "What is a 'canon'?" · 12:34pm Nov 12th, 2014
A hotly debated topic to be sure, the question of what is and is not "canon" is something that frequently occurs in all fandoms-- this one included. However before we can answer what is canon we must first answer what a canon is. There are three terms that are mainly used to reference canon material and they are:
Canon
Fanon
Head-Canon
Since they are easier to define let's start with the latter two first.
Head-Canon is what we loosely define as an idea that exists in the mind of an audience member where that idea is not presented in the show itself. It can be an interpolation of canon events or wildly speculative. The only requirement is that it in some way relates to the source material.
Example of Head-Canon:
The Sombra that returns in The Crystal Empire arc is actually a manifestation of post traumatic stress that was given form and shape by the Crystal Heart. As it is in tune with the negative emotions (of the Crystal Ponies) that were left over from his actual, brutal reign and subsequent murder by the Celestial Sisters, only the citizens of the Crystal Empire could defeat it (with the help of the Crystal Heart).
Whether or not this example is an interpolation or wild speculation is not relevant to the question of canon, since it is quite clearly a head-canon, as nowhere in the canon of MLP:FIM are such things directly stated.
Next we have Fanon.
Fanon is generally described as the fan-interpretations of the canon which, in turn, is the source of the coined word. When the question of "What is widely accepted by the fans as 'canon'?" comes up, the person asking is directly asking the question "What is 'fanon'?" with reference to the canon by the qualifier "fan accepted".
Ignoring for a moment how laughably fallacious that question actually is we note that, in many cases, even commonly ascribed head-canons may make it into fanon. Such examples include many of the aspects of the "Background Six" (Vinyl, Octavia, Doctor Whooves, Derpy, Lyra, and Bon Bon) as virtually nothing about these characters is explored in the actual canon, yet there remains a fair bit of consistency in their portrayal by the fan-base. Even the term itself is a fanon interpretation of canon, as there is nothing in the canon to suggest they are a unit (like the Main Six).
Now for the tricky part. Canon.
Canon exists as an extension of Intellectual Property Right, Trademark, and Copyright laws. A canon itself is a category by which extensions of an intellectual property are categorized, and each extension of that intellectual property are defined as canonical bodies of work. That's a pretty complex definition, so I'll jump straight into an example before moving on.
Though the second generation of MLP, and the fourth generation of MLP exist in the same franchise; no one would confuse these two things as being part of the same canonical body of work. That is to say that the events in the second generation of My Little Pony, are not canon in the fourth generation of My Little Pony. This is because the two shows are extensions of two uniquely defined intellectual properties that both exist in the franchise.
The purpose of defining a canon is a legal one by which a person (or company) may define a relationship between installments of an intellectual property for the purpose of demonstrating ownership. For the purpose of actually making a case in a court of law, these properties are branded to indicate that association with the source intellectual property. That is where the term "brand name" comes from.
When Hasbro Inc. takes an action in with relation to its brand, be it shutting down Jan Animations, or Fighting is Magic, it is for the purpose of protecting the ownership of this intellectual property right. Likewise, when Hasbro Inc. creates a product and puts the IP's branding on that product, it is for the purpose of expanding that intellectual property.
Legally speaking, what a canonical body of work is all of the things that the intellectual property-right holder says it is, and that canon is identified by its brand(ing). So in the case of MLP, all of the My Little Pony products licensed to carry the label "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" are canonical bodies of work-- individual entries in that canon.
This is an important distinction to make as the franchise as a whole has its own, distinct, branding. A branding that separates it from the subsidiary canon of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (a subcategory of the My Little Pony franchise). As does My Little Pony: Equestria Girls as it is an extension of a different, uniquely defined intellectual property.
Note how careful that Hasbro Inc. has been with their packaging, and what branding appears on what products. This is because they are legally obligated to be so, and the distinction they make defines the canon of MLP:FIM. Note that as subsidiaries of the My Little Pony franchise, the branding of MLP:FiM, and MLP:EqG, are visually similar to their parent franchise's branding while still remaining unique.
What is, and what is not, canon is a question that has been asked and answered by Hasbro's legal team.
Perhaps the most important thing to note is that a canon does not necessitate the continuity of a story, only that the story occurs as an extension of the intellectual property right, and as such conflicts can occur in canon. The question of what is, and what is not, "relevant" parts of canon is itself a fanon--fan interpretation--question. Leaving the question of how to resolve these conflicts to the fans, in their fanon interpretation of canon.
fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2011/337/7/f/weekly_vector_7__party_cannon_by_gratlofatic-d4i38os.png
2589785 That's a cannon.
What is canon?
Something that people sometimes get on my ass for when i clearly state all the time that my stories don't follow it
Doesn't happen very often, but i've had a few people that has straight up condemned my long series of fics because of it. This is fanfiction, whats with all the purists?
(good breakdown though)
Well done explanation. :)
So the two things I've pulled from this is that unless Hasbro otherwise states it, all stories on this site are Head-Canon, and Equestria Girls is not Canon to Friendship is Magic. Yes?
Now, can we use this to solve the problem of the show conflicting with the comics?
2673790
No, because multiple continuities are cool!
People often mix-up "canon" and "continuity" - they are as different as can be!
As someone who was a huge fan of Tenchi Muyo! in the 90's and 00's, I can assure you, multiple continuities can get confusing, but are also fun.
2673550
You're mixing up canon and continuity. It appears, though only confirmed one-way, that FiM and EQG share the same continuity. In a legal sense, though, they are separate "canon" brandings, as pointed out above.
2672975
It is unfortunate but true that people will definitely get on someone for straying too far from certain things in a fanfiction. Particularly if you have characters acting completely out of character with no real explanation. Fanfiction is, by definition, based on something else. If these characters are not the same characters as in the show, and share name/looks only, what is the point of this story being a fanfiction? It might as well be a stand-alone story and not based on something else at all. You see what I'm saying?
2673856 Okay so I'll just go with my excuse of it screws up my head-canon when I don't want it and say that I made a new continuity.
2673998
Most head-canon, if expanded upon, would bring forth a new continuity.
I'm currently in the middle of a new continuity I have been writing for the past two years, which splits off from canon continuity after season 2.
It's great to think of it this way, avoids so much argument with hypocritical purists.
And as for EQG, as I said, it's only confirmed one-way that they are same continuity. (i.e. events of season 4 were mentioned in RR, but EQG has never been mentioned in FIM, so currently EQG is a split-continuity wherein season 4 probably happened exactly as it did in FIM, just with EQG tossed in as bookends to it. However, TV series FIM continuity does not reference EQG, so for all we know, EQG did not happen in TV continuity.)
2673856
Oh im aware, but the times they've come to me they've gone after my concepts more than my characters
I had a guy try to explain to me why he thought the way I described an enhanced form of magic was bullshit because of reasons from the show he began to list to me... despite my efforts to tell him, this isn't the show and things work differently in my fics (as shown VERY often throughout my stories) he refused to listen. He's one of few people i've blocked.
It's one thing to give constructive criticism, but to tell someone they're ideas are wrong is just a dick move, it's not their story nor their ideas. (to be fair this guy seemed to be a well known asshat, because his only fic was a "re-written" ending of a popular fic that he thought could have ended better... seriously who does that?
)
2674004
I've met that type.
What they say: "Your ideas are wrong."
What they mean: "I don't like your ideas."
(Or possibly "Your ideas interfere with my headcanon, and I am searching for the GRAND UNIFYING THEORY OF EVERYCANON!") <----Which is impossible
2674003 cool enough, mind giving me the title? sounds like a fun read.
2674029
It's the longest fic in my stories, but I can link it, sure.
2674032 Thank you.
2673843 The thing is only one of the two possibilities can be cannon as true. It the comics, it says somewhere in the comics that Twilight's mother wrote the Daring Doo books. This obviously conflicts with "Daring Don't". This problem with continuity means only one can be cannon.
2689061
It does not actually say that. On Twilight Velvet's wall, there is an award hanging that says "Daring Do Award" - People misinterpreted this as meaning that she wrote the books. How silly would it be for the author of Daring Do to get a Daring Do award? That would be like J. K. Rowling winning the Harry Potter Award.
It's a symptom of this fandom, many of us tent to latch on to any little thing and let our minds run wild with assumptions, and that sometimes leads to the wrong conclusions. Jumping to conclusions can do that.
2689147 That's not exactly a symptom. That's what fandoms do. media.tumblr.com/tumblr_mcbx2pbA9b1r8x5mq.png
2690551 Except it's more of making head-canon that making assumptions.
2690551
Yes and no. I think it's particularly prevalent in this fandom because we have become used to having to pull little things out of the show to expand things. Looking at the background characters, etc...
2691636 Lot's of other fandoms do it. But yes, it can get mistaken for cannon when it isn't.
2694803
In what other fandom is there such a focus on the background and such a need to pull out tiny details? (Two stars for AJ's parents that were put in just for the older fans, etc...) - Not to mention the need to infer things (Big Mac and Cheerilee walking together in the background of Just For Sidekicks, spotting Derpy throughout season 1, etc...)
Not a challenge, genuinely curious.
2694860 I've seen some confusing things come from the Sherlock fandom. My view on Tumblr will never be the same.
Canon comes from the judeo christian conception of the divine. It is not solely the domain of contracts, but of the negotiation and interaction with those contracts.
Behavior regarding contracts is a subsidiary of contract law.
Canon predates Christianity as it is derived from the Greek kanna (or cane, a standard of excellence). Much like everything else of the era the Christian churches took credit for the word and idea. Their rules—their canon—is their standard of excellence, much the same way as ours is in modern day, by virtue of the intellectual property right holder establishing that standard and being tasked to maintain it.
What I find thoroughly fascinating is that the fanon of these characters was (mostly) faithfully represented in the canon episode "Slice of Life". I mean... I was under the impression that DHX had explicit orders to ignore all fan-based depictions of their characters (including their background characters) when depicting them in the show proper. I even heard that the writers are not allowed to read any MLP fanfiction. And yet, we were treated with a truly surprising amount of acknowledgement all in one episode.
okay, I think I sort of understand now