Post Lock Edit.
*** Since the thread has now been locked, I suppose I shall take what input has been given here and incorporate it in the followup thread that has been in stasis since late February. Here is hoping I suppose that it does not devolve into trite as I led this one to unfortunately. Perhaps fortunates will be better there, or not. If so, oh well. ***

Hello gentlemen. I have a simple question for you lads. One in which I desire your reply and input in detail if possible.

For you guys, what is your opinion of fanon and the material which has since been jossed by the show itself? Are you of the opinion that it is still legitimate to use said material, or even to actively go against established canon to branch off in your own unique universe for your stories?

Is it proper to do so? Or is it better to discard material that has since been proven obsolete? If so, would it be to our favor if we cleaned up the archives and either removed or placed fanfiction that uses jossed material in a hidden area of the site?

The purpose of this thread is to generate debate, that of which I will take into consideration for a thread that I am writing that is similar in context. (Which has been in static, thus this thread's reason for existence, to help my own mind move up and finalize the thread in question.)

If it appears that the thread here begins to devolve into pointless bickering on my end, inform me so as to avert this potential outcome. Also note, the thread will be modified as the thread advances as to better reword just specifically as to what I am asking your opinion in detail.

With that said, insert your input and commence discussion.

Fanon is not supposed to be canon. Please stop starting threads about this non-issue.

3075238 if that were to happen, then no fanfiction would exist

Generally if I write something and it ends up being broken by canon, I'll just keep writing it the way it is until it's finished, then make the next project I work on fit with the canon.

The way I see it, everything is going to broken by canon at some point or another, so there's no sense making sure your stories conform to it at all times. Just when it's relevant.

would it be to our favor if we cleaned up the archives and either removed or placed fanfiction that uses jossed material in a hidden area of the site?

Who is "we"? If you mean fimfiction as a whole, my answer to that is hell no! Forcing authors to hide away their work just because it's not perfectly canon is not something I could ever be in favor of. If you mean "we" as in the people of Twilight's library, the group owners are completely free to do as they like, but I personally don't favor it.

Some of my very favorite stories use ideas that have since become non-canon. Some of my very favorite stories use ideas that weren't canon at the time they were written, even! I think it's absolutely legitimate to use non-canon material, old canon, head canon, personal canon, fanon, or whatever else that you as an author feel would help you tell the story you want to tell.

It's about the enjoyment of the story, not about blind adherence to any particular part of the show, imho.

3075252

Kill him in the library with the candlestick.

He'll never see it coming.

3075291 I wouldn't have a single story up if I were to keep to canon.

3075238

This has to do with fanfiction, but I am rather reluctant to let this thread live

3075336 bring out the axe. (Not yet, I wanna see others opinions

3075357

I just foresee this spiraling out of control and I'm tempted to cut it's head off right now

I don't think it would be fair to authors to hide their work just because it's since been Jossed. I say if it was good before, it's still good now.

That said for new stories I generally like things to hew as close to canon as possible - as long as changing canon isn't the point of the story. There's nothing wrong with an AU fic that explores what things would be like if Twilight never became an alicorn. However keeping Twilight an unicorn when that's not the focus of the story is just distracting.

3075374 to a point though, because if you were to have her become an alicorn in the fic, then you also need to have it where the mane six get switched up as well, and that could affect the storyline flow and events

3075372

Library. Candlestick.

C'mon.

3075463

Na not gruesome enough for me

3075238 Fanon isn't canon

3075336
You've killed far more interesting conversations before. What is staying your hand this time?

3075518

My trigger finger is waiting to see if this spirals out of control. Technically this doesn't violate any rules but I won't hesitate if it get's out of hand, which I see being a possibility given the topic at hand.

3075238
Fanon implies that canon can't harm it, seeing as it's its own thing.

3075500

No one ever listens to me!

STOP NOT LISTENING TO ME, DAMN YOU!

Fanfiction writing often occurs during a season, mate. If it doesn't, then it's less likely that it will change in accordance to changes in the canon. Most of the Season One era fics, up to an including the ones that involved Princess Luna, chose not to change, and those that did changed either negligibly or unnecessarily.

A good example is Past Sins, which, in its publishing to FiMFiction, underwent revisions to bring it up to Season 2 canon. Said changes, by and large, did little to the story aside from add characters previously not involved in the original.

You don't have to adapt to canon if you began writing a story before the canon made a significant change. It's all up to you in how you choose to interpret canon in your story. Hell, if you're writing during a season, you can actually use the changing lore to your advantage.

That said, even as the canon continues to evolve, it ultimately doesn't change the fic. It's a Dangerous Business, Walking Out Your Door is still a good adventure fic to this day, and it was written way back before "The Best Night Ever"!

In closing, I'm not in favor of removing stories that contain "Jossed" material, as oftentimes, I find that many bits of fan fiction in this fandom reflect the time in which they were written.

3075238
Though I agree with you that fanon ideas that have been proven incorrect should be viewed as no longer the case and discontinued, people should still be able to write those ideas or fan interpretations if they so wish. For example, if the show essentially proved something like Derpy not being Dinky's mom, but people still wanted to write about that idea *COUGH COUGH*, then they can go right ahead. If it is something not yet known or proven then of course fanon is going to fill that gap of canon.

That being said,

Or is it better to discard material that has since been proven obsolete? If so, would it be to our favor if we cleaned up the archives and either removed or placed fanfiction that uses jossed material in a hidden area of the site?

is retarded.
3075313

3075536

get's

Also,

NU-UH, NOT IF I DELETE IT FIRST!

3075431 Well no. Obviously if you started writing your story back when Twilight was a unicorn you shouldn't just suddenly switch her into an alicorn.

The most I would suggest is for the group to ask the author to voluntarily include a note in the description stating up to where the fic conforms with the canon. It is somewhat off-putting when I start reading a fic and find unexpected canon deviations, after all.

On the other hoof, those are still valid fics, and I see no reason at all to remove or hide them.

3075238

Tell you what: You continue to have your opinion. Somewhere else, while the rest of us keep writing the fanfiction we want.

The art and creativity created by those with the desire should never go unappreciated. Fanon or Canon, it is the desire and effort that should matter, not the material used and if it adheres to the source.

Except those dime a dozen 'alicorn OC that wins at everything and bangs the entire cast' fics. Some things are best kept in the dark.

3075536 Like I said, if this thread begins to derail, inform me so that it does not so. Failing that, you may lock the thread so as to either clear up confusion, or to end it here and now.
Though with the amount of thumbs down this thread has already received... No matter. If it comes to the point where this thread must be deleted, I will not hold it against you sir. Admitably I have sent other threads to a hellish pits, so to speak, so it isn't out of the question that you will probably have to take some action eventually. But I digress, back to the topic.

3075544 Usually that would be the case. I have seen more than a few isolated cases where the opposite has proven true, be it for the better or worse. Thus, one of my reasons for creating this thread. Though I will admit, I didn't expect to touch a nerve with this one.

3075374 If you don't mind me asking, would that be an encouraged clause to always stick to canon as much as possible? (Save for any instances of AU.) Personally, I have seen a few unpleasant instances where entire sections of a storyline have been altered to suit the whims of canon, both in this fandom and elsewhere.

To that I must ask, what is the point of even writing fanfiction if such conformity
is mandated almost as a requirement, ala Past Sins for example.

(If anticipate that this will stir evermore resentment on my part, so for that I apologize in advance.)

3075313 ... Well, I suppose there could be worse ways to perish.

3075291 A middle of the road approach eh? I suppose there is nothing wrong with the approach you have. Quite the contrary, it is rather reasonable. But again, if you end up altering your future products to conform with the rest of canon, why even bother to write it? Better yet, why not have it coexist with canon and branch off that part of the storyline into a different universe? Take both approaches to satisfy audiences who lean on both ends of the spectrum?

3075309 If there is one thing I can envy about you Spark, it would be your tensity to stick to your guns in this respect. But with such debacles such as Twlicorn generating conflicting ideals from both sides, I cannot be sure which approach to this kind of thing would prove to be "correct" as it were. Even knowing there might not be such a thing as a "correct" approach to this, I cannot but help feel uneasy as I continue to see conflict the likes of which drive to unnerve me to the degree that I would post threads that have met with... Very poor reception in the past, i.e: The one time in the Editor's Group where I posted a similar thread with rash emotions, to the unsurprising backlash as one could expect. So I see the claim that there isn't anything wrong with continuing fanon, but if that were the case, why do I see a discontinuation of old fanon material that practically dries up soon after some canon material renders it obsolete? What am I suppose to take from this? On one hand, I hear that it would be in one's best interest to stay true to the canon material, even if it means altering material that is fine and unique in its own way. On the other I hear that there is nothing wrong in propagating material that has been proven out of canon as it were. It is an ultimately trivial issue in the long run of things for the most part, but I cannot get such topics out of my head, considering that there are respectable authors that back up both side of the argument as it were, at least from my perspective of things.

3075971

What am I suppose to take from this?

That telling other writers what is and isn't "correct" never works. You write what you want to write. Let other people write what they want to write.

The more you try to make everyone agree, the more they're going to push back against what you're doing.

3075238 I'd go for adding "Alternative Universe" tag, if it isn't already there.

other then that, it would be up to writer/readers.
if a story falls out of favour, due to dropping out of canon, some groups could drop said story.
Then some other group may choose to pik them up
3075252 the Fan-on you're mentioning would only be a small part of our Library.

This may still be very relevant for this group at large. and don't tell us how to act, unless you have the authority to back it up, in which case you should have done it privately, at least once?
3075261 I wouldn't go quite that far, it is possible to write stories that can stay safe, if you have a reasonable sense of where things go, beforehand?
3075291 I'd second this motion.
3075309 here's another greate point.
3075500 how about a magnesium torch?

Well technically 100% of fanfiction is Non Canon/fanon so...

3076035

the Fan-on you're mentioning would only be a small part of our Library.

No. Literally every story on this site, unless it is a word-for-word retelling of an episode with no additional insight offered, contains fanon. Fanon is anything that happens in a story that wasn't shown on TV, so there's no way to avoid it.

3075828

Except those dime a dozen 'alicorn OC that wins at everything and bangs the entire cast' fics. Some things are best kept in the dark.

At least at that, we can agree on.

3075657

At the risk of sounding like a complete idiot, how would be detrimental?
Sure, perhaps removing the stories would be a tad bit extreme, but what about having a settings options that hid those fics automatically by default? One that could be turn off at will if the user so desires? You said that one should not continue to write fics that are jarringly out of canon, save for AU cases. In this case, why not go a step further and filter such content at the very least?

You tell me, what makes this your opinion so?

3075613 So comes up the question. Either preserve the history of *Insert fandom here* or update them to the modern standard? Which do you deem more valuable? Historic content that set the standards for other fanfics to go by? Or to correct it? Or modernize it in the same vein and spirit?

3075672 ... I sense an in joke of which I do not get in the slightest.

3075806 I came here for discussion. I want opinions, of which I will analyze and add to the aforementioned thread I mentioned earlier that is in a similar vein, save for being a chronological history of my own involvement in this fandom thus far, the content it has both produce and abandoned, and what not. Thus, this thread's existence.

3076143 it's possible to make numerous stories, based on just the story of canon, just need to reframe it, and focus differently, you can make a story to be both interesting and original.
oh well, maybe I shouldn't say that 'You' could, since I have no idea as to your wrighting prowess.
not sure how many cares either.

3076107 no, it isn't anywhere near 100%
For one, most of us are basing it on canon characters, and basing it on canon locations.
I'd rather chance it as to be no more then 75% average.

3076214

it's possible to make numerous stories, based on just the story of canon, just need to reframe it, and focus differently, you can make a story to be both interesting and original.

Even telling the episode from a different point of view adds fanon, as you're including thoughts/emotions that we don't necessarily get from the show. Anything that doesn't happen exactly as it does in-show is fanon.

3075971

If you don't mind me asking, would that be an encouraged clause to always stick to canon as much as possible? (Save for any instances of AU.)

Yes, absolutely.

Personally, I have seen a few unpleasant instances where entire sections of a storyline have been altered to suit the whims of canon, both in this fandom and elsewhere.

If you're already writing a story and canon Josses something in it - do what's best for the story. Usually I think that would be sticking to what you've already established.

To that I must ask, what is the point of even writing fanfiction if such conformity is mandated almost as a requirement, ala Past Sins for example.

Never read Past Sins so I have no idea what you're referring to there. But I'd say the point of writing fanfiction is right there in the name - fan. And if you're writing as a fan of Friendship is Magic your story ought to actually be about Friendship is Magic.

3076209
Alright, I may have been a bit rude earlier. I realized i'm like that. Sorry.

But you say why not. I say in this case, why? Why is this needed to be done? If anything, and it is completely jarring for the reader or detrimental to the story, then the author should just go ahead and leave a little notification that its off-canon for whatever reason. Going through the mass effort of moving all these stories to conform to this one specification you mentioned is entirely unnecessary.

3075238

Eh I'm not gonna delete it but I'm gonna go ahead and lock it.