#frankencanon vs medium-bleed

[thatswhatsushesaid]

my feelings on mdzs cross-medium pollination are so context-specific and driven by what I am trying to achieve in a given moment, but terms like 'frankencanon' and 'medium-bleed' really do help

medium-bleed: a scourge, the stuff of nightmares, a wily bitch to deal with when arguing with anyone who drops their hot take in the tags only to add, either in reblogs or the notes, "admittedly I may be misremembering whether this happened in the novel or in the drama or in the animation" like!!! please god just double-check your work before you submit it to fandom turnitin.com okay. also if I'm reading a fic tagged mdzs rather than cql or the untamed on ao3 and the author starts referencing jgy's time in the cloud recesses babysitting nhs or minshan's demonic flute solos, I'm immediately annoyed no matter how good the rest of the fic is. because that doesn't happen in the novel! and I'm looking for novel fic! (in this example anyway.)

however!!

frankencanon: my beloved!! my self-indulgent brainchild made tenderly from the imperfect component parts of its disparate source media to create, exclusively for my own enjoyment and the enjoyment of my good pals, a version of the mdzs jianghu where the vibes are just right for whatever specific feeling we're seeking to achieve (e.g., the novel canon beats of jgy's characterization paired with the on-screen emotional intensity and intimacy that zzj and lhk bring to the xiyao dynamic).

frankencanon is that joyous feeling you get when you and your besties all have a grand time at the renaissance festival, because even if some of you are dressed up as elves and your roommate's corset is anachronistic, you all know what you're there for, and besides there's funnel cake.

medium bleed is when you go to your city's new living history museum expecting to see exhibits and buildings that accurately (or as accurately as the profession allows for) recreate the period in time from the past that they are meant to be educating the public about, but the curator didn't do their due diligence with fact checking the exhibit placards, and the actor-educators can't remember whether they're supposed to be talking about the irish catholics or the pennsylvania germans today. in other words you walk away really confused and knowing less than you did before you showed up (and also you're probably chaperoning a bunch of grade school kids so, you know, my sympathies).

I forgot where I was going with this so I guess I'm done writing now!