#that one post about incorrect quotes but it really applies to comics writing in general

[lilydvoratrelundar]

sometimes comic writing is silly in that “they’re all shooting off one-liners while they punch each other” but the thing is when its done badly you NOTICE. the reaction isn’t "oh yeah i guess this is media for children but also this is spider-man.” when its done badly the response is a) about five seconds trying to understand what the joke is meant to be, b) a slightly baffled “is that meant to be... funny?” and then c) they would NOT say that they would NOT

[a-little-slice-of-fandom]

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Because you did so many eyes you get an extra spicy take...but bear with me because it’s double sided.

The first part of the unpopular opinion is that I really dislike how certain people try to police the fandom and hate on the more exaggerated “fanon” versions of the Six queens that seem to be more well known within the fandom (especially within shorter posts like incorrect quotes or headcanons). While I do agree that these fanon versions of the characters are more exaggerated, I think that some people in the queendom forget that this happens to every fandom. For example, sometimes D.C. headcanons like to pretend that Stephanie Brown’s only character trait is liking waffles, even though she’s obviously more complex in the comics. Or everyone in the doctor who fandom making Donna’s character to be “only shouts at the doctor” even though Donna was one of the most complex characters in DW. Moreover, I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with playing into a character trait for an intentionally comedic fic. I think some people in this fandom forget how lucky we are to have so many amazing writers within the fandom that produce content for us to consume.

HOWEVER this does not apply to actively harmful or stereotyped interpretations of certain queens that have no basis within the script, especially for queens like Cleves and Aragon. When a headcanon or a fic perpetuates an incredibly harmful characterisation, it does deserve to be called out and criticised. I seriously do not understand where this fanon version of Cleves that is super aggressive comes from. Cleves is so chill within the show itself and literally just wants to make some friends. When we see actively harmful stuff it needs to be addressed.

However at the same time, we have to understand that what you see in the fandom may not always accurately reflect what is in the show. Some fan fictions are fantastic character studies, that both keep to and build off what Toby and Lucy presented us within Six the Musical (again I cannot stress enough how lucky we are in the six fandom to have so many talented writers) but the more comedic incorrect quotes or headcanons usually do not encapsulate the characters in the show. And we need to be mindful of that. I know that sometimes people are surprised when they see the show for the first time and Seymour isn’t as motherly or Boleyn isn’t as chaotic as the fandom would lead to you to believe. Toby and Lucy wrote not one but six incredibly complex women into their show and I think we should always remember that these canon characters are infinitely more complicated than the general fanon versions, and also actively take steps to integrate them into the fandom by discussing them. That doesn’t mean the fanon versions aren’t funny or don’t have their own merits, because they do, but we shouldn’t pretend that the canon characters are interchangeable with the fanon versions.

Basically what I’m trying to say is that the canon characters and the fanon characters can co-exist. We can enjoy the more exaggerated fandom versions of the characters, while also being mindful to respect what Toby and Lucy wrote into the show of six. You all know that I LOVE a good discussion post about the characters within the show, and I love character-study fan fictions...but sometimes I just want a funny fic or a fluffy headcanon, even though it maybe isn’t 100 percent accurate to the show. I mean,,,I’m the fucking person who both gave Boleyn Heelys and also wrote a mega discussion post analysing all the different versions of her character within the show! You can enjoy both fanon and canon. It’s when we, as a fandom, start to actively see the fanon as the canon that we have a problem. We saw this a few days ago when @the10amongstthese3s got hate for actively writing a Boleyn that was a divergence from the fanon but was accurate to the canon!

Alternatively: don’t like a fanfic? Don’t read it!

Wow that was an essay...I’m sorry I just had thoughts.