Membership Canon vs. Original, thoughts?

[Nerissa 15]

I'm just curious. What do you guys prefer in both roleplay sites, and in your own character-making? Do you prefer to rp as a canon character from animes, mangas, shows/movies, etc? Or, do you favor making your own character from scratch?

 

My personal opinions is that I steer clear of canon, only because I don't want to feel that I am changing someone else's character, or I am not able to stay 100% true to said character because they aren't mine. If I can make my own from scratch, I can make them in my own image, and roleplay them any way I want, so I guess the creative freedom attracts my interest more. However, I don't judge those who love canon, more power to them!

 

How about you guys? I'd really love to see what you all think! 🙂 

[Shades 676]

I'd say I'm 98% in the original camp. I'm not 100% there because there are a few canon characters who are near and dear to my heart that I have been roleplaying for years. But most of the time, originals are the key to my heart, exactly because I can create them as I please and there's no way I can 'write them wrong', since I've created them myself.

[Rivfader 76]

I'm similar to Shades in that the vast, vast majority of the time I write original characters, but occasionally I don't mind canons either. A few years ago I played a couple of canon characters from Skyrim on a TES site and that was really fun, but I've never been able to make myself have that same interest in roleplaying a canon character from say, Game of Thrones, even though I love the show.

 

I dunno, I just find it more rewarding to create characters myself.

Edited July 16, 2018 by Rivfader

[Yume 99]

So I'm in the mixed camp - I don't necessarily prefer canon characters, though i definitely am used to having them around fandom sites, and will play them. I tend to prefer loose canon positions, but can and have played more solid ones depending on the character and the circumstance. I used to have a bit of an existing fear of mis-handling a canon character, but as I wrote fanfiction more often I tended to get more comfortable - with certain types of characters.

 

On the other hand, the reason I like loose canons is because I can take more liberty with them, and it's the same reason that I like to take want ads from time to time - I know I will have plots available but I can design my own character. So, I like original characters too? They kind of both have their place.

[clipsed 231]

I don't like playing canons as I feel it's a bit more restrictive for me. That said, I'm happy to play in canon universes, and in fact generally prefer a canon universe to an original one (I usually know more going in that way ^.-), especially if its focus is original characters & events! It's a bit more canon-y than "inspired by" but less canon-y than "let's play canon characters and write out the canon storyline".

[Morrigan 1,826]

I’m not mixed. I play both. Just depends on the site really. Some of my favorite canons end up with varying renditions as an OC elsewhere. For example, Scotty from Star Trek I use as a computer hacker and more in other settings. 

[Kazetatsu 263]

I'm in the original camp. I don't like using what someone else made even if it belongs to media so popular that its seen as good as free game. What I have seen, and don't mind quite as much in my own writing (though I no longer do it) is breaking canon to the point where the character is really just another oc. Their name, some abilities, and history may be copied but character development  leads to a character that is more original over all

[Elena 546]

I never write in fandoms. But I'd adopt someone's character or a site canon.

[Kit the Human 758]

When I was on a fandom forum, I adored the creative challenge that writing a canon character presents. My focus in general however, are characters I create, so I don't seek out canons.

[CovertSphinx 710]

I sit firmly in both camps, un-apologetically.

 

I started my RP days in fandoms: I used to shy away from canons, but took a few out of necessity for site plots, and ended up enjoying them (certain archetypes I'm better with than others though) because I learned something very important: Your portrayal of said canon, is tantamount to how YOU see that canon and the underlying pieces of their psyche that you choose to explore. For example: Frank Miller's Batman vs Neil Gaiman's Batman vs Mike Barr's Batman. All of them are Batman, but they each wrote him differently. In a few ways, having to sit there and say, "Hmmm, what do /I/ think SoAndSo  would do in this situation...." has led to a deeper understanding of some of my favorite characters. 
 

That being said, I absolutely LOVE worldbuilding, so I flock to Original Content like a bug to a zapper lamp. 

[Huskerdust 625]

I don't really play canons anymore but it's where I started--exclusively canon characters. So I'm not going to knock the people who like doing it now. I think it's great practice for RPing and learning how to get to know a character. It's a good starting point if you don't have a lot of original character ideas of your own and it can help you develop your creativity. 

 

These days, I only play originals, though I'll play in canon universes with canon characters. As long as there's not an emphasis on the canons and they're just another character, why not?

[Sadrienne 242]

I personally don't play canons. They are mildly terrifying to me, I don't want to destroy someone else's creation. Even though I love to see other people's spin on my characters, playing canons for me is just... I can't. 

 

Seeing someone else write a canon really well though? I love that.

[Hypester 28]

Honestly, it seems as though people put way too much pressure on themselves over canons. They can't necessarily be 'messed up' or 'done wrong' in the way people describe. For AUs and minor canons, they are nothing more demanding or "owned" than wanted ads for OCs with a few basics outlined. The fear people express of 'failing' at a canon seems very irrational to me.  I'd love to know more about this fear, perhaps I'm missing something. Perhaps other fandoms are more strict than the ones I frequent. Did someone berate you because you didn't ship a canon the way they wanted you to? If that's the case, that's a f'ed up community, not you doing it 'wrong.'

 

I can get not wanting to use things owned by other people on an Original board, but if you're already on a fandom, you're using someone else's stuff. I know not not all OC players do this, but it kills me when players express fear of messing up canon, so they do an OC, and use that OC to insert elements that actually does mess with and contradict the canon they're entering.

 

I love a well done OC. I feel like OCs in a fandom should do the same thing a new canon character would, expand the world in a new way, and not just take an existing role (narratively or otherwise) that is done by a canon character. I think some fandoms should be dominated by OCs, those with small main casts and very expansive genres, like a Supernatural or a Star Trek. I usually play on superhero fandoms, or other very full very developed universes, and it's like... "why not take one of the 1000 wanted ads... we are here to help you find the perfect wanted ad for you and your tastes." "No, I can't handle the demands of canons..."

 

So I guess I just want to point out that not all canons are equal, and not the concerns discussed about canons simply don't always apply. I tend to play canons, and feel as though that's part of why people join fandom boards, to interact with the canon characters, otherwise it'd just be an Original board in the same genre. I honestly feel a duty to play canon characters on a board if I'm advertising it as a board that has those characters available for plot and interaction. But when there's a place to go that's new, and there's simply no minor canon I can make how I want, I'll do an OC. That just happens to me very very rarely.

 

 

[LilWolf 1]

For me, this depends on the RP. If it’s a fandom, it depends on the fandom. I have and will play canons, but also love creating orig Nah characters. I’ve made many over the years that I still use today.

[Jaxx 317]

Eh, I'm not hardcore either way. There's some canon characters I love playing and there's some OCs that I love playing. Although I will say that I've found keeping OCs active on Marvel/X-Men sites to be impossible compared to other fandoms. So I always end up with canons there.