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Canon vs. Original, thoughts?


Nerissa
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I play both. I usually prefer odd/uncommon or very minor canons so I can make them feel like my own, as opposed to playing a main character from any given story (but I have done that as well from time to time). My passion, though, lies in original content, world, and characters. ^^ So if I were forced to pick, I'd definitely write just OCs. 

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We don't do canon at all. You can use the face as a playby, but not the character. But I do like the idea of setting up canon characters as npcs for anyone to use. Might have to look into that and discuss it with my rp cohort lol. 

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Definitely on the "original" character side. I don't think I could successfully replicate a canon character with the same amount of skill as the original author. Hence why my site is also "AU" - as much as I love the world of The Hunger Games, I think I've had my fair share of those characters and their storylines! Having original characters opens up so much possibility that might have otherwise been restricted. 

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My forum is an original-only RP, but I, personally, have written both OCs and Canons. If I'm new to a site and see they have some interesting Canon characters, I find that's a great way to get into the lore and the plots. However, on the flip side of that, when there is no one else playing any of the Canon characters you "need" to RP with in order to enjoy those plots ... what's the point? That's probably why, for the most part, I prefer Original characters whenever possible.

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I like original because you can create your own personality and history and aren't bogged down.

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I think there are pros and cons to both of these.

 

Personally, I like originals. But I like originals that already have some kind of connection to someone already established. So I will normally take the vaguest wanted ad I can find. Someone with zero firm ideas or expectations but already with the drive or passion to create a story with my character. Those are the ones I snag. Then I kinda get the best of both worlds 😄

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  • 3 weeks later...

original %100. I rarely roleplay as a canon character unless as a different interpretation of the character. 

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I don't really have any preference one way or the other. Most of what I play are OCs, but I don't shy away from playing canon characters either. If I'm going to play a canon character, though, I have to have a certain degree of familiarity with them. Like, there's some characters I just can't figure out what makes them tick; when I try and write those characters, everything I do just feels uninspired. I suppose in the end I have to be able to feel like they're mine, I guess.

 

I also like to try and expand on canons with my own ideas when possible. There'll inevitably be certain holes in their personality or history, whether it's some side character or the protagonist of the original work. I look at those as chances to incorporate my own interpretations and make them something that're really mine. It's a bit different from originals, since you're adding to a foundation rather than creating one yourself from scratch, but it's fun in its own way.

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I avoid playing canon characters mostly because I haven't ever felt the need to expand on what the author wrote?  In general, I fall in love with the worlds built by my favorite authors, so I create my own characters to interact in those worlds. ❤️ 

I do, however, typically abide by canon world-building rules >_>!!!  Does that count? Haha ❤️ 

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I enjoy being able to jump right in with connections re: original canons with some constraints I find intriguing.

 

Fan canons, eh. Occasionally one catches my eye but I'd rather write about the people surrounding them unless they were side characters. Otherwise it just feels like writing fan fiction, which seems more entertaining to do independently.

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@Somniac If you're RPing in any setting that even has canons, isn't it already technically fanfiction, for all intents and purposes? It might be slightly different in that it's collaboratively-written fanfiction, and also an RP on top of that, but it's still fanfiction nonetheless.

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10 hours ago, afrafstos said:

@Somniac If you're RPing in any setting that even has canons, isn't it already technically fanfiction, for all intents and purposes? It might be slightly different in that it's collaboratively-written fanfiction, and also an RP on top of that, but it's still fanfiction nonetheless.

@afrafstosI don't have any 'official' definitions per se, but I think the distinction I'm referring to here is this: when you're writing a canon on a fansite, it can often turn into fanservice. If you're writing about things that happened in that world independent of the fan favorites, it seems more like everyone involved is building their own connections and attachments beyond pre-existing notions.

 

That said, I love homebrew world canons that hit my niches as there's usually a different dynamic going with that.

 

I get your point, though. Technically, it all be fanfiction. :)

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I like canon characters, but with the majority of the ones I've played over the years, I've wound up essentially recreating/redefining the character to the point where they really don't share any similarities with the original version.  Not really sure why (maybe I just never wanted to have to hunt down art).  I probably would enjoy writing original characters in non-original settings, if I had to pick.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I prefer canons, largely because people can get weird on OCs on fandom sites. That said, I also love entirely-original-character sites, because then it gets a lot less ludicrous, usually. OCs can feel shoehoned in on sites not intended exclusively for original characters, but on their own, can prosper.

 

That said, I do and have played OCs all over the place, but I definitely prefer being creative-within-limitations when it comes to fandom sites.


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  • 3 weeks later...

It depends on the site. On Marvel sites, I do like canons but if I was managing it I would allow OCs as long as they aren't closely related (immediate family) to canons or aren't carbon copies. 

I do like next-gen sites though, those can be quite unique in my experience.

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