WARNING: THIS THREAD IS NOT FOR POSTING ANY FANDOM WORKS!
The title of this thread is bigger than usual and includes three aspects that are connected.
Starting with the importance of the label "canon", I want to know how does something that is regarded as canon or non-canon in a certain series affects your view of it and what would happen if it changed from being one to be the other.
Secondly, how much should the fans respect the creator, how far does it goes, when should one stop respecting, or at least not have so high regard towards it and how much, if any, should the fans opinions influence the creator's work.
The last one is if you have come up with any fandom story and why.
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From my three favorite game series - Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Pokémon -, the one I have less problems regarding all those questions is Pokémon.
There's the main series and the side ones, without some being canon and the others not, so there's nothing to worry about.
Despite having a few issues in some of the games, I don't have any problems with the creators themselves (and that is due to their "policy" of not talking too much and not speaking about what doesn't matter), just, sometimes, their work. Regarding those issues - and this goes for all the media, series, etc. -, on one hand I wished they would listen to the fans, but on the other hand I like things how they are - the creators deciding almost alone and at the end, I'll go with the second because «what makes a fan?», «should "bigger" fans have more relevance?», and «how does one measure the "size" of a fan?» are questions that don't have just one answer, but many and will lead to petty wars.
My nickname comes from one idea for a fandom work but it didn't came out as disappointment towards how things are in the Pokémon games' universe, but as a wish to focus on a story and to revisit a region that will only come back to life as a remake.
About Castlevania, a few years ago, Koji Igarashi decided to clean the in-game chronology, as games that were considered canon (and weren't produced by him) were no more, in order to have freedom to create new games and in one case because the protagonist was a female, and he felt that that would be akward for the time setting of the game (Middle Ages). I own one of the games that were decanonized and I have mixed feelings about it. The experience was already different because the story and characters were set somewhat apart from what I was used to and what I learned after searching more info about the series, namely the fact that the protagonist wasn't a member of the Belmont clan and that his whip wasn't the Vampire Killer. After said decanonization, I felt relieved because it meant that a game with a Belmont or someone related to them could be set in the 19th century and one that would follow more closely the feeling and atmosphere of that age.
While no longer at Konami, I still respect Koji for what he did to the series and the emphasis he placed on the replayability of his games, despite not agreeing that much with his systems of coming up with a combat system first and only after coming up with a story and setting.
Castlevania didn't escaped my desire to come up with a fandom story but in the start it was just like Pokémon - because I wanted to have some side story to something that was already great and that fulfilled me. After Koji stopped being the producer and Konami decided to give the series a new look and make reboot, my reasons are now more of discontent with the way things were and the whole Lords of Shadow saga and Konami's intentions behind it, namely the desire from profiting by making the game more appealing to more people, making the series and games lost its identity.
Hideo Kojima. This name spurs so much discussion and opinions...This man doesn't live without retconning something. While Snake's Revenge seems indeed like trash, Portable Ops still divides the fans about its actual state of "ghost side game" that happened in the in-game chronology but not every story point is canon and it doesn't suit Kojima's plans for future games.
While his games are still fun to play, the story is so convoluted - thanks to Kojima himself - that fans have started to disregard what the man says about what's canon or not. I myself am included in those, while also not being the same fan I was some 6 years ago. Back then, I saw him as a great producer, focused on telling a story, with every game being and having the importance of a child, a product of a father. Right now, with so many come and go, ups and downs, and some ridiculous stuff being said, I just wish the best form him (accordingly to his wishes) and just play the games for fun, not caring about what's behind it. Kojima has expressed the desire for making other games than MGS and that he wants to pass the torch to younger folks but he keeps going back, still making MGS games and still producing them, first because the MGS franchise is now one of the few series that makes profit and keeps Konami afloat and secondly, because he thinks his staff is not yet ready.
I also have a fandom story set in the MGS universe, with some MGS characters but only considering certain games as canon, and it came up as a result of disappointment too.
Edit: I knew I was forgeting something. Thanks for bringing Star Wars, CMP!
I don't have anything that isn't canon, but I know how others must be feeling, namely when it's a work that's good, with nice setting and characters, and seeing that being dismissed after investing time (and money) must be hard.
Right now the only respect I have for Lucas is for creating the series, nothing more. The way he jumped off the boat and what we're seeing now seems like a coward's exit, like he was tired of his own creation, which I understand but not the way the exit was made. I've read many fans started saying that they'll have their own idea of what's canon or not and again, I can relate to that, but here because I hate some of the material, like the Clone Wars animated series.
I also have come up with a fandom story but not due to the state of things in general but to the emphasis that is given to the Jedi vs Sith conflict, while sometimes forgetting other people and jobs.
At the end, one reason that is common for all my fandom stories is the lack of maturity (not nudity nor blood and violence, but more in regards to the themes and situations created) in the original/legit works.
The title of this thread is bigger than usual and includes three aspects that are connected.
Starting with the importance of the label "canon", I want to know how does something that is regarded as canon or non-canon in a certain series affects your view of it and what would happen if it changed from being one to be the other.
Secondly, how much should the fans respect the creator, how far does it goes, when should one stop respecting, or at least not have so high regard towards it and how much, if any, should the fans opinions influence the creator's work.
The last one is if you have come up with any fandom story and why.
_________________________________________________________________________
From my three favorite game series - Castlevania, Metal Gear Solid, Pokémon -, the one I have less problems regarding all those questions is Pokémon.
There's the main series and the side ones, without some being canon and the others not, so there's nothing to worry about.
Despite having a few issues in some of the games, I don't have any problems with the creators themselves (and that is due to their "policy" of not talking too much and not speaking about what doesn't matter), just, sometimes, their work. Regarding those issues - and this goes for all the media, series, etc. -, on one hand I wished they would listen to the fans, but on the other hand I like things how they are - the creators deciding almost alone and at the end, I'll go with the second because «what makes a fan?», «should "bigger" fans have more relevance?», and «how does one measure the "size" of a fan?» are questions that don't have just one answer, but many and will lead to petty wars.
My nickname comes from one idea for a fandom work but it didn't came out as disappointment towards how things are in the Pokémon games' universe, but as a wish to focus on a story and to revisit a region that will only come back to life as a remake.
About Castlevania, a few years ago, Koji Igarashi decided to clean the in-game chronology, as games that were considered canon (and weren't produced by him) were no more, in order to have freedom to create new games and in one case because the protagonist was a female, and he felt that that would be akward for the time setting of the game (Middle Ages). I own one of the games that were decanonized and I have mixed feelings about it. The experience was already different because the story and characters were set somewhat apart from what I was used to and what I learned after searching more info about the series, namely the fact that the protagonist wasn't a member of the Belmont clan and that his whip wasn't the Vampire Killer. After said decanonization, I felt relieved because it meant that a game with a Belmont or someone related to them could be set in the 19th century and one that would follow more closely the feeling and atmosphere of that age.
While no longer at Konami, I still respect Koji for what he did to the series and the emphasis he placed on the replayability of his games, despite not agreeing that much with his systems of coming up with a combat system first and only after coming up with a story and setting.
Castlevania didn't escaped my desire to come up with a fandom story but in the start it was just like Pokémon - because I wanted to have some side story to something that was already great and that fulfilled me. After Koji stopped being the producer and Konami decided to give the series a new look and make reboot, my reasons are now more of discontent with the way things were and the whole Lords of Shadow saga and Konami's intentions behind it, namely the desire from profiting by making the game more appealing to more people, making the series and games lost its identity.
Hideo Kojima. This name spurs so much discussion and opinions...This man doesn't live without retconning something. While Snake's Revenge seems indeed like trash, Portable Ops still divides the fans about its actual state of "ghost side game" that happened in the in-game chronology but not every story point is canon and it doesn't suit Kojima's plans for future games.
While his games are still fun to play, the story is so convoluted - thanks to Kojima himself - that fans have started to disregard what the man says about what's canon or not. I myself am included in those, while also not being the same fan I was some 6 years ago. Back then, I saw him as a great producer, focused on telling a story, with every game being and having the importance of a child, a product of a father. Right now, with so many come and go, ups and downs, and some ridiculous stuff being said, I just wish the best form him (accordingly to his wishes) and just play the games for fun, not caring about what's behind it. Kojima has expressed the desire for making other games than MGS and that he wants to pass the torch to younger folks but he keeps going back, still making MGS games and still producing them, first because the MGS franchise is now one of the few series that makes profit and keeps Konami afloat and secondly, because he thinks his staff is not yet ready.
I also have a fandom story set in the MGS universe, with some MGS characters but only considering certain games as canon, and it came up as a result of disappointment too.
Edit: I knew I was forgeting something. Thanks for bringing Star Wars, CMP!
I don't have anything that isn't canon, but I know how others must be feeling, namely when it's a work that's good, with nice setting and characters, and seeing that being dismissed after investing time (and money) must be hard.
Right now the only respect I have for Lucas is for creating the series, nothing more. The way he jumped off the boat and what we're seeing now seems like a coward's exit, like he was tired of his own creation, which I understand but not the way the exit was made. I've read many fans started saying that they'll have their own idea of what's canon or not and again, I can relate to that, but here because I hate some of the material, like the Clone Wars animated series.
I also have come up with a fandom story but not due to the state of things in general but to the emphasis that is given to the Jedi vs Sith conflict, while sometimes forgetting other people and jobs.
At the end, one reason that is common for all my fandom stories is the lack of maturity (not nudity nor blood and violence, but more in regards to the themes and situations created) in the original/legit works.
