This might count as petty, but...
May. 25th, 2011 10:34 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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fail_fandomanon in a thread about "annoying fanon taken as canon":
Oh, in Sherlock fandom there's so much of that going on. A few examples:
- Sherlock being asexual.
- Sherlock being or having been a cocaine (or any drug) addict.
- Sherlock hating the way his own brain works ("too much noise" and the like; I blame wordstrings for this. She's very good writer, but I don't like her take on Sherlock, and I really don't like her take being accepted by large parts of fandom).
- Sherlock being a sociopath (yeah, I know he says so himself, but that doesn't make it true).
- Mycroft not really caring about his brother.
*forehead slap*
This is the Sherlock bit: anyone not interested, feel free to skip to the questions at the end!
First, I have to admit than I am a rabid Holmesian: not just the new BBC series, but the Arthur Conan Doyle novels and stories as well. (And several of the movies/tv series. And the BBC radio dramas. And various re-tellings/pastiches. Etc.) Therefore, a lot of my perceptions of the new series are most likely colored by the ACD canon, and the huge body of Holmes-related work that came before. HOWEVER:
1. "Sherlock being asexual."
Honestly, when I first read the thread title, I was tempted to respond "The notion in Sherlock fandom that Sherlock and John are most definitely a couple". On further thought, I realized I was overstating things a bit. It's true that a large portion of the fandom is interested in Sherlock/John slash. However, I don't think most fans actually believe they are or will be a couple in the series, or actually even care if that's the case or not. They just enjoy the idea of Sherlock and John as a couple, and I can't fault them for that: this is what fanfic is for.
As for Sherlock being asexual: it is pretty damn close to canon. No, he never comes out and says "I'm an asexual." He doesn't have a t-shirt or go to meetings. But he does pretty explicitly state that he's not interested in romantic relationships, and it's no big leap from there. Are other interpretations possible? Could he turn out to be gay/straight/bi? It's possible. But "Sherlock is asexual" is far from being pure fanon.
2. "Sherlock being or having been a cocaine (or any drug) addict."
This is most definitely canon. Look up the drugs bust scene on YouTube. If this doesn't meet the definition of canon, I don't know what to consider canon anymore.
3. "Sherlock hating the way his own brain works."
I'm pretty sure this a bleed over from the ACD canon, but I can see it easily transposed onto the BBC series (though I'm having trouble coming up with specific examples). No, it's true that Sherlock doesn't 'hate' the way his brain works: in fact, Sherlock thinks pretty highly of his own intellect in either canon. But to be honest, I don't think that what's being represented in fic (or in either canon) is Sherlock 'hating' the way his brain works; but he most certainly is tormented by his own genius.
4. "Sherlock being a sociopath (yeah, I know he says so himself, but that doesn't make it true)."
"I know he says so himself". Q.E.D.
No, I know: 'unreliable narrator', he could have been flippant, etc. etc. There's a million excuses to discount the veracity of his statement. BUT: there's also a lot to be argued for his complete candor. And he did say it without any obvious wink or nod, which makes this notion far from merely fanon. (I also wonder if there's some confusion as to what a 'sociopath' is?)
5. "Mycroft not really caring about his brother."
I have nothing to argue about this. It's canon that Mycroft 'cares' enough about his brother to spy on him and want to keep track of his movements. (Of course, that could have been a cover for his true reasons for wanting to spy on his brother, but anyway...)
What I do want to say is: where is this fanon? Granted, I've not been as deeply involved in the fandom as I once was, but most of the fic I've seen that deals with the Sherlock/Mycroft relationship portrays Mycroft caring much more than he shows in the series.
/end Sherlock-specific bit
All of this brings me to my topic for discussion: what is canon? How attached are you to the 'facts' of the media you enjoy? Do you like it when the source material mixes it up and plays with canon, or is a foolish consistency the hobgoblin of your little mind? (I know it is of mine...)
Where is the line between canon and fanon?
Also: Do you have bits of fanon you find annoying, or that you actually like better than canon?
As for my own personal favorite bit of fanon: see icon!
fail_fandomanon in a thread about "annoying fanon taken as canon":Oh, in Sherlock fandom there's so much of that going on. A few examples:
- Sherlock being asexual.
- Sherlock being or having been a cocaine (or any drug) addict.
- Sherlock hating the way his own brain works ("too much noise" and the like; I blame wordstrings for this. She's very good writer, but I don't like her take on Sherlock, and I really don't like her take being accepted by large parts of fandom).
- Sherlock being a sociopath (yeah, I know he says so himself, but that doesn't make it true).
- Mycroft not really caring about his brother.
*forehead slap*
This is the Sherlock bit: anyone not interested, feel free to skip to the questions at the end!
First, I have to admit than I am a rabid Holmesian: not just the new BBC series, but the Arthur Conan Doyle novels and stories as well. (And several of the movies/tv series. And the BBC radio dramas. And various re-tellings/pastiches. Etc.) Therefore, a lot of my perceptions of the new series are most likely colored by the ACD canon, and the huge body of Holmes-related work that came before. HOWEVER:
1. "Sherlock being asexual."
Honestly, when I first read the thread title, I was tempted to respond "The notion in Sherlock fandom that Sherlock and John are most definitely a couple". On further thought, I realized I was overstating things a bit. It's true that a large portion of the fandom is interested in Sherlock/John slash. However, I don't think most fans actually believe they are or will be a couple in the series, or actually even care if that's the case or not. They just enjoy the idea of Sherlock and John as a couple, and I can't fault them for that: this is what fanfic is for.
As for Sherlock being asexual: it is pretty damn close to canon. No, he never comes out and says "I'm an asexual." He doesn't have a t-shirt or go to meetings. But he does pretty explicitly state that he's not interested in romantic relationships, and it's no big leap from there. Are other interpretations possible? Could he turn out to be gay/straight/bi? It's possible. But "Sherlock is asexual" is far from being pure fanon.
2. "Sherlock being or having been a cocaine (or any drug) addict."
This is most definitely canon. Look up the drugs bust scene on YouTube. If this doesn't meet the definition of canon, I don't know what to consider canon anymore.
3. "Sherlock hating the way his own brain works."
I'm pretty sure this a bleed over from the ACD canon, but I can see it easily transposed onto the BBC series (though I'm having trouble coming up with specific examples). No, it's true that Sherlock doesn't 'hate' the way his brain works: in fact, Sherlock thinks pretty highly of his own intellect in either canon. But to be honest, I don't think that what's being represented in fic (or in either canon) is Sherlock 'hating' the way his brain works; but he most certainly is tormented by his own genius.
4. "Sherlock being a sociopath (yeah, I know he says so himself, but that doesn't make it true)."
"I know he says so himself". Q.E.D.
No, I know: 'unreliable narrator', he could have been flippant, etc. etc. There's a million excuses to discount the veracity of his statement. BUT: there's also a lot to be argued for his complete candor. And he did say it without any obvious wink or nod, which makes this notion far from merely fanon. (I also wonder if there's some confusion as to what a 'sociopath' is?)
5. "Mycroft not really caring about his brother."
I have nothing to argue about this. It's canon that Mycroft 'cares' enough about his brother to spy on him and want to keep track of his movements. (Of course, that could have been a cover for his true reasons for wanting to spy on his brother, but anyway...)
What I do want to say is: where is this fanon? Granted, I've not been as deeply involved in the fandom as I once was, but most of the fic I've seen that deals with the Sherlock/Mycroft relationship portrays Mycroft caring much more than he shows in the series.
/end Sherlock-specific bit
All of this brings me to my topic for discussion: what is canon? How attached are you to the 'facts' of the media you enjoy? Do you like it when the source material mixes it up and plays with canon, or is a foolish consistency the hobgoblin of your little mind? (I know it is of mine...)
Where is the line between canon and fanon?
Also: Do you have bits of fanon you find annoying, or that you actually like better than canon?
As for my own personal favorite bit of fanon: see icon!
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no subject
Date: 2011-05-26 04:52 am (UTC)I agree with
Since it's never explicitly stated in ACD's stories or Sherlock, I wouldn't say that Sherlock being asexual is precisely canon, but there are plenty of things that suggest it. Personally I don't think he is, but that he just doesn't act on whatever sexual urges he may have, the same way he's always ignoring his hunger or exhaustion. Besides, sex means he'd have to interact with people, which he doesn't like to do. Not to say that he can't be asexual, or that people who think he is are wrong, of course.
...Actually, most of these "annoying fanons" I would say at least have a basis in canon. Though I've always been a bit skeptical about the "sociopath" line...for one, I don't think there's such a thing as a "high-functioning" sociopath, and I'm also not sure that Sherlock is one at all. Maybe it's Moffat not knowing what a sociopath is, maybe it's Sherlock's way of making excuses or keeping people at a distance, I don't know.
I'm a total stickler for rules. I don't care what they are, but once you make them, stick to them, or at least give me a reasonable excuse for why they change. Which is why Moffat's Doctor Who makes me want to pull out my hair sometimes - it goes against all the rules! The Christmas special for example...many, many times the Doctor has said that you can't go back in someone's personal timeline and change things. Yet this entire episode is about that! ARGH.
It took me typing this out to realize I don't actually have a strict rule for what's canon. I guess as far as pastiches, deleted scenes, word from The Powers That Be goes and other things that are iffy on being canon, as long as it doesn't contradict canon, it depends on if I like it? I don't know, I've never really thought about it. This is a very interesting question!
no subject
Date: 2011-05-26 03:10 pm (UTC)Consider me firmly aboard this crazy train!
Since it's never explicitly stated in ACD's stories or Sherlock, I wouldn't say that Sherlock being asexual is precisely canon, but there are plenty of things that suggest it.
So few things actually are explicityly stated, but you're right: if Moffat and Gatiss decided to make Sherlock a pansexual playboy in secret, they have room to do so. As for the ACD canon: asexuality didn't exist as an identity when he was writing it, so I wouldn't expect any explicit statements--but Watson's observations, and Holmes's behavior, are easily extrapolated to 'asexual'. I don't know: I'm not particularly attached to the identity, but for my own part, I don't enjoy the idea of Holmes in any sort of romantic relationship!
Sociopath may not be exactly right, but I can see where they were going with the line: Sherlock doesn't experience human emotions/empathy the same way other people do. Putting himself in other people's shoes is an intellectual, rather than an emotional exercise. He may not be a certifiable sociopath, but I can see the convenience of that description.
As for Doctor Who breaking canon: I've had to give up on expecting them to follow the rules. And it's not just Moffat that's done it: remember "you can't travel between parallel worlds" (despite the half dozen times they did it), and "Rose is gone forever, no, PSYCH, she's back!"?
I'm able to view things like pastiches and different versions of movies/series as outside canon. Certain franchises, especially in sci-fi, have a shit TON of 'extra' source material, and it would be impossible to try to incorporate it all into a consistent canon.