Loose Canon

I've been loitering around Fanfiction.net lately, mostly re-reading my reviews, and I've noticed something that keeps recurring, and that is a reference to canon. Apparently complete conformity to canon is where the bar is set for Daria fanfic. Why is that? The show is written by a number of different writers, so naturally from episode to episode the characters fluctuate a bit, in their expressions, reactions and motivations. I don't have a problem with that; I accept it as part of the way that cartoons and television work. Why then is there so little tolerance for improbable situations, growth in the characters and other embellishments that as a writer, it is our prerogative to add? I'll admit, I've read some dreadful stories, where the characters are not developed, badly written and completely off the mark. That's not what I'm talking about. If the writer demonstrates the proper development and motivation, for why a character does or says something, and the story stands on it's own merits, then why is it not considered good Daria fanfic? Is adherence to canon so important?

Now, I know that people read fan fiction to fill a void. That void is usually the fact that the person can't get enough of the show, and they want more. Well, if all there is, is canon, then by definition, there isn't any more. But, if the writer can make the reader feel that there is a continuance of the show, without tampering with those rigid expectations, then the reader can have his cake and eat it too.

It seems to me, and anecdotal evidence supports this, that men are more concerned with keeping stories within canon than women are. To deviate a moment here, I think this has to do with our reasons for reading fan fiction. Men like to have more of the same. They like the show, they want more. Women want to see what the characters would do IF. If Daria and Trent fell in love, if Quinn got pregnant, if Stacy wised up. Women enjoy exploring the characters more than the plot. Men are more driven by the plot. The most vocal critics about canon have been men. I have reviews from men, who think it is praise to say that my story could have been canon. My reaction...So?

I understand that if a story is set concurrent with the time the show takes place, that having the characters seem true to what we see every week placates our notions of continuity. I like stories that take place, from another character's point of view, during the events of an episode. I'm thinking of Medea42's stories in particular here. Getting the characters right, matters in this instance. But, if there is no established "past" or "future" for Daria (in canon) why then are certain ideas or stories dismissed out of hand, for not being canon? Or worse, liked despite their inconsistencies to canon.

Has canon treated us so well as Daria fans? Aren't there episodes that jar our notions of how the characters would act in a particular situation? What about Daria! According to canon, the characters are ready, willing and able to put on a cabaret for us at a moment's notice. Even fans have issues between the season one Daria and the season four Daria. So, do we have a season one canon versus a season three canon? A case could be made for it. I personally am deeply disturbed that Daria would be in a relationship with her best friend's ex-boyfriend. That's not the Daria I know from season one. It's not the Daria that I know from season three. Yet, there it is, part of canon, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it.

As an adult, I have found it interesting to set my stories in a time and place that more accurately reflects my demographic, the upwardly mobile, professional in mid to late thirties. Hey, I write what I know. I am astounded at the number of comments, both in reviews, in e-mail and on PPMB, that basically say: "Hey, that's not how they would act!" The part that makes me crazy is that I'll wager that it is the younger (still in High School) reader who reacts that way. I guess the younger crowd thinks that they will stay the same for the rest of their lives, and expects the Daria crew to do so as well. Can a story set in the future ever qualify as an "on-canon" piece? If so, will Daria still be wearing that green jacket?

It seems that for a story to qualify as an example of an "on-canon" success, the characters have to remain two dimensional, the story has to wrap up in 22 minutes and Jesse has to say "cool." It also doesn't hurt that most canon success stories are written in script form. Here, I will take another detour from my stated premise to say that people who are writing in script form are being lazy. In a script, it is up to the actor to make the motivation, the emotion and the character come alive. Since we have no actors, the writer leaves it up to the reader to fill in the blanks. Can there be a correlation between stories in script form being more often favorably compared to canon? Heck, if it's in your head, it must be canon. But I digress.

Here is my barometer of a good story. Pretending that you've never heard of the characters, you have no preconceived notions of how they would behave and you have no expectations for the story beyond being entertained, did the story succeed? That's it. Either it works for you, or it doesn't. Simple. As for canon, let's beat it into a plowshare.