[Ithilwen]

Child of the 7th Age said:

And, now, back to the other question. The main reason that I posted this thread is that, increasingly, I saw the words "canon" and "fanfiction" or "canon" and "RPG" used in the same sentence. And, like Pio and others, I'm not sure that is appropriate. I can live with "canon friendly" or "canon consistent." Even with these terms, I feel we're dealing with the intent of the writer rather than making a pronouncment on the actual results.

I don't think that the folks who use the word "canon" when describing their fanfictions or RPGs are trying to claim primacy with Tolkien's actual writings - instead, I think they're merely using the term as a shorthand way of letting potential readers/players know that in THIS particular setting Legolas will NOT marrry Mary-Sue, and Luke Skywalker won't be visiting Rivendell. If not for the proliferation of AU settings/characterizations in fanfictions/RPGs, no special term like "canon-friendly" would be needed at all.

And since there ISN'T a single canon anyway, there are always going to be disagreements regarding how far a person can go with his/her creation and still merit the term "in-canon" or "canon-friendly" (particularly with regards to characterization).

But I'm still curious about my specific question. Have you ever been writing a fanfiction (or RPG) and come to some point where you said, I'd like to include this, but it really pushes me beyond Middle-earth, and I don't feel comfortable there?

Well, I haven't played any RPGs for a long time, so I'll leave that area to others. So far, I haven't had that happen in my fanfiction writiings, although I suppose the possibility exists that it could happen at some point in the future. But most of my stories are character-driven rather than plot-driven (Tolkien has already given me the overall plot, I'm just fleshing things out a bit), and perhaps that makes a difference.

Helen -- your quote of Tolkien's letter was helpful. I actually feel more comfortable stretching plots or settings or even places. It's when I get to characterization that I draw the line. There are specific things certain characters won't do in my head. This may be a matter of personal choice rather than a "canon friendly" issue, although I feel it can have implications for both.

sharon, the 7th age hobbit

I think most writers have visions of what is "appropriate" characterization for various characters - but it's because these views differ significantly between people that I feel defining characterization as "canon-friendly" is extremely difficult as compared to settings/plots. We KNOW that Gondor was never conquered by Harad. We KNOW that there were only 9 Walkers in the Fellowship. We KNOW Galadriel was born in Aman. But we can only guess what Legolas's childhood was like, or what feelings Aragorn experienced when he entered the Paths of the Dead; people who are equally well-read with regards to Tolkien's works can reasonably hold different opinions here. And to me, that's where the fun of fanfiction lies - adding flesh to the bones. [img]smilies/smile.gif[/img]