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Assumptions in fanfic
More thinky thoughts about fanfiction:
Unlike original fic, fanfic very rarely starts at the beginning. Even pre-series or spoiler-free fics assume something from canon, even if it's just information about the world, or the characters' names. And even fics accessible to people who aren't familiar with the source material - if they're any good - will mean more to people who are.
Most fanfic, though, contains a lot of assumptions from canon, which I think can be broken down into three categories: explicit (actual events, characterisation, etc. presented in absolute terms - eg. Buffy Summers is a vampire slayer, Rory Gilmore is intelligent, Seth Cohen likes comic books); implicit (things which may logically be inferred from canon, or which may be mentioned outright but still open to some interpretation - eg. Giles is a father figure to Buffy); and inferred (or rather, subtext; things we may read into canon, whether intended by the creators or not - most support for non-canon ships falls into this category).
Explicit assumptions are, outside very specific situations, essentially incontrovertible; implicit assumptions, while more open to interpretation and contradiction, are still likely to be agreed upon by majority of fans, and are unlikely to need evidence to back up their inclusion in fanfic or to throw a reader out of the story when included. Inferred assumptions, on the other hand, are subjective and often personal; what is obvious subtext to one person may be willfully or unconsciously ignored by another. Often groups within fandom may share the same sets of inferred assumptions (particularly within shipper groups, or in the case of particularly pervasive pieces of fanon); in that way, a Peter/Claire (or Buffy/Faith, or Sheppard/McKay) fic intended for those who already ship the couple will begin with far more assumptions than one written for a general audience not already sold on the pairing. Or, in non-shipper circles, a genfic written by someone who has been heavily involved in fandom for some time may contain a whole set of assumptions that would not be present in a similar fic written by somebody new to fandom.
What I'm wondering is: when you write fanfic, what things do you just assume, and what things do you feel the need to establish? Do you write for a particular section of fandom that shares your reading of canon, or do you try to make your fics as accessible as possible for everyone? Do you have some fics written specifically with a particular set of assumptions in mind, and others designed to be read by a more general audience? When you write fics about pairings you ship, do you find yourself including assumptions not present in genfic, or fics featuring pairings you don't necessarily ship? As a reader, are there assumptions that will immediately throw you out of a fic - or are there others which you like to see included?
I believe that most fics are written for people who at least share the assumption that the premise of the fic, whatever it may be, could somehow be possible. A Giles/Buffy fic, for example, may not be written only for people who believe their relationship to already be sexual or romantic in canon, but it is almost certainly not written for those who believe that their relationship could never be anything but familial or platonic. But while one such fic may be written for those who are willing to suspend their disbelief, and be convinced that Giles and Buffy might one day develop a romantic relationship, another may be written specifically for people who believe that the characters are already attracted to one another, and will contain an extra set of assumptions to that effect. Of course, neither approach is necessarily better; while one is certainly more accessible than the other, both serve a different audience, and it is almost certain that shippers will at least occasionally want fics that cater to their particular assumptions.
I also think that what separates badfic from good is the tendency of badfic to ignore explicit canon information. A fic which presents Rory as being suddenly apathetic towards her journalism career is likely to be labelled OOC because it contradicts explicit canon assumptions; that is, that Rory is dedicated to becoming a journalist. A fic that has Rory discovering the inherent bias in the media and giving up a career in journalism to help the people she sees in trouble, however, is different in that it does not begin by contradicting explicit assumptions, and in fact uses other explicit or implicit assumptions - that Rory can be naive at times, and enjoys helping others - to support its premise.
For me? I assume that Lamb is attracted to Veronica, even if he doesn't particularly like her. I don't however, assume that Veronica shares his attraction; for me, the fun, and the challenge, is getting her to become attracted to him - though I'm not averse to the occasional PWP which has her being attracted to him without all that preamble. Though I've never written Buffy/Faith fics, if I did, I would begin with the assumption that Faith is attracted to Buffy. I assume that Michael and Lindsay possess at least a latent attraction to one another, as do Peter and Claire; notably, this isn't something I necessarily believe to be true in canon, but it's the point at which I start off in fandom.
What about you?
Unlike original fic, fanfic very rarely starts at the beginning. Even pre-series or spoiler-free fics assume something from canon, even if it's just information about the world, or the characters' names. And even fics accessible to people who aren't familiar with the source material - if they're any good - will mean more to people who are.
Most fanfic, though, contains a lot of assumptions from canon, which I think can be broken down into three categories: explicit (actual events, characterisation, etc. presented in absolute terms - eg. Buffy Summers is a vampire slayer, Rory Gilmore is intelligent, Seth Cohen likes comic books); implicit (things which may logically be inferred from canon, or which may be mentioned outright but still open to some interpretation - eg. Giles is a father figure to Buffy); and inferred (or rather, subtext; things we may read into canon, whether intended by the creators or not - most support for non-canon ships falls into this category).
Explicit assumptions are, outside very specific situations, essentially incontrovertible; implicit assumptions, while more open to interpretation and contradiction, are still likely to be agreed upon by majority of fans, and are unlikely to need evidence to back up their inclusion in fanfic or to throw a reader out of the story when included. Inferred assumptions, on the other hand, are subjective and often personal; what is obvious subtext to one person may be willfully or unconsciously ignored by another. Often groups within fandom may share the same sets of inferred assumptions (particularly within shipper groups, or in the case of particularly pervasive pieces of fanon); in that way, a Peter/Claire (or Buffy/Faith, or Sheppard/McKay) fic intended for those who already ship the couple will begin with far more assumptions than one written for a general audience not already sold on the pairing. Or, in non-shipper circles, a genfic written by someone who has been heavily involved in fandom for some time may contain a whole set of assumptions that would not be present in a similar fic written by somebody new to fandom.
What I'm wondering is: when you write fanfic, what things do you just assume, and what things do you feel the need to establish? Do you write for a particular section of fandom that shares your reading of canon, or do you try to make your fics as accessible as possible for everyone? Do you have some fics written specifically with a particular set of assumptions in mind, and others designed to be read by a more general audience? When you write fics about pairings you ship, do you find yourself including assumptions not present in genfic, or fics featuring pairings you don't necessarily ship? As a reader, are there assumptions that will immediately throw you out of a fic - or are there others which you like to see included?
I believe that most fics are written for people who at least share the assumption that the premise of the fic, whatever it may be, could somehow be possible. A Giles/Buffy fic, for example, may not be written only for people who believe their relationship to already be sexual or romantic in canon, but it is almost certainly not written for those who believe that their relationship could never be anything but familial or platonic. But while one such fic may be written for those who are willing to suspend their disbelief, and be convinced that Giles and Buffy might one day develop a romantic relationship, another may be written specifically for people who believe that the characters are already attracted to one another, and will contain an extra set of assumptions to that effect. Of course, neither approach is necessarily better; while one is certainly more accessible than the other, both serve a different audience, and it is almost certain that shippers will at least occasionally want fics that cater to their particular assumptions.
I also think that what separates badfic from good is the tendency of badfic to ignore explicit canon information. A fic which presents Rory as being suddenly apathetic towards her journalism career is likely to be labelled OOC because it contradicts explicit canon assumptions; that is, that Rory is dedicated to becoming a journalist. A fic that has Rory discovering the inherent bias in the media and giving up a career in journalism to help the people she sees in trouble, however, is different in that it does not begin by contradicting explicit assumptions, and in fact uses other explicit or implicit assumptions - that Rory can be naive at times, and enjoys helping others - to support its premise.
For me? I assume that Lamb is attracted to Veronica, even if he doesn't particularly like her. I don't however, assume that Veronica shares his attraction; for me, the fun, and the challenge, is getting her to become attracted to him - though I'm not averse to the occasional PWP which has her being attracted to him without all that preamble. Though I've never written Buffy/Faith fics, if I did, I would begin with the assumption that Faith is attracted to Buffy. I assume that Michael and Lindsay possess at least a latent attraction to one another, as do Peter and Claire; notably, this isn't something I necessarily believe to be true in canon, but it's the point at which I start off in fandom.
What about you?
no subject
Prior to joining the VM fandom, the fic I wrote was mostly non-canon couples. In Buffy I wrote Buffy/Giles, some Buffy/Faith. In Firefly I wrote Jayne/Kaylee. It wasn't until I joined VM that I wrote for an actual existing couple (L/V), although I have written non-canon in VM (Lamb/V).
Mainly, what I like to do in fic is to take the explicitly canon on-screen moments that are undeniable and explore them, to give them layers and meanings which may or may not have been inferred by others in the audience, but how I saw them. Sometimes this is canon, sometimes it is fanon and sometimes it is completely out of nowhere.
It's not the use of one or the other here that makes a good fic, although I think you're right that someone who ignores canon and makes fic OOC is writing badfic, I think it is a realistic blending of all three that makes a fic enjoyable and interesting to read.
Did that even answer your question?
no subject
I like your point that good fanfic blends implicit and inferred assumptions, merging canon with subtext to build upon the premise of the story and make a realistic, engaging fic. I think the trick is being able to blur the line between the inferred assumptions or subtext needed for the premise of the story, and the information presented explicitly or implicitly in canon, so that you're not left with a huge line where the reader thinks "yep, I got this part, they're talking, and - whoa, where did that kissing come from?" And knowing when it's necessary to bring some inferred assumptions into a fic (such as existing or potential sexual attraction between two people), and when you have to leave those behind and build up the reader's belief in the premise from the beginning. Which, of course, all depends on who you're writing for, and what your intentions are for the fic.
no subject
Second: I think I try to write fanfiction that is accessible to the fan community as a whole. When I write, I try to reassert canon just enough so that someone from the outside would have an inkling of the world from which I write, but someone who's into the fandom wouldn't really be bothered.
However, like everyone in fandom, some assumptions on my part are unavoidable. As for Veronica, I assume that Logan and Veronica are Meant to Be and all other comers are just distractions. I assume other people believe that as well, but my job then is to complicate it. How does Logan screw it up when he doesn't mean to? How does Veronica keep him out when she wants to bring him close? And like you, I assume Lamb is attracted to Veronica, but she might not reciprocate at any it her level beyond the physical... so making any relationship between them, even those of the porn-y throw-down on the desk variety, is a challenge. That's my jumping off point... how do I make everyone else buy that Lamb and Veronica are going to have mind-blowing sex?
For Doctor Who, I assume everyone sees Rose and the Doctor as having a relationship beyond friendship, but for me, I think it's much, much deeper than anything physical - so I try to find a way to show that relationship without resorting to any physical manifestation or anything too syrupy and mushy and I never, ever have them say "I love you." I think Russell Davies did a fantastic job of avoiding those three words, often having the Doctor come thisclose... but he never quite says it. That had more of an effect on me as a viewer than if he'd actually come right out and said it, because it speaks volumes about the Doctor. So I try my darndest to do all that work justice.
As a reader, I don't see a physical relationship between the Doctor and Rose as a viable option at all, so if an author can sell it, she's done one Hell of a job.
no subject
That's an good way to approach fic; it's definitely a difficult thing to manage, but it's awesome when writers can do it well (and you do).
And I totally share your assumptions, particularly on Doctor Who - and as much as I'm a Doctor/Rose shipper, that doesn't necessarily translate to seeing (or wanting) a strictly romantic relationship between them (though I won't argue with quality porn).
As for Veronica, I assume that Logan and Veronica are Meant to Be and all other comers are just distractions.
Yep, that's exactly the sort of thing I was talking about. And it's definitely a shippy assumption, but like I said, I don't think that's a bad thing - in fact, since most Logan/Veronica (or any pairing) fic is going to be read mostly by fans of that pairing, it can often be an asset in getting readers to connect with your work. I know most of the Gilmore Girls fandom is Luke/Lorelai dominated, and there are quite a few AU fics which rely on that sort of assumption to work as well as they do - in fact, most AUs (and the more AU the fic, the more it applies) probably rely on that assumption.